The Meguti Temple was constructed in 634 CE under the patronage of Ravikirti, who served as the court poet (kavi) and a general in the court of the Chalukya emperor Pulakeshin II. Pulakeshin II was the most powerful ruler of the Early Chalukya dynasty, who defeated the Pallava king Mahendravarman I and repelled an invasion by the north Indian emperor Harshavardhana.
The temple's inscription, composed by Ravikirti in Sanskrit, records the genealogy of the Chalukya dynasty and the military achievements of Pulakeshin II. The inscription is particularly famous for its description of Pulakeshin II's victory over Harsha. The temple later fell into disuse as a Jain shrine but was preserved as part of the Aihole archaeological complex.
The site was documented in the 19th century by British archaeologists, and the inscription was studied and published by epigraphists in the late 19th century.
