Badami Cave Temples Bagalkot Karnataka History and Interesting Facts

Badami Cave Temples Quick Facts

Badami Cave Temples Overview

Badami is an ancient city in the Bagalkot district of the southern Indian state of Karnataka, which was also known as Vatapi in ancient times. The Badami cave group located here is known for its stone sculpture temples.

The city was the capital of the Chalukya dynasty (Solanki/Baghel) from the 6th to the 8th century. There are four cave temples, out of which 3 are Hindu temples and one is a Jain temple. The interior decoration of this temple, made by cutting solid rocks, is unique, and thousands of devotees come here to see it.

Badami Cave Temples History

These Four historical caves located in Badami city were constructed only after the Sixth Century. This cave is considered to be one of the oldest caves in India. Vatapi (present-day Badami) was the capital of the Chalukya rulers for more than two centuries.

चThe Chalukya dynasty ruled much of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka from the 6th to the 8th century. This dynasty touched new heights during the reign of Pulakeshin II.

This city in South India lost its fame after the fall of the Chalukyas. But the Badami cave temple located here is still world famous for its beautiful carvings.

Badami Cave Temples Interesting Facts

1. Located in the north-central part of Karnataka, Badami, famous for its beautiful cave temples, is situated amidst beautiful valleys and golden sandstone cliffs near the Agastya lake.
2. There are 4 Temples built inside this cave, out of which 3 temples are dedicated to Hinduism and one temple is dedicated to Jainism.
3. The Idols of Ardhanarishvara and Harihara avatar of Lord Shiva have been made in this temple.
4. There is a Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in the first cave present here. An 18 feet high Nataraja idol with 18 hands is installed in the temple, which depicts many dance postures. Amazing paintings of Lord Ganesha, Mahishasur Mardani, Ardha Narishwar, and Shankarnarayan have also been done in this cave.
5. The Second cave is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. On the eastern and western walls of this cave are large images of Bhuvaraha (Narasimha Dev) and Trivikram (Bahman Avatar). The ceiling of the cave is adorned with images of Lord Vishnu, Brahma, Shiva, Ananthashayana and Ashtadikpalakas, etc.
6. The Third cave depicts the grand form of architecture and sculpture of the ancient cave temples of Badami. The figures of many deities are made here and inscriptions of 578 century AD are found here.
7. There is a Jain temple in the fourth cave. There is mainly a picture of Jain monks Lord Mahavir in a sitting position and along with it the image of Tirthankara Parshvanath is also present. According to a Kannada inscription, this temple dates back to the 12th century.
8. Apart from the cave temples, there are three Shiva temples in the northern hill, of which the Malegatti Pagoda is the most famous. Apart from this other famous temples include Bhootnath Temple, Mallikarjuna Temple and Dattatreya Temple, etc.
9. In the year 2015, another cave was discovered just 500 meters (1600 ft) from here, in that cave idols of about 27 Hindu gods and goddesses were found.
10. The Badami Fort is situated on the upper part of the Badami mountain, on which is the Malageti Pagoda, the ancient temple of Shiva. This temple built in the fort is made of stones. Tourists who like adventure activities can enjoy rock climbing here. Being surrounded by sandstone, Badami is an attractive place for tourism.
11. Hubli and Belgaum Airport are the nearest airports to reach this cave located in the Bagalkot district. The nearest railway station is Bagalkot. From here you can easily reach by bus or taxi.