Badami, the one time capital of the Chalukyas
, is noted several temples, some structural & other
rock-cut, of the 6th & 7th Centuries. The foundations
of Badami, or Vatapi as it was called, were laid by Pulakeshi
I (535 - 566 AD) his son Kirtivarman, the Ist (567 - 598
AD), beautified the town with temples & other buildings
Mangalesha (598 - 610 AD) brother of Kiritavarman I completed
the construction of the cave temples & endowed the temples
with the village on the occasion of the installation of
the image of Vishnu. The greatest ruler of the dynasty was
Pulakeshi II (610-642 AD) who among others defeated the
Pallava King Mahendra Verman I. The Pallava later captured
& destroyed Badami to avenge their defeat Badami was
also in the possession of the Vijayanagar Kings, The Adil
Shahis, The Savanur Nawabs, The Marathas, Hyder Ali &
finally the British who made it part of the Bombay Presidency.
Badami Caves
1 km, this group of 4 cave temples have
been carved out of the hill opposite Badami fort. The Chalukyan
king, Mangalesa(598-610)AD)was responsible for the completion
of these cave temples. Of the four, three are Brahmanical,
while the fourth is Jain. Nearly 2000 steps have to be climbed
to reach the cave.
Cave I
This is Shaivite cave. The important
carvings in this cave are an 18-armed dancing Shiva, a two-handed
Ganesha, Mahishasura Mardini, Ardha Nareeshwara & Shankarnarayana.
The ceiling is adorned by a serpent motif & other carved
figures.
Badami Cave
This cave has Vaishnavite influence with
panels of Trivikrama & Bhuvaraha. On the ceilings are
carvings of Anantasayana, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva &other
Ashtadikpalas
Cave III
Another flight of steps takes one to
the third cave which is the largest & the best of the
lot. This cave has carvings pertaining to both Shaivite
& Vaishnavite themes. Panels of Trivikrama, Narasimha,
Shankaranarayana, Bhuvaraha, Anantasayana & Harihara
are engraved in a vigorous style. An inscription found here
records the creation of the shrine by Mangalesha in 578
AD. There are some fine bracket figures on the pillars of
this cave
Cave IV
Lying to the east of cave three, the
fourth cave is Jain. 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.
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.
There are some more temples in Badami
town & several of them dotting the banks of a well-built
tank locally called the Agasthya Tirtha.
