Badami Cave Temple, Bagalkot

Badami Cave TempleBuilt in 578 AD, the Badami Cave temples are one of the widely known historic temples in Karnataka. Constructed in Chalukya-style architecture, the Badami temples house four caves that consists idols of Lord Shiva, and Lord Vishnu while one of them is dedicated to Jainism. Badami is an amazing tourist place as it contains spectacular cave temples, Badami Fort, and other beautiful temples around the Agastya tank. Tourists can easily reach the place through nearest airports Hubli and Belgaum. Location: Badami, Karnataka 587201

Badami Tourism

Located in a valley of rugged red sandstone, surrounding the Agastya Lake, Badami (formerly known as Vatapi) is an archaeological delight owing to its beautifully crafted sandstone cave temples, fortresses and carvings. Located in the Bagalkot district in Karnataka, Badami is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites that constitute Aihole-Badami-Pattadakal and is the finest example of traditional temple architecture in India. Once the royal capital of the Chalukyas, Badami is home to a number of examples of Dravidian architecture which have instances of both South and North Indian styles of architecture. There are three Hindu Temples and one Jain Temple in Badami Caves. Rock climbing is a popular activity here for people looking for some adventure too

Sandstone Caves and Temples

Badami is the centre of ancient Chalukyan glory with its temples dating back to the 6th Century. Cave 3 in Badami is dedicated to Lord Vishnu which is the largest cave temple in India. The lake beneath the cave temples is named after the Bhutanath temples in Badami. All the structures here are made from sandstone that provide a lovely contrast to the blue skies and the beautiful Agastya Lake that is adjacent to the caves. In 2015, another cave was discovered half a kilometres from the cave complex which has over 27 Hindu carvings. The caves are numbered based on the age of construction: Cave 1: A beautiful flight of stairs lead you to this one. This is a Shiva temple with the sculptures of Shiva, Ganesha and Karthikeya on the walls of the cave. Lord Shiva is the family deity of the Chulaukya royal family. This cave temple is located 64 steps from Cave 1 and is a Vishnu temple. Cave 3: Located 60 steps higher than Cave 2, this is the largest cave in the complex and is a Vishnu Temple. The sculpture here is half Vishnu and half Shiva and this has caused great interest to the studies of Shaivism. Cave 4: This is located 2 m lower than Cave 3 and is the smallest cave temple in the complex.