Pictured here is a view of the two-storeyed entrance gateway to the Mahanaleshwar temple complex. The gateway is part of an enclosure wall that demarcates the boundaries of the complex on all four sides. Inside the enclosure walls are several temples, of which the shikhara (superstructure) of the Mahanaleshwar Temple is visible from the outside.
Sculpture of a six-handed Bhairava in a devakoshtha (niche) on the right-side wall of the entrance gateway to the Mahanaleshwar complex. The attributes that Bhairava holds include a kapala (human skull), a khatvanga (staff with a human skull), a damru (hourglass-shaped drum), a khadga (dagger), a dhal (shield), and a talwar (a type of sword). The Bhairava sculpture is flanked by a dog and a skeletal figure.
Pictured here is the north-facing view of the two-storeyed entrance gateway of the Mahanaleshwar temple complex. It is a semi-open space with a porch on the ground floor, a plain balcony with dwarf walls on the first floor, and a canopy with a pyramidical spire on the top.