| Badami or Vatapi was the center of ancient Chalukyan glory. It is located at a distance of about 500 km from Bangalore and is a taluk in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka. It was founded in 540 A.D. by Pulakesi I(535-566 AD), an early ruler of the Chalukyas. Badami, today a sleepy little town on a red sandstone ridge. The Chalukyas are credited with some of the best traditions of Dravidian architecture including an experimental blend of older South Indian temple architecture and the nagara style of north India.It was home to several rock-cut temples. |
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| History |
| Badami saw a succession of rulers of which the Chalukyas were only the most important. There is architecture and sculpture here from periods ranging as far back as the 7th century AD Pallava rule to as recently as the 19th century Marathas. Badami was the capital of the early Chalukyas, who ruled much of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh between the 6th and 8th centuries. It was founded in 540 A.D. by Pulakesi I(535-566 AD), an early ruler of the Chalukyas. |
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| Badami is famous for its four cave temples - all hewn out of sand stone on the precipice of a hill.Legend has it there were two demon siblings Vatapi and Ilvala, who had a trick by which they could kill and make a meal of mendicants passing by. Their tricks worked until Agastya muni came by and counter-tricked them and brought an end to Vatapi's life. Two of the hills in Badami are supposed to represent the demons Ilvalan and Vatapi. |
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| The oldest, Cave 1, has stunning carvings of Shiva in his Nataraja avatar, dancing the apocalyptic tandava. There are also carvings of the god in the Ardhanarishvara form where he is depicted as half man-half woman, the woman half representing his wife Parvati. Yet another carving is of Harihara, the right half of this figure depicts Shiva - the Destroyer and the left, Vishnu - the Preserver. Caves 2 and 3 are dedicated entirely to Vishnu, whereas Cave 4 is has an image of the Jain tirthankara, Adinath |
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| The four cave temples represent the secular nature of the rulers then, with tolerance and a religious following that inclines towards Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism |
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| Cave Temple 1 |
| The first temple dating back to the 5th century CE has gigantic carvings of Ardhanareeswara and Harira manifestations of Shiva in bas relief. It enshrines a Shivalingam. In the adjacent wall there is a carving of the cosmic dance of Shiva Nataraja depicted with eighteen arms. There are also reliefs of Ganapati, Shanmukha and Mahishasuramardhini, and may be the oldest in Badami. It is made of red sandstone and has a hall with numerous pillars and a square shaped sanctum hollowed in the control back wall. |
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| Cave Temple 2 |
| The second temple bears images of Vishnu in his Varaha and Trivikrama incarnations. It is reached through a flight of 64 stairs from the first one. On its celing, are carvings of Vishnu on Garuda and several other scenes from the puranas |
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| Cave Temple 3 |
| The third rock cut temple is reached from the 2nd temple through a flight of 60 steps. It is a 100 feet dep cave, with inscriptions dating this Vishnu temple to 578 CE during, the period of Kiritivarma Chalukya. Here there are carved images of the Narasimha and Trivikrama avataras of Vishnu. There are also murals depicting the divine marriage of Shiva and Parvati. |
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| Cave Temple 4 |
| Cave temple 4 relates to 6th century Jainism. There is a carving of the Tirthankara Parshavnatha (with a serpent at his feet). Mahavira is depicted in a sitting posture |
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| The archaeological museum |
| The archaeological museum of Badami has Nandi, Lord Shiva's bull, at its entrance. This museum is closed on Fridays. It houses superb examples of local sculptures, including the remarkable Lajja-Gauri images of fertility cult, which flourished in the era |
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| Badami Fort |
| Perched on top of the hill is the fort with the Upper and Lower Shivalayas. The Upper Shivalaya, built by Pulakesan II, a devotee of Lord Vishnu is marked by sculpted tales from mythology on its outer walls. Look for the lion and elephant heads atop the temple steps. The Lower Shivalaya was raised to Lord Ganesh. To its north a 16th century cannon looks down on the township. The watchtower, a little further on, is believed to date to the 14th century. |
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| Bhuthanatha temple Stroll along the edge of the serene lake to explore these two temples, one flanking the north and the other to its northeast. Raised to Lord Shiva as the lord of the five elements (bhuthaas) the temples was constructed in 5th century. |
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| Naganath Temple |
| Naganath Temple is one of the ancient Chalukyan temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple lies amidst the green forest on the way to Mahakuta about 10-km from the Badami town, definitely worth a visit site. |
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| Serene Lake |
| Besides a picturesque location the lake flowing near the temple complex has its medicinal value. Visitors go for a holy dip in to the lake, according to a popular story, King Kushataraya was cured of leprosy here. |
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| Banashankari (5 km.) |
| Travel to Banashankari, located at a distance of 5 km from Badami.Banashankari temple is dedicated to goddess Banashankari, a configuration of goddess Parvati. The temple is highly worshiped by the weaver community in the town. Built in the Dravidian style, the image depicts the mighty eight-armed goddess seated on a grumbling lion. |
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| There is an annual temple festival celebration in Banashankari, the festival is celebrated with full devotion and enthusiasm. Whole town is decorated, the streets around the temple are taken over by a huge fair, marked by color and liveliness and attended by thousands of devotees. |
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| Mahakuta (14 km.) |
| Mahakuta is a small town surrounded by hills ones known as a great center for the Shaiva sect. The place is famous for the Mahakuteshwara Temple, the holy deity of the temple is Lord Shiva. The temple is constructed in the Dravidian style with magnificent carvings and sculptures. The temple is surrounded by several small shrines bedecked by awesome carving on their walls, there is also a natural spring pond called Vishnu Pushkarni used as a relaxing joint by the visitors. |
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| How to Reach |
By Road: From Bagalkot 30km, Bijapur 128 km, Hubli 132 km, Bangalore 500 km
Airport: The nearest airport is Belgaum about 150 kilometers away
Rail: Badami is on the Hubli-Sholapur rail route. |
