Cradle of Hindu Rock Arcitecture.
Aihole is a remote village in the Bagalkot district of North Karnataka, lying next to the Malaprabha River.
We visited the ancient rock and cave temples of Badami, Pattadakal and Aihole over three days, making Badami as our base. We drove to Aihole village (35 km from Badami), then stopped at Pattadakal (22 km from Badami) on the way back. The road between Pattadakal and Aihole was in a miserable condition, and overnight rain had made some patches most difficult to navigate. Still, I would say that the majesty and beauty of the temples at Aihole made it all worth it.
We visited only the main temple complex, also known as the Durga Temple Complex, at Aihole, which encloses about seven major monuments. None of these temples were in active worship, so we did not have to take off our shoes to enter. Besides the Durga Temple there was the Suryanarayana temple, the Lad Khan temple, Gaudargudi temple, Chakragudi temple, the Badigargudi temple, and a large stepwell with a small Hindu shrine. The Aihole Museum and Art Gallery is also housed in this complex, with well preserved pieces of statues and temple art.
The Jyotirlinga Temple complex was located across the road near the parking lot in a walled compound. They were small to medium Shiva shrines but mostly in ruins.
There are more than about 100 other temples and caves in Aihole, but we only saw them in passing because of lack of time and difficulty of walking in the sludge and slush caused by the rain. We saw the Triyambakeshwara temple which was in Aihole village, and the Kuntigudi complex. We did not venture to climb the Meguti Hill, with a Jain Temple; neither did we climb up to the Ravana Pahadi Cave.
The temples and rock cut caves of Aihole, Pattadakal and Badami showcase the evolution and fusion of North and South Indian styles of Architecture. Whereas most of the evidence has been destroyed in North India, here in Aihole you can still witness how it evolved in between the 4th and 8th centuries CE. No wonder that Aihole has been nick named as the ‘Cradle of Indian Temple Architecture’.
It is better to visit early in the morning to avoid the mid-day heat. There is a token entry fee of Rs.30 for Indians. Architecture and History buffs can spend the whole day at Aihole, and still not be satisfied.
We visited the ancient rock and cave temples of Badami, Pattadakal and Aihole over three days, making Badami as our base. We drove to Aihole village (35 km from Badami), then stopped at Pattadakal (22 km from Badami) on the way back. The road between Pattadakal and Aihole was in a miserable condition, and overnight rain had made some patches most difficult to navigate. Still, I would say that the majesty and beauty of the temples at Aihole made it all worth it.
We visited only the main temple complex, also known as the Durga Temple Complex, at Aihole, which encloses about seven major monuments. None of these temples were in active worship, so we did not have to take off our shoes to enter. Besides the Durga Temple there was the Suryanarayana temple, the Lad Khan temple, Gaudargudi temple, Chakragudi temple, the Badigargudi temple, and a large stepwell with a small Hindu shrine. The Aihole Museum and Art Gallery is also housed in this complex, with well preserved pieces of statues and temple art.
The Jyotirlinga Temple complex was located across the road near the parking lot in a walled compound. They were small to medium Shiva shrines but mostly in ruins.
There are more than about 100 other temples and caves in Aihole, but we only saw them in passing because of lack of time and difficulty of walking in the sludge and slush caused by the rain. We saw the Triyambakeshwara temple which was in Aihole village, and the Kuntigudi complex. We did not venture to climb the Meguti Hill, with a Jain Temple; neither did we climb up to the Ravana Pahadi Cave.
The temples and rock cut caves of Aihole, Pattadakal and Badami showcase the evolution and fusion of North and South Indian styles of Architecture. Whereas most of the evidence has been destroyed in North India, here in Aihole you can still witness how it evolved in between the 4th and 8th centuries CE. No wonder that Aihole has been nick named as the ‘Cradle of Indian Temple Architecture’.
It is better to visit early in the morning to avoid the mid-day heat. There is a token entry fee of Rs.30 for Indians. Architecture and History buffs can spend the whole day at Aihole, and still not be satisfied.
Ask EkMusafir about Aihole
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
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