Badami
Cave Temples are beautiful carved cave temples, artificial
lake, Museme & rock-cut into the cliff face of a red sandstone
hill of the 6th & 7th Centuries. It is picturesquely situated
at the mouth of a ravine between two rocky hills. Its all
four cave temples - all hewn out of sandstone on the precipice
of a hill. It is situated in North Karnataka, the Capital
of the Early Chalukyas. They display the full range of religious
sects which have developed in India. Overlooking the temples
is a reservoir, its banks dotted with temples. Two of them
are dedicated to Vishnu, one to Shiva and the fourth is a
Jain temple. The first three belong to the Vedic faith and
the fourth and natural cave is the only Buddhist temple in
Badami. Here are some splendid carvings of the Hindu Pantheon.
Narasimha the half-man half Lion avatar of Vishnu Hari Hara,
the composite god who is half-Shiva and half-Vishnu. Vishnu
Narayana sitting as well as reclining on the snake Shesh or
Ananta (Eternity )… There are also some painting on the ceiling
and wonderful bracket figures on the piers. The caves found
here are as follows:
Cave 01: On the ceiling one can see the paintings
of amorous couples. Shiva and his consort Parvati, and a coiled
serpent. Shiva as Natraja with 18 arms is seen in 81 dancing
poses. One can easily climb to cave 1 made of red sandstone.
It antedates 578 A.D. and was probably the first to be carved.
Climbing the 40 odd steps to reach the colonnaded verandah,
a hall with numerous pillars and a square shaped sanctum hollowed
in the control backwall. Column shafts are masterfully crafted.
Cave 02: This cave is dedicated to Vishnu.
Vishnu here is depicted as a dwarf or. Another form of Vishnu
portrayed here is as 'Varaha' or as a boar. Vishnu riding
the Garnda & lotus surrounded by sixteen fishes. Vishnu
here is depicted as a dwarf or Trivikrama of awesome dimensions
with one foot mastering the Earth and the other the sky, the
second cave is atop a sandstone hill.
Cave 03: The main attractions to be looked
carefully in this cave are the high relief of Vishnu with
a serpent, Vishnu as Narasimha (Vishnu as Man-Lion) Varaha,
Harihara (Shiva Vishnu) and Vishnu as Trivikrama. Still going
higher up one comes across this 578 A.D. The facade of the
cave is nearly 70 feet wide, on the plinth one can see the
carvings of ganas. The sheer artistry and sculptural genius
makes it this cave the highlight of Deccani art. It gives
a virtual insight into the art and culture of the 6th century
like costumes, jewelry hairstyle lifestyle etc.
Cave 04: There is an image of Mahavira adorning
the sanctum. Other carvings here are of Padmavathi & other
Thirthankaras. Asteep climb up some steps cut in a crevice
between Cave II & III leads to the southern part of Badami
Fort & to an old gun placed there by Tippu Sultan.
One of the many masterpieces to be found in these caves is
the famous, 18-armed Nataraja (Shiva) who if observed closely,
strikes 81 poses. Cave 4, the last cave, is the only Jain
Temple in Badami. The 24th Tirthankara- Mahavira, is seated
in a uniquely comfortable pose here, against a cushion in
the inner sanctum. On the other bank of the ancient Bhutnatha
lake, astride whose shores the caves stand, is the shrine
of Nagamma, the local serpent goddess, within a massive tamarind
tree. Nearby, are two Shiva temples, which deify Him as Bhutanatha,
God of Souls. Within the inner sanctum, on the edge of the
water, He sits in a rare pose, leaning back, in all his awesome
majesty. It is said that the better known caves of Elephanta
and Ellora were modelled on the ones in Badami. The Kailashnatha
temple at Ellora, has been hewn out of an entire hillock,
cut out from the parent hill and combines the best of cave
and free-standing temples. The cave temples of Badami which
date back to 600 and 700 A.D. are carved out of sandstone
hills. Each has a sanctum, a hall, an open verandah and pillars.
What makes these cave temples remarkable, are the large number
of exquisite carvings and sculptures. The town encompasses
a number of carved monuments and caves of the Chalukyas that
is a blend of Indian Nagara style and the South Indian Dravidian
style of architecture. There are many beautiful murals as
well. The free standing stone temples in Badami, provide enlightening
information about the development of the Chalukyan style of
architecture, as many seem to have been experimental constructions.
The early temples appear to be like large court halls to which
shrines were attached. The Ladkhan temple at Aihole belongs
to this early phase. The next phase of development is visible
in the Gowdaragudi temple which is a more complex structure.
The rich past of Badami is closely linked with the ancient
Kingdom of Chalukyas. It was first founded by Pulakesin I
in the 6th century A.D. The Chalukyas are to be credited with
pioneering a new architectural style, examples of which can
be seen in Aihole, Pattadakal ( one comes across Banashankari,
the goddess the village is named after) and other neighbouring
areas. It was also ruled by the Chalukyas of Kalyan (a separate
branch of Chalukyas), the Kalachuryas, Yadavas of Devangiri
and the Vijaynagar Empire. In the latter medieval period,
Adil Shahi rulers of Bijapur and the Marathas ruled it. Badami
was finally taken over by the British, who made it a part
of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency. They built a number of
temples, and other monuments that marked the beginning of
the Hindu style of architecture. This new style combined the
best of two distinct styles - the North Indian, Indo-Aryan
Nagara style and the South Indian Dravidian style. Known as
the Chalukyan style, this style is manifested in many cave
temples, dedicated to Brahmanical deities, as well as the
many Buddhist and Jain monasteries in the region.
Naganath Temple: 10 Kms, located in a forest on the way to
Mahakuta, it is one of the early Chalukyan temples dedicated
to Shiva.
Badami Fort: 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.
Tranquil lake: Take a dip in this green tranquil lake. It
is said to have healing properties. According to a popular
story, King Kushataraya was cured of leprosy here.
Aihole: 46 Kms. There is a remarkable group of temples here
built during the reign of Chalukyan rulers, dating from the
sixth to the eighth centuries.
Museum with Shiva's bull, "Nandi" at its entrance
overlooking the dammed lake is worthwhile for the scholarly.
This museum is closed on Fridays.
