Badami-A date at the Chalukya Kingdom

As the dawn breaks , the echo of the monkeys fighting up the caves, stare of an owl from the tree perch, flight of the pond herons, dogs barking greets me at the Agastya Lake.I'm here standing opposite to these huge red sandstone caves at Badami ,in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka.Badami is famous for these red sandstone cave temples. Badami is also famous for rock climbing and a popular destination among local and international climbers.

Naturally Formed Cave at Badami Caves

It was an extended weekend trip to Badami which is around 510Kms from Bangalore and this 
time travelled in train and reached Badami on the Valentines day.One can either take a sharing auto or a KSRTC bus to travel to the main town which is around 5kms from the railway station.
Day one of our trip started immediately after getting freshen up and a quick breakfast at the hotel where we were staying.We booked our stay at the KSTDC hotel,Mayura Chalukya. This hotel was just more than what we had asked for, nice rooms well maintained and economical. Badami caves was just 1.2kms away from our hotel and we decided to walk through the town to reach there.As i walk through the lanes of this 6th century chalukya kingdom town, i see most of the houses with vibrant doors,people dressed traditionally , men sitting around the banyan tree and at the community centers relaxing and playing games.There is also a tanga (horse drawn carriage) stand at badami market. 

Vibrant Doors@Badami

18 armed Nataraja sculpture is a never missed out picture taken by the travelling/tourists coming to this place.

There are four caves carved out of the red sandstone and  one natural cave at Badami all facing the Agastya Lake. Badami fort is right opposite to these Caves on top of the cliff and the entrance to this is through the Badami Museum .There is a temple and a dargah on top of this fort.The huge granaries on top are believed to be the storage of Tipu Sultan's treasury. 

Temple on top for the badami Fort

View of the Badami town from top of the fort.

Believed to be the storage of Tipu Sultan's Treasury

One of the shrines on top of the fort.

Bhuthnatha temple down the Agastya Lake makes it more scenic because of its location before the lake and the huge lawns.

Bhuthnatha temple(Bhoothnath temple) 

Bhuthnatha Temple

Local People Washing Clothes along the Agastya lake

It was the last day of the month long Banashankari jatre(Fair),which is a religious/cultural festival when we arrived at badami on 14th of february. Banashankari temple is around 6kms from badami town and one can travel by shared autos, buses.We got an auto near our hotel who charged Rs 100/- for all the three of us.

Banashankari Jatre

Colors at Banashankari Jatre

The other major historical and religious places around Badami are Pattadakal,Aihole and Mahakunta. We hired an Auto for going to these places who normally charge around Rs 500-600 depending upon the the time you want to spend. We started at 8'0 clock in the morning.Looked like this price was a standard to travel to these places. 
Pattadakal or Pattadakalu is included in the list of world heritage sites and lies on the banks of Malaprabha river which is 22kms from Badami. Will write more in a different post about pattadakal and Aihole.

Pattadakal

Ten Kms away from Pattadakal is Aihole which is a temple complex and lies along the Malaprabha river.

Aihole Temple Complex

People taking a dip at the Mahakuta well.

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Getting there : GOLGUMBAZ EXP train from Bangalore to Badami.A sleeper class train ticket costs around Rs 280/-
Many buses also ply along this route.
Stay at Badami:Hotel Mayura Chalukya. Rs1000-2500 per room depending upon the type of room. This was one of the best hotels we stayed at for that price range.We stayed at the old building at the backside and i just loved that place. Nice clean rooms with TV, hot water.
KSTDC hotels also have an online booking.
http://www.karnatakaholidays.net/karnataka_hotels_badami.htm

Do try the authentic North Karnataka food.

Will post more about the streets of Badami,Aihole ,Pattadukallu and Mahakunta.
Flickr Images

Streets of Badami post  http://sumanrapaka.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-streets-of-badami.html