Exquisite Sandstone Carvings.
The Badami cave temples are definitely worth a visit. They form part of the Hampi – Badami – Pattadakkal – Aihole old temple and monument circuit in North Karnataka, between Bagalkot and Hospet. They may be in an old and ruined condition, but simply cannot be ignored because of the beauty and mastery of architects and sculptors who built them in a bygone era.
The approach road to the caves is through a very narrow uphill road passing through some slums of Badami town, but there is a good pay-and-park adjacent to the caves. The caves are open from 6 am to 6 pm. We went early at 7 am and avoided the crowds and the mid-day heat. Indians have to pay an entry fee of Rs.15 per head. We had to climb some steps to reach the caves. People with knee or leg problems may find it difficult as the steps are steep, but not too many, and one can do it slowly. Beware of the monkeys around.
The Badami caves date back to between the 6th to 8th centuries when they were carved out of the almond (badami) coloured sandstone cliffs. They are among the oldest Hindu cave temples in India.
There are four main caves close to each other. Cave 1 is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The carvings on the walls and ceilings are still in very good condition. There are relief sculptures of Vamana and Ardhanari–Shiva on the side walls and a ceiling sculpture of coiled Snake-King Nagaraja.
Cave 2 is similar in structure to Cave 1, but dedicated to Lord Vishnu, with a lot of carvings and reliefs of Lord Brahma, Vishnu, Vamana, Varaha, Durga and Kartikeya.
Cave 3 is dedicated to both Shiva and Vishnu and has giant carvings of Trivikarma, Anantasayana, Vasudeva, Varaha, Narasimha and Harihara. The Harihara carving shows half Shiva and half Vishnu fused into one.
Cave 4 is dedicated to the Jain Tirthanakaras and has carvings of Lord Mahavira, Bahubali and Parshvanathas and some other Tirthankaras.
A detailed description of each cave is displayed outside the individual cave at the site. Guides can also be hired at the site and their charges range from Rs.400 to 600, but may not be necessary if you read up before you visit.
After visiting the caves we admired the beauty of the surrounding scenery of the Agastya Lake and the Bhoothnatha temple below, which looked very striking from the height.
The approach road to the caves is through a very narrow uphill road passing through some slums of Badami town, but there is a good pay-and-park adjacent to the caves. The caves are open from 6 am to 6 pm. We went early at 7 am and avoided the crowds and the mid-day heat. Indians have to pay an entry fee of Rs.15 per head. We had to climb some steps to reach the caves. People with knee or leg problems may find it difficult as the steps are steep, but not too many, and one can do it slowly. Beware of the monkeys around.
The Badami caves date back to between the 6th to 8th centuries when they were carved out of the almond (badami) coloured sandstone cliffs. They are among the oldest Hindu cave temples in India.
There are four main caves close to each other. Cave 1 is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The carvings on the walls and ceilings are still in very good condition. There are relief sculptures of Vamana and Ardhanari–Shiva on the side walls and a ceiling sculpture of coiled Snake-King Nagaraja.
Cave 2 is similar in structure to Cave 1, but dedicated to Lord Vishnu, with a lot of carvings and reliefs of Lord Brahma, Vishnu, Vamana, Varaha, Durga and Kartikeya.
Cave 3 is dedicated to both Shiva and Vishnu and has giant carvings of Trivikarma, Anantasayana, Vasudeva, Varaha, Narasimha and Harihara. The Harihara carving shows half Shiva and half Vishnu fused into one.
Cave 4 is dedicated to the Jain Tirthanakaras and has carvings of Lord Mahavira, Bahubali and Parshvanathas and some other Tirthankaras.
A detailed description of each cave is displayed outside the individual cave at the site. Guides can also be hired at the site and their charges range from Rs.400 to 600, but may not be necessary if you read up before you visit.
After visiting the caves we admired the beauty of the surrounding scenery of the Agastya Lake and the Bhoothnatha temple below, which looked very striking from the height.
Ask EkMusafir about Badami Cave Temples
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
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