Ruins of Karnataka – Part II – Badami – Aihole – Pattadakal

Badami

The cave temples of Badami are jewels of the past. Beautifully crafted and artistically sculpted, they glow luminously in the sun. The intricate carvings, sometimes incomplete and defaced, are remnants of the spectacular craftmanship of the Chalukya dynasty belonging to the 6th Century AD.

Grain Storage, may be?

Lattice Window. Sunlit Window?

An entrance.

The temples from a distance.

Cave sculptures

A tomb.

The sun sets behind the Badami caves.

Partially constructed stonewall.

Aihole

Aihole’s ruins are charming. A cluster of them, the watch towers and other temple ruins, are walled and protected by the ASI and other are habituated by humans and cattle alike. Some of Aihole’s temples are beautiful. The cave temple of Shiva, drilled into a black rock has to be the most elegant of them. There is hardly any living temples in this region.

The renowned Durga temple, Aihole

Partially restored temple

Another reconstructed structure

A cave temple carved into a rock.

Ariel view of Aihole

Pattadakal

The cluster of ruins inside a complex in Pattadakal also houses a living temple, again walled and protected by ASI. The Virupaksha temple of Pattadakal attracts hordes of tourists throughout the year.

Group of monuments, Pattadakal

Pattadakal is a world heritage site

A cluster of temples

Another cluster of temples, Pattadakal

Among the other ruins of Karnataka, the famed Gol Gumbaz of Bijapur is high on my wishlist. I hope to visit Bijapur someday.

Have you been to any of these places? Do leave a comment and let me know.