About Badami
Badami is located in the north part of the state of Karnataka in one of its districts by the name of Bagalkot. The town of Badami also happens to be the capital of a taluk with the same name. The Agastya Lake is in close proximity to this town. The town has a rich history that can be traced back to the sixth century.
The history of the town is known quite well from the times of the Chalukya kingdom rule. Numerous extravagant monuments were constructed during this period of the sixth and seventh century. The architectural style implemented by the Chalukyas was a mix of the South Indian Dravidian and north Indian Nagara styles. It holds a lot of historical significance which is the main reason for the tourism in this place. The various temples are popular for their rock cut caves appearance. The temples were constructed on the red sandstone hills directly which surround Badami.
Places to visit in Badami
One of the often visited places near Badami is a world heritage center, Pattadakkal. This signifies the golden period of the rule of Chalukyas during the sixth and the seventh century. The Banashankari and the Virupaksha temples receive the most number of visits by the religious followers. It is very inconvenient to visit the Banashankari temple during the summer since the heat is unbearable. The Virupaksha temple is enclosed by a lot of tiny cells as the temple is cramped in a huge courtyard. You can still read the ancient inscriptions on the walls of the temple which consists of a monolithic gateway.
One of the attractive religious destinations of Badami comprises of the cave temples visited by a high volume of followers. The four cave temples in Badami well known in Karnataka and get visitors from the other parts of the country as well. The Brahmanical design style is seen in the construction of three of these cave temples. The first of these three temples features Lord Shiva seen as the Natraja consisting 18 arms. As many as eighty one dance postures are assumed by lord Shiva as seen in the temple. The second cave is dedicated to Trivikrama who is a form of the Lord Vishnu. Once again, Lord Vishnu is seen in numerous forms in the third temple in this series. The fourth temple with the Jain style is dedicated to Jain Thirthankaras.