Set in beautiful countryside at the foot of a red sandstone ridge, the small rural town of Badami was once the capital of the Chalukyan. Empire covered much of the central Deccan between the 4th centuries AD. Here and at nearby Aihole and Pattadakal, you can see some of the earliest and rock- cut caves. The forms and sculptural work at there sites provided inspiration for the later Hindu empires which rose and fell in the arrival of the Muslims. Though principally promoters of the vedic culture, the Chalukyans were tolerant of all sects, and elements of Shaivism, Vaishnaivism, Jainism and even Buddhism can be found in many of their temples. Badami was the Chalukyan capital from about 540 AD  until 757 AD when the Chalukyans were overthrown by the Rashtrakutas. The surrounding hills are dotted with temples, fortifications, carvings and inscriptions dating not just from the Chalukyan period, but from other times when the site was occupied as a fortress. After it fell to the Rashtrakutsa, Badami was occupied successively by the Chalukyans of Kalyan (a separate branch of the western Chalukyan), the Kaachuryas, the Yadavas of Devagiri, the Vijayanagar Empire, the Adil Shahi kings of Bajipur and the Marathas. All these various rulers have left their mark at Badami, and there's even a Pallava inscription dating back to 642 AD when their king, Narasimha Varman I, Briefly overwhelmed the Chalukyans and occupied Badami for 13 years before being driven out.

Places to see

Cave Temple

Badami town is best known for its beautiful cave temple, cut into the cliff face of a red sandstone hill. They display the full range of religious sects which have developed in India. 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.

Archaeological Museum

It is superb examples of local sculpture, including remarkable Lajja-Gauri images of a fertility cult which flourished in the area. It's open from 10 am to 5 pm daily except Friday.

  Travel Info

AIR
Nearest Airport Belgaum 192 kms.

TRAIN
Nearest railway station is Bagalkot in Hubli Sholapur line.

BUS

The timetable at the bus stand in badami is in English and Kannada but it's not particularly accurate. You'll also have to cope with the usual rugby scrum to get on a bus when it arrives. There are six buses daily to Bijapur (four hours) and Hubli (three hours), and four buses to Bangalor (12 hours). Only three buses to run daily direct to Hospet (5 hours), but you can catch any of the buses to Gadag (2 hours) or Iikal (2 hours) to pickup a connection to Hospet.