BADAMI, Karnataka

Accomodation
Mookambika Lodge, Hotel Badami Court, Hotel Mayura Chalukya.

How to Reach
Badami railway station is 5 km from town.

Rail: There are six daily trains from Badami to Bijapur.

Road: There are buses to and fro Bijapur, Bagalkot, Hospet, Hubli, Bangalore, Kolhapur.

What to See
      The town is best known for its cave temples, cut into the cliff face of the red sandstone hill and connected by flights of steps. They display the full range of religious sects which have grown up on Indian soil. Two of them are dedicated to Vishnu, one to Shiva and the fourth is a Jain temple. There's also one natural cave which is a Buddhist temple.
      The caves overlook the picturesque Agastyatirtha and are only one of the many things to be seen at Badami. Of the other monuments, some of the most beautiful are the two groups of lakeside temples known as the Bhutanatha temples near the north fort. The Archaeological Museum nearby is also well worth a visit.

       It is situated at a beautiful countryside amongst red sandstone hills, rock-hewn tanks (artificial lakes) and peaceful farmlands, the small rural village of Badami was once a capital city of the Chalukyan Empire which ruled much of the central Deccan. Here, and at nearby Aihole and Pattadakal, you can see some of the earliest and finest examples of Dravidian temples and rock-cut caves. The forms and sculptural work at these sites provided inspiration for the later Hindu empires which rose and fell in the southern part of the peninsula before the arrival of the Muslims.
      Though principally promoters of the Vedic culture, the Chalukyans were tolerant of all sects, and elements of Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Jainism and even Buddhism can be found in many of their temples.