Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal

Overview

Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal are three Chalukya-era sites in Bagalkote district (also spelled Bagalkot), northern Karnataka, all within about 35 km of one another. Together they trace how the Chalukya dynasty carved caves and then experimented with free-standing temples between the 6th and 8th centuries. Most visitors base themselves in Badami for two days, and October to February is the comfortable period for walking the sites.

Badami was the Chalukya capital, then called Vatapi, and Pulakeshin I chose it for its sandstone cliffs and a ravine between two hills. Its four rock-cut caves date from the late 6th century. Cave 1 has an 18-armed Nataraja, Cave 3 is dedicated to Vishnu and is the largest, and Cave 4 is Jain. An inscription in Cave 3 records its consecration in 578 or 579 CE. Below the caves lies the reservoir of Agastya Lake, edged with the Bhutanatha temples, and an archaeological museum in town shows a Lajja Gauri sculpture. A climb up the northern hill leads to the old fort.

Pattadakal, about 22 km away on the Malaprabha River, is the UNESCO site: the Group of Monuments at Pattadakal was inscribed in 1987. Its temples mix northern and southern building traditions. The Virupaksha Temple, built around 740 CE, is the largest, the Sangameshwara Temple from the early 8th century is the oldest, and the Papanatha Temple blends the two styles in a single building. A Jain Narayana temple was added in the 9th century.

Aihole lies about 10 km from Pattadakal and some 35 km from Badami. More than 120 temples, cave shrines and ruins from the 4th to the 12th centuries are scattered through the village, among them the apsidal Durga Temple, the Lad Khan Temple and the hilltop Meguti Jain Temple. The Meguti carries the Ravikirti inscription of 634 CE, which praises Pulakeshin II, and a local museum holds sculpture from the digs.

Hubballi Airport is the nearest major airport, about 105 to 130 km away, and Badami has its own railway station. Hampi is roughly 140 km east, a drive of about three hours. A rough plan is caves and lake on the first day, then Pattadakal and Aihole on the second.

Known for

Four rock-cut caves from the late 6th century