Four early medieval stone temples exist today at Pandukeshwar. One, dedicated to
Vishnu in his form as Yogabadri, is built in the
Dravidian architectural style typical of Southern India; the other three — one to Vishnu in his form as Vasudeva Badri, one to
Lakshmi-Narayana, and one to
Ganesha — are built in the
Nagara architectural style typical of Northern India. Pandukeshwar is the only place in Northern India where historical examples of both Dravida and Nagara architecture can be seen side by side; the nearest places where such a combination can be found are
Badami and
Pattadakal, both in
Karnataka. The Yogabadri temple is "the biggest and most important monument in the village", and the only Dravida-style temple in the central Himalayan region. It is dated by Nachiket Chanchani to 850-1000 CE. It faces the mountain road leading to Badrinath and features a
garbagriha crowned by a tall cylindrical dome, with lions at the four corners of the dome's base, symbolically protecting the temple. In the garbagriha is a golden sculpture image of Vishnu in the
lotus position, or
padmāsana. This image probably dates from around the temple's original construction in the 9th or 10th century. At the four corners of the garbagriha's
foundation are four
makaras. In front of the garbagriha is a rectangualar
mandapa, which is connected to the garbagriha in the rear. The mandapa's original stone-slab roofing is still in place, although it is now covered by copper sheet cladding. Each winter, the Yogabadri temple gains in importance because the
Badrinath Temple closes at the start of winter, and its image of Vishnu is brought down to Pandukeshwar in a
palanquin. The image is then kept in the garbagriha of the Yogabadri temple, where pilgrims worship it until the image is brought back up to the Badrinath Temple when it reopens for the summer. To the left of the Yogabadri temple is the a Nagara-style temple enshrining Vishnu as
Narayana (not the same as the Lakshmi-Narayana temple), which according to Chanchani was probably originally built in the 10th or 11th century and was probably intentionally paired with the Yogabadri temple. Like the Yogabadri temple, the Narayana temple faces the road to Badrinath. The Narayana temple's
latina-style
shikhara has "mismatched stones, abnormal taper, and an abnormally large
chattra", which according to Chanchani "all point to a [later] reconstruction". The north-facing Lakshmi-Naryana temple is located near the Narayana temple; according to Chanchani, it probably dates from no earlier than the late 800s. Like the Narayana temple, it features a
latina-style shikhara. Some decorative elements, such as "a row of diamond- and orb-shaped medallions" on one of its courses, indicate that its builders wanted to "visually [link] this temple to those already erected at Pandukeshwar". The Lakshmi-Naryana temple has been heavily rebuilt since its original construction, though, so relatively little can be said about its original design. According to Chanchani, the Lakshmi-Narayana temple does not appear in photographs dated prior to 2011; Chanchani reports conflicting accounts of its rebuilding, with some saying that it was previously buried under a pile of rubble and others saying that it was "concealed within a modern residence that has since been demolished". Finally, the "diminutive" Ganesha shrine adjoins the Yogabadri temple, immediately to the left of its entrance. The temples at Pandukeshwar are administered by
Nambudiri Brahmins from
Kerala. == Demographics ==