Trael to Badami

History of Badami
  
The rich past of Badami is distinctly associated with the ancient Kingdom of Chalukyas. It was founded in the 6th century A.D. by Pulekeshin I, the great Chalukya ruler, and remained the capital city of the Chalukyas from A.D. 540 until A.D. 757. A number of temples and monuments constructed during the Chalukya period can be found in and around Badami. In the 8th century the Rashtrakutas overthrew Badami, and, after its fall, it witnessed lawlessness and strife and was successively overrun by a number of rulers. It was also ruled by the Chalukyas of Kalyan (a separate branch of Chalukyas), the Kalachuryas, Yadavas of Devangiri and the Vijaynagar Empire. In the latter medieval period, Adil Shah was the ruler of Bijapur and the Marathas ruled it. Badami was finally taken over by the British, who made it a part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency.
  
Attractions in Badami


South Fort - Famous for its cave temples, the South Fort has four such cave temples. Cave 1 is dedicated to Lord Shiva and has a beautiful sculpture of Nataraja (dancing Shiva) at the entrance. You will also find here sculptures of Harihara (half-Vishnu, half-Siva) and their consorts Lakshmi and Parvati, that of Ardhanariswara (Siva as half-man, half-woman) and a Shiva-ling on the altar. Cave 2 is dedicated to Lord Vishnu which has sculptures of Varaha (boar incarnation of Vishnu), Vamana (dwarf incarnation). On the ceiling is a carving of Lord Vishnu riding his bird carrier, Garuda. Cave 3, which is the largest cave, has sculptures of Vishnu, Narasimha, Harihara, Trivikrama, and others. Some of the sculptures are about 3m (10 ft) high. Cave 4 is a Jain cave and has a statue of seated Parswanath. There are carvings of the Tirthankaras both standing and sitting.

Mallegitti Shivalaya Temple - Another monument worth looking out for is the Malegitti Sivalaya Temple built in the late 7th century. There is a pillared hallway and statues of Vishnu and Siva on the outer walls.
Jambulinga Temple - Within the town is situated the Jambulinga Temple (699 AD), originally dedicated to Siva, Vishnu, and Brahma. It is close to the famous Agasthya Tank. Close to it, the Yellamma Temple (11th century) is the best late Chalukya temple in the town.

North Fort Temples - The largest enclosure, the North Fort includes two major platform structures, an underground chamber which must have served as a treasury or private audience hall, several otherplatforms, double fortification walls and several other remarkable
Jambulinga Temple - Badami
architectural elements.

Medieval Sculpture Gallery - This museum has Shiva's bull, Nandi at its entrance overlooking the dammed lake. It also houses the model of the natural bridge at Sidilinapadi.

Getting There & Away

Flights to Badami Badami has no airport of its own. The nearest airport is at Belgaum, 192 km away.
Trains to Badami
The nearest railhead is at Hampi, which is 4 km from Badami town. One can also catch trains from Bijapur (163 km) and Hubli (128 km), which are well connected by road to Badami.
Car Bus Service to Badami
The main bus stop is at Station Road, which is the main road of the town. The town of Badami is connected by road with Hubli, Bijapur and Bangalore (550 km). There are six buses to the towns of Bijapur and Hubli. It takes 4 hours to reach Bijapur and 3 hours to reach Hubli from Badami. There are four daily buses to Bangalore, which take 12 hours to reach. The bus service to the nearby historical places of Aihole and Pattadakal is good. You can also take taxis to these places.
                                      
 Tour Destinations Badami