Badami Travel Guide

Introduction: Formerly known as Vatapi, Badami is a scenic town located in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka State. In Badami you can see rock cut cave temples, the gateways, and the inscriptions on the pillars that also exemplify awesome architecture.  The city was founded by Pulkeshin I, The Lion King. Under him, the city was translated into a hub of rock cut caves along with Aihole and Pattadakal. This interesting place in Karnataka is full of artificial lake, temples and the renowned Jain and Hindu caves in the sandstone hills.

History: The history of Badami is linked with ancient kingdom of Chalukya Dynasty. Pulakesin I originally founded Badami, in the 6th century A.D, but the architectural developments were made by Chalukyas. They built many temples and monuments, marking the beginning of the Hindu style of architecture. The examples of Chalukyan style can be seen in cave temples of Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal and many other Buddhist and Jain monasteries in the region. The Chalukyas of Kalyan, the Kalachuryas, Yadavas of Devangiri and the Vijaynagar Empire also ruled the region. In the medieval period Adil Shahi rulers of Bijapur and the Marathas ruled Badami.   

Places of Interest: Badami is especially famous for its four cave temples, which are the glorious example of rich cultural heritage of Karnataka. Cave I is dedicated to Lord Shiva, having pillars with square bases and carvings on the upper part. Dedicated to Lord Vishnu and his carnations, two stone doorkeepers guard the 2nd cave temple. Third cave temple is too dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It is located at the base of the rock face and has magnificent façade. Fourth cave temple is believed to be a later construction and is dedicated to the Jain deities. The Archaeological Museum set up Archaeological Survey of India exhibits innumerable sculptures of the ancient times.  

Travel information:  The picturesque town of Badami with sandstone hills and lakes is truly noteworthy for its magnificent rock cut cave temple. Being a small town, Badami has very few hotels equipped with excellent facilities. Maximum hotels are in the range of 2 and 3 star hotels. The nearest airport from Badami is Belgaum Airport that is 150 km away. It is situated on the Hubli-Sholapur rail route. Train services are available to Gadag, from where one can catch trains for Mumbai, Secundarabad and Chennai.