The tiny
town of Badami has only one major road which accommodates all its commercial
activities. However, beyond the main road and the tiny lanes that lead to its
residential areas, Badami has a picturesque landscape with huge cliffs (south
fort and north fort) overlooking the town. These almond coloured sandstone
cliffs are separated by Agasthya theertha, a massive water tank.
A line of
steps lead up to the first cave dedicated to Shiva in south fort area. Lined
with carved pillars, this cave temple houses sculptures of Nataraja (Shiva as a
dancer) and Ardhanareeshwara along with a mutilated nandi facing the inner
sanctum. A few further steps meanders through the rocks to the second cave
dedicated to Vishnu. This too has carved pillars along with sculptures of ten
incarnations of Vishnu. The third cave has a Vishnu shrine and is the largest
of all. There are elaborate carvings and impressive sculptures of various
mythological characters and celestial figures. The coloured walls have eroded
over the years. The cave also offers panoramic views of the Agasthya tank,
Bhoothanatha temples, other smaller shrines and Badami town. The fourth cave is
a Jain cave and has sculptures of Thirthankaras on its walls. Between cave 1
and 2 there is a sculpture of Padmapani (an incarnation of Buddha) on the
rocks.
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| Cave 1 |
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| Sculpture in Cave 1 |
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| Cave 2 |
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| Sculpture in cave 2 |
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| Cave 3 |
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| Sculptures in Cave 3 |
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| Cave 3 |
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| View of Agasthya theertha and Bhoothanatha temples |
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| Steep steps lead from one cave to another |
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| Jain cave |
The
expansive Agasthya theertha is the life of Badami, and has a rustic charm to it.
It is a part of the people's daily chores as they take bath, wash and clean
themselves here. The two Bhoothanatha temples at the lake's far end look
gorgeous, definitely one of the best frames in Badami. Dedicated to Shiva, the
shrine has a menacing expression on his face and is worshiped as the god of
pancha bhoothas or five elements of life. There are other temples too by the
stepped tank such as Yellama temple and Mallikarjuna temple. Look out and you
will find more tiny shrines built on boulders and surroundings.
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| Bhoothanatha temples |
The walk
along the water body leads to the other cliff known as north fort. At the base
of north fort is an archaeological museum which houses a huge display of
sculptures and findings from excavations over the years. Further ahead, a steep
climb of steps lead through massive boulders to the ruins of north fort which
has a treasury, granaries, watch tower, lower Shivalaya and upper Shivalaya.
The narrow passage flanked by boulders is an interesting trail (reminds you of
geological books) that leads to the lower Shivalaya, and then to the huge
circular watch tower which offers beautiful views of south fort, Agasthya
theertha, Badami town and the surroundings. A further walk through the boulders
takes you to upper Shivalaya, which has mythological carvings and sculptures on
its walls. It is believed that these Shivalayas were the first temples built by
Chalukyas with pyramidal towers (gopurams). A short detour from the museum at
the base leads to Malegitti Shivalaya. Perched on a lone standing hill, a few
steps lead to the temple dedicated to Shiva. Believed to be a surya temple
earlier, it presently has many mythological and animal carvings.
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| Pathway to north fort |
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| Circular watch tower |
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| Upper Shivalaya |
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| Malegitti Shivalaya |
Banashankari,
five kilometers away from Badami is known for its temple dedicated to Parvati.
Adjacent to the temple lies the massive Haridratheertha (water tank) with
pillared walk ways along its four sides. The large lamps in front of the temple
are pretty impressive.
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| Haridratheertha at Banashankari |
A few
kilometers away from Badami lies Chalukyan temple complex at Mahakuta. Though a
functional complex, most of the structures are in a dilapidated state. There
are ten temples here dedicated to Shiva, the prominent ones being Mallikarjuna
and Mahakuteshwara. The Vishnu pushkarni (water tank) in the middle of the
complex is believed to have a natural spring.
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| Temples at Mahakuta |
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| Vishnu Pushkarni |
Pattadakal, the second capital of the Chalukyas is believed to be their
coronation site. A UNESCO world heritage site, this temple complex spread over
a well laid out garden has an array of temples dating from 7th to 9th
centuries. The largest and the most decorated of all the temples are
Mallikarjuna and Virupaksha temples, built to commemorate the victory of
Chalukyas over Pallavas. While Mallikarjuna temple displays stories from
Mahabharata and Ramayana on its walls, Virupaksha has beautiful carved pillars
with mythological stories and characters. The other popular temples with
magnificent architecture include Galaganatha, Kddi Siddeshwara, Jambulinga,
Kashi Vishwanatha and Sangameshwara temples. The temple complex is situated by
the Malaprabha river and the exit gate leads to the same. Papanatha
temple just outside the complex is one of the oldest temples in Pattadakal. The
isolated Rashtrakuta jain temple is another prominent one in Pattadakal.
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| Pattadakal temple complex |
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| Mallikarjuna temple |
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| Viruypaksha temple |
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| Galaganatha temple |
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| Sangameshwara temple |
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| A mutilated nandi ssculpture |
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| Papanatha temple |
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| Jain temple |
Further away from Pattadakal lies Aihole, believed to be the place where
Dravidian temple architecture was born. It has numerous temples spread all over
with some well-maintained ones inside complexes and some secluded ones in
neglected ruined state. Aihole is believed to have had more than a hundred
temples, all built between 6th and 12th centuries. Durga temple complex is the
most celebrated place here with the popular horse shoe shaped Durga temple. The
temple has extensive sculptures on its exterior, interior and ceiling. The
numerous ornate pillars look gorgeous even today with their beautiful carvings.
The wonderful sculptures pop up as you circumnavigate the horse shoe shaped
pathway. Dedicated to Durga, the deity is a fierce looking Mahishasuramardhini.
Lad Khan temple is one of the other impressive temples within this complex. It
is also the oldest one here and has a different architecture with another
shrine atop the roof. It has carved pillars and a nandi sculpture facing the
inner sanctum. Dedicated to Shiva, the temple gets its name from a Muslim saint
who lived here a few centuries ago. The other temples in this complex include
Gaudaragudi, Chakragudi, Badigergudi and Suryanarayanagudi temples. This
complex also houses a museum which has a good display from excavations over the
years.
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| Durga temple |
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| Carvings inside Durga temple |
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| Sculpture along the horse shoe shaped pathwway |
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| Lad Khan temple |
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| Gaudaragudi temple |
Ambigeragudi complex lies opposite to durga complex and has a set of
lovely temples with fine architecture. Jyothirlinga temple complex is one of
the nice complexes with numerous shrines, nandi structures and a pushkarni.
Huchchappayanamath temple complex is a secluded one which is neatly maintained
and has a well laid out garden, walkway and temples in typical Chalukyan
architecture. Mallikarjuna temple complex has five temples apart from a
pushkarni.
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| Ambigeragudi temple complex |
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| Jyothirlinga temple complex |
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| Huchchappayanamath temple complex |
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| Mallikarjuna temple complex |
Kontigudi complex has numerous temples, but is set amidst a lot of filth
and cattle. Next to it lies Rachigudi complex which has a spread-out garden and
shrines amidst it. Charanthi matha and Tryambakeshwara complex are perfect
examples of how lovely heritages structures can be neglected and left to
ruin.
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| Rachigudi temple complex |
Ravanaphadi is a rock cut shrine dedicated to Shiva, but much smaller in
size compared to the ones in Badami. Though externally it might not be an
impressive one, the magnificent sculptures inside which include Shiva in a
dancing stance can leave you amazed. There are more huge sculptures of Varaha,
Mahishasuramardhini and other figurines. What also makes it special is that the
shrine is cut out from a single rock. It is peaceful inside and is definitely
my favourite shrine in Aihole. Huchchimalli temple complex ahead of Ravanaphadi
has three shrines dedicated to Shiva and has beautiful carvings inside. A steep
climb up the hill behind Huchchimalli leads to Meghutti temple, a double
floored structure with pillars. The hill also has a few caves alongside the
temple. The evening sky and Aihole town looks beautiful from the hill.
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| Ravanaphadi cave temple |
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| Interiors of Ravanaphadi cave |
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| Shiva sculpture |
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| Huchchimalli temple complex |
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| Meghutti temple |
Badami, Pattadakal and Aihole are undoubtedly a favourite with
architecture and geological lovers. Moreover, the fact that these magnificent
heritage sites still thrive amidst all the modernization makes them all the
more impressive and worth the visit.
My favourite circuit. Good pictures.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Shilpa.
DeleteLovely pictures...
ReplyDeleteBeautiful tour of the place. Truly poetry in stone.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it, Rajesh.
DeleteNice!! Good pictures.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Aravind.
DeleteWonderfully detailed post. Nice pictures.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Dhiru.
DeleteVery nice and detailed post.
ReplyDelete