Badami
City Information
An small town of Karnataka, Badami
was once the capital of the great Chalukyan
rulers. Their empire covered much of the central
Deccan between the 4th centuries AD. In Badami
and at nearby Aihole and Pattadakal one can
easily see see some of the earliest and rock
cut caves. The forms and sculptural work at
there sites provided inspiration for the later
Hindu empires which rose and fell in the arrival
of the Muslims. Though principally promoters
of the vedic culture, the Chalukyans were
tolerant of all sects, and elements of Shaivism,
Vaishnaivism, Jainism and even Buddhism can
be found in many of their temples.
The surrounding hills are dotted with temples,
fortifications, carvings and inscriptions
dating not just from the Chalukyan period,
but from other times when the site was occupied
as a fortress. After it fell to the Rashtrakutsa,
Badami was occupied successively by the Chalukyans
of Kalyan (a separate branch of the western
Chalukyan), the Kaachuryas, the Yadavas of
Devagiri, the Vijayanagar Empire, the Adil
Shahi kings of Bajipur and the Marathas. All
these various rulers have left their mark
at Badami, and there's even a Pallava inscription
dating back to 642 AD when their king, Narasimha
Varman I, Briefly overwhelmed the Chalukyans
and occupied Badami for 13 years before being
driven out.
Main
Sightseeing of Badami
Cave Temple : Badami town
is best known for its beautiful cave temple,
cut into the cliff face of a red sandstone
hill. They display the full range of religious
sects which have developed in India. Two
of them are dedicated to Vishnu, one to
Shiva and the fourth is a Jain temple. There's
also one natural cave which is a Buddhist
temple.
Archaeological Museum : It
is superb examples of local sculpture, including
remarkable Lajja-Gauri images of a fertility
cult which flourished in the area. It's
open from 10 am to 5 pm daily except Friday.
Badami Fort : Around 2
Kms. Strategically situated on top of the
hill, the fort encloses large granaries,
a treasury impressive temples on top of
the northern end of the hill. Malegitti
Shivalaya, perhaps the oldest temple of
the lot, is dedicated to the benign aspect
of Shiva as the garland maker. Placed on
the summit of a rocky hill, the temple is
built of stone, finely joined without mortar,
& with Dravidian tower. The lower Shivalaya
has a Dravidian tower of which only the
sanctum remains now.
There are some more temples in Badami town
& several of them dotting the banks
of a well-built tank locally called the
Agasthya Tirtha..
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Excursions
from Badami
Aihole : Situated around
46 Kms from Badami, the Aihole is popular
for the remarkable group of temples here built
during the reign of Chalukyan rulers, dating
from the sixth to the eighth centuries.
Banashankari : This is
50 Kms away from Badami. This temple is dedicated
to Banashankari or Shakambari - a form of
Parvati - is located at Cholachigud popularly
called Banashankari. Originally built by the
late Chalukyas of Kalyan, the present temple
belongs to the 17th Century. The icon of goddess
is made of black stone and is seated as a
lion, trampling the demon with her foot. The
temple is built in the Dravidian style. There
is a large pond in front of the temple called
Harida Tirtha - a corruption of Harishchandra
Tirtha. This goddess is the beloved of the
weaver community. An annual fair held here
in between January and February each year.
Guledgud : At the distance
of 24 Kms from Badami is situated Galedgud
which means "emigrants" hill came
to be so called after emigrants came &
settled here beside a hill. Singappa Naik
Desai, an officer of Ibrahim Adil Shah II
of Bijapur, built a fort here in 1580. The
present town was built at the site of dry
lake in 1705. The place was occupied by Mughals.
By Tippu Sultan in 1787, followed by the Marathas
& finally by the British in 1826. There
are several temples and a darga of Sayyad
Basha.
Lakkundi Temple : 82 Kms,
about 12 Kms south-east of Gadag, Lakkundi
is a place of antiquarian interest with as
many as 50 temples & 29 inscriptions,
spread over the period of the later Chalukyas,
Kalachuris, Seunas & the Hoysalas. A great
center of Chalukyan art, there are several
temples of note here. Among them Kasi Vishwanatha
is the most ornate & elaborately furnished.
There is also a Jain Temple dedicated to Mahavira,
the largest & oldest shrines at Lakkundi.
Lakkundi is also noted for its steep wells,
artistically built with small canopied niches
inside the walls of the wells enshrining lingas.
There is sculpture gallery maintained by the
Archaeological Survey of India.
Mahakuta : This small town
is 14 Kms from Badami was once a great center
of shaiva cult, Mahakuta is a beautiful place
surrounded by hills. The Mahakuteshwara temple
dedicated to Shiva, is built in the Dravidian
style. There are several small shrines around
it with a wealth of carvings on the walls.
There are few other Shiva temples in Mahakuta
dating back to the days of the Chalukyas,
This place is often called Dakshina Kasi because
of its religious sanctify.
Naganath Temple : Located
in a forest on the way to Mahakuta, it is
one of the early Chalukyan temples dedicated
to Shiva. It is around 10 kms from Badami.
How
to reach?
By Air : The nearest airport is Belgaum
192 kms.
By Train : Nearest railway station
is Bagalkot in Hubli Sholapur line.
By Road : Badami is well connected
with nearby cities .
