Iconic Temple of Aihole.
The Durga Temple is the iconic and best known temple among the more than 100 temples in the remote village of Aihole in North Karnataka. You may think that it gets its name from Goddess Durga, but this is not the case; it is called so because of its proximity to the ruins of a fort like enclosure or Durg (Fort). It was built during the reign of King Vikramaditya II in the late 6th to early 8th century CE.
We drove 35 km from Badami to Aihole via Pattadakal. The last stretch of the road from Pattadakal to Aihole, about 12 km was in a very bad shape, and overnight rain (in February) had made it even more difficult to navigate. Still, the majesty and grandeur of the monuments and temple, in such a remote village, made it worth the while.
The temple is located in an enclosure also known as the Durga Temple Complex. There is a parking lot outside. We had to pay Rs.30 per head as entry fee. The Complex is very well looked after by the ASI; there were very neatly laid out lawns, washroom and drinking water coolers near the Museum and Art Gallery.
There are some more temples in the complex, but the Durga Temple, with its apsidal layout and exquisite design overshadowed them all. The temple is built on a raised platform, with a colonnaded corridor running around it. We saw beautiful life size carvings of Shiva, Vishnu in his various avatars, Harihara (half Shiva, half Vishnu), Goddess Durga slaying the buffalo demon, goddesses Ganga and Yamuna, and many friezes depicting episodes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. There were also smaller friezes depicting the scenes from daily life and amorous couples in various stages of courtship. The general condition of the sculptures was good, though some had been damaged or defaced.
One can easily spend an hour or two just admiring the mastery of the temple artisans. Guides can be hired at the entrance gates, if you have not already studied about it before coming here. Thankfully there were no charges for using a still camera and I took quite a number of photos of the sculptures and friezes. We had to tear ourselves away as there was much more to see in Aihole.
We drove 35 km from Badami to Aihole via Pattadakal. The last stretch of the road from Pattadakal to Aihole, about 12 km was in a very bad shape, and overnight rain (in February) had made it even more difficult to navigate. Still, the majesty and grandeur of the monuments and temple, in such a remote village, made it worth the while.
The temple is located in an enclosure also known as the Durga Temple Complex. There is a parking lot outside. We had to pay Rs.30 per head as entry fee. The Complex is very well looked after by the ASI; there were very neatly laid out lawns, washroom and drinking water coolers near the Museum and Art Gallery.
There are some more temples in the complex, but the Durga Temple, with its apsidal layout and exquisite design overshadowed them all. The temple is built on a raised platform, with a colonnaded corridor running around it. We saw beautiful life size carvings of Shiva, Vishnu in his various avatars, Harihara (half Shiva, half Vishnu), Goddess Durga slaying the buffalo demon, goddesses Ganga and Yamuna, and many friezes depicting episodes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. There were also smaller friezes depicting the scenes from daily life and amorous couples in various stages of courtship. The general condition of the sculptures was good, though some had been damaged or defaced.
One can easily spend an hour or two just admiring the mastery of the temple artisans. Guides can be hired at the entrance gates, if you have not already studied about it before coming here. Thankfully there were no charges for using a still camera and I took quite a number of photos of the sculptures and friezes. We had to tear ourselves away as there was much more to see in Aihole.
Ask EkMusafir about Durga Temple
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
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