Badami lies at the foot of a rugged, red sandstone
outcrop that surrounds Agastya Tirtha tank (an artificial lake) on three
sides. It was founded by Pulakesin I of the Chalukya dynasty. Once the
capital of the Chalukyas, Badami, called Vatapi back then, is best known
today for its rock-cut cave temples. The caves, sculpted in the 6th and
7th centuries CE, depict Hindu, Buddhist and Jain iconography. Cave 1 is
devoted to Shiva, caves 2 and 3 are dedicated to Vishnu, and cave 4
displays reliefs of Jain Tirthankaras. A natural cave nearby is
dedicated to the Buddha. Carvings of Hindu Gods are strewn across the
area in other caverns and on boulders. Two Bhutanatha temples stand
facing the lake. Together, these monuments represent the early styles
and stages of south Indian temple architecture.
|
The Cave Temples of Badami |
|
Cave One
exterior (1,
2)
 |
Nataraja with
18 arms
 |
Harihara (Ardhanarishvara)
 |
Left side of
porch (right)
 |
Cave Two
exterior
 |
|
Cave interior
 |
Varaha (avatar
of Vishnu)
 |
Trivikrama
(avatar of Vishnu)
 |
Cave Three
exterior (interior)
 |
Left corner of
porch (1,
2, 3)
 |
Carved pillar
brackets (1,
2)
 |
Porch, looking
left (right)
 |
Cave Four
exterior
 |
|
Adinath, inner
sanctum
 |
Left side of
porch
 |
Right side of
porch
 |
|
Badami Village and Fort |
View from the
caves (more)
 |
Agastya Tirtha
tank (more)
 |
Woman washing
her buffalo
 |
Lots of these
around
 |
Badami village
street (more)
 |
Badami village
street
 |
Badami from
the fort (more)
 |
Tonga
 |
Bhutanatha
temple 1
 |
Inside
Bhutanath temple 1
 |
Bhutanatha
temple 2 (more)
 |
Bhutanatha
temple 2
 |
Picnicking
girls
 |
Albino kid
with cousin
 |
Siblings
 |
Natural
Buddhist cave (outside)
 |
Ghat by
Agastya Tirtha tank
 |
Laundry time (more)
 |
Sari tied like
a dhoti (1, 2)
 |
Surveying the
visitor
 |
Path to Badami
fort (more)
 |
One of many
fort temples
 |
Caves &
village from
the fort
 |
Path down
Badami fort
 |
ASI museum, Badami
 |
Lajja Gauri
fertility goddess
 |
Yellama temple
 |
Inscription of
Kappe Arabhattan
 |
|
Mahakuta Temple |
Complex with
tank (more)
 |
Courtyard
scene
 |
Subsidiary
shrines (more)
 |
Nandi statue
 |
| |
|
|
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