Mesmerizing and Unforgettable Heritage Tourist Destination

Badami previously known as Vatapi is a town in Bagalkot district Karnataka, India. Badami is very well known for its rock carvings and temple planning. Badami symbolizes the rich traditional heritage of Karnataka. The Chalukyas sovereign Pulakeshi I founded it in the year 540 A D. the caves temples characterizes the  temperament of the rulers then with religious tolerance  that predispose towards Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.

History of Badami

Badami was the primordial center of the early Chalukyas who ruled most of Karnataka and the neighboring Andhra Pradesh amid the 6th and 8th century. The celebrated Badami Rock-Cut Temples were engraved largely within this period. Badami became a spectator of chief authority resistance between the Pallavas, Chalukyas and the Rashtrakutas, in the epoch between the 7th and 12th century. It was later occupied by the Vijaynagar Empire, the Marathas and Hyder Ali before the British incorporated it in the Bombay government.

Tourist Attractions in Badami

1. Bhuthanatha Temples

The two temples facing the Agastya Lake, are known as the Bhuthanatha Temples. Built of local sandstone, they are dedicated to Lord Shiva, in the form of Bhuthanatha. The sandstone used to build these temples gives them a beautiful glittering tint in the afternoon sun.

2. Cave Temples of Badami

The four cave temples of Badami have elaborate carvings, alluding to the legendary proceedings and spiritual experience of Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism.

Cave Temple 1 – It is dedicated to lord Shiva. One can find the statuette of Shiva in his various avatars such as Nataraja, Harihara and Ardhanareeswara etc. the cave has enormous hall with many bastions.

Cave Temple 2 – It is devoted to Lord Vishnu,one can find his avatars of Trivikrama and Varaha. One has to climb the flight of stairs from the previous temple to reach here. The upper limit of the cave is put up with carvings of Vishnu from prospect of Puranas.

Cave Temple 3 – One has to climb the flight of stairs from the previous temple to reach here. This 100 feet unfathomable cave temple was constructed during the period of Chalukya  Kritivarma approximately 578 AD. In the interior of the temple one can find Lord Vishnu in carved avatars of Narasimha and Trivikrama. It also houses mural paintings that showcase the wedding ceremony of Shiva and Parvati.

Cave Temple 4 – It is committed to Jainism. One can find statuette of Tirthankaras carved within the cave.

3. Badami Fort

The Badami Fort is seated on the top of a hill adjoining two Shivalaya multifaceted. In the 5^th era emperor Pulakeshi II constructed these Shivalayas. The greater Shivalaya is dedicated to Lord Shiva while the lesser one is dedicated to Lord Ganesh.

Badami Fort is was built by Chalukyan King Pulakesgi in 543 AD. Perched on the top of a cliff, this fort is accompanied by two Shivalaya complexes dating back to the 5th century. A 16th century and a 14th century watchtower are also featured atop this hill.

4. Open Air Museum

The museum is positioned at the northern citadel. It was established in the year 1979. The museum mostly comprises of primordial rock tools and statuette which dates back to 6^th to 16^th AD.

Other Interesting Places in and around Badami

• Sangameshwara temple
• Banashankari Temple
• Aihole
• Ravanaphadi Cave
• Pattadakkal
• Agastya Lake
• Tipu’s Fort
• Durga Temple

Best season to visit Badami

September to March is reasonable and the perfect time to visit Badami. The summers are very hot and not suitable for travelling. The monsoon reason has heavy rain falls. The winter is fairly good for excursion. In the spring time it looks enchanted.

Accessibility to Badami

• By Road: Badami is connected to major towns in and around Karnataka. Numerous KSRTC and private buses ply to Badami.
• By Rail: The nearest rail head is Bagalkot Railway Station situated 38 kms away and Hubli Railway Station 103 km away from the city. The station connects the city to the northern and southern parts of India.
• By Air: The nearest airport is Belgaum Airport 139 km away from the city. The Bangalore International Airport is 509 km away from the city and connects it to the major towns around the globe.

Accommodations in Badami

Badami is the best tourist spot in Karnataka. It has many hotels, resorts, guest house, home stay and lodges that provide indispensable facilities at reasonable prices. The charges may differ from hotel to hotel and most of them offer advanced booking and reservations for safe and comfortable stay of the visitors. List of hotels located in Badami are:

• Badami Court Hotel
• Rajsangam International Hotel
• Anugraha Deluxe Hotel
• Mayura Chalukya Hotel
• Hotel Geeta
• Ayodhya Hotel
• Sanman Hotel
• Akashata Darshini Hotel
• Hotel Mookambika Deluxe
• Hotel Travel Inn
• Pulakeshi Hotel
• New Satkar Delux Hotel
• Homestay-inn And Guesthouse
• Hotel New Satkar
• Anand Deluxe Hotel

Full History

Badami is one of the most important centers of temple architecture, related to the Early Chalukyan period of rule. It is situated around 500 kilometers away from Bangalore (the Karnataka capital) and is well connected by any means of transport.

You have always heard how Karnataka is one of the ultimate heritage destinations in the whole India. When you are looking to taste some rich cultural and historical flavor of India, Karnataka is one of the best tourist destinations to where most people flock. Yes, the place, being a modern IT sector hub albeit, has a mystical charm about it when it comes to old traditions, customs and heritage. And when you visit Karnataka, how can you not visit one of the most popular heritage destinations in Karnataka, that is, Badami. Today, Badami stands as a crumple of ruins of the archaic monuments and temples on a red ridge of sandstone. Once, Badami was a manifestation of the glorious early Chalukyan age. It was founded and made the capital of the Chalukyan kingdom during the reign of Pulakeshi I.

According to Indian mythological legend, there lived two demons called Ilvala and Vatapi, who used to trick and eat passing mendicants. But when they were demolished by the ‘Agastya muni’, they turned into twin hills of Badami. This place saw much bloodshed, mainly between the Pallava and the Chalukyan dynasties. But during this bloodshed, there was also a glorious phase for the Indian temple architecture where both the dynasties contributed their part and evolved there was a Dravidian style of architecture that blended north Indian and south Indian styles.

Out of all the main temples, there are a group of four cave temples that the main historical attraction of Karnataka. The four caves are dedicated to Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, Goddess Parvati and Adinath (Jain thirthankara).

In the first cave temple, you will find the different carvings and paintings of Lord Shiva in his ‘Nataraja’ pose. Dating back to that 5th century CE, it has some manifestations of Lord Shiva in his ‘Ardhanareeswara’ and ‘Harihara’ incarnations. You will find reliefs of Shanmukha, Ganapati and Mahishasuramardhini reliefs over there as well.

In second cave temple, you will find the images of Trivikrama and Varaha incarnations of Lord Vishnu. Covering the flight of sixty-four stairs, you reach the cave temple where you find images of Garuda and Vishnu, and so forth.

In the third cave temple, reached over 60 steps into a 100-feet cave, you will find the Trivikrama and Narasimha avatar images of Lord Vishnu. Dating back to around 578 CE, this cave temple also contains images of the Lord Shiva-Goddess Parvati divine marriage. It all flourished during the age of Kiritivarma Chalukya.

In the fourth one, you will get a glimpse of the sixth Jain culture. You will find the carving of the Parshavnatha thirthankara, Mahavira and Adinath thirthankara in this temple.

Apart from these temple caves, there are two other noteworthy temples of Dattatreya and Mallikarjuna, especially the latter one that was built on star shaped platform.

Then you cannot miss the Badami archaeological museum with the Nandi (bull of Lord Shiva) at the entrance. Moreover, you will get some of the best demonstrations of the Lajja-Gauri (fertility cult). You will also find the Shivalayas on the nearby hillocks. While the upper one, formed during the reign of Pulakeshi II, is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the lower one is dedicated to Lord Ganesh. You get to see the firsthand show of Indian artillery (cannon) and a watchtower over there.

Constructed during the 5th century, there was a temple raised to the Lord Shiva, the lord of the five ‘Bhuta’ elements, and was called the Bhutanatha temple.

Well, that was quite a demonstration of the heritage destination, Badami of Karnataka.

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Yana Rock Caves, Karnataka

Yana Rock Caves, Karnataka

Yana Rock Caves, Karnataka

Yana Rock Caves, Karnataka

Yana Rock Caves, Karnataka

Yana Rock Caves, Karnataka

Yana Rock Caves, Karnataka

Yana Rock Caves, Karnataka

Yana Rock Caves and Trekking – Yana is a village located in forests of the Kumta, Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka. Yana village in the Sahyadri mountain ranges is known for unique rock formations. These rock formations (limestone) are found in the forests of North Karnataka. Yana in Karnataka is a tourist as well as a Hindu pilgrimage site; the cave temple below Bhairaveshwara Shikhara has a self-manifested Linga (Shiva). Interestingly, the Shiva Linga is always drenched by the water dripping from the roof of the cave. Yana rocks surrounded by thick forests of the Western Ghats in Karnataka.

History
According to the Hindu mythology, there was a demon king with the name as Bhasmasura. By austere penance, Bhasmasura was able to make lord Shiva very happy. So lord Shiva asked Bhasmasura to ask him for a boon. So Bhasmasura obtained a boon from lord Shiva when he will place his hand over any one’s head, he would burn them up and turn them into ashes (Bhasma). Now with the boon, Bhasmasura got excited and to test his powers, he thought of testing the power with Shiva’s head. So he began running after Shiva while lord Shiva began escaping from him.

Looking at this scenario, there was a hue and cry in the heaven and all the Gods went to lord Vishnu who is said to be the Guru who can resolve all the problems. So to protect lord Shiva, lord Vishnu turned himself up into a beautiful damsel (Mohini) to entice Bhasmasura with her beauty. Bhasmsura was quite infatuated by Mohini and asked Mohini to marry him. But Mohini put up a challenge before him that he had to do some dance before her. The dance steps involved putting the hand on his own head. Infatuated, Bhasmasura, began dancing. Without realizing, he put his hands on his own head and he burnt himself down.

According to Hindu Mythology, that’s why rocks near Yana are so black .The two hillocks are also named for this event: the tall peak being Bhairaveshwara Shikhara (“Shiva’s hill”), and the smaller peak, a few steps down below, being Mohini Shikhara (“Mohini’s hill”) where an idol of goddess Parvathi is installed.

There are several trek routes to these majestic Karst limestone formations. The Bhairaveshwara Shikara is bigger than Mohini Shikhara and the cave inside it also has a bronze statue of goddess ‘Chandika’ (Durga). The place is also related to the legend of the Bhasmasura and Lord Shiva.

Watch Yana Rock Cave & Trekking Video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afJIL2aZiw0

Trekking to Yana Rock Caves

Trekking routes begin with a well-paved trail and staircase leading above. It later opens out to crests and troughs of the plantation and natural terrain. You could start the trek from any one of the two sides – Sirsi or Kumta. The route from Sirsi is relatively easy as compared to the one from Kumta.

The hike takes at least half a day or about 6 hours or so in total. Gear up with some snacks, water, and sunscreen and get ready to brave the walk. You will encounter different species of snakes and reptiles. Be mindful of leeches. Closer to the monsoon season, their numbers seem to multiply. Carry a bag of salt with you to apply on leech-struck patches of your skin to wean them off. It is advisable to avoid the monsoon months and head there soon after the rain spree is over.

How to Reach?

Distance – 445 KM from Bangalore, 136 KM from Hubli.

• By Road: It lies 55 kilometers from Sirsi and 30 kilometers if you’re coming from Kumta. You could take the local bus from Bangalore or hop onto one that plies between Kumta and Yana. They might not be very frequent, so make sure you check the timings in advance. In case you’re heading from Dharwad, it lies 182 kilometers away.
• By Train: To travel by rail, board the train from Hubli Railway Station or from Bangalore to reach Kumta Station. From there, take a bus or taxi to reach the village of Yana.
• By Air: The closest airport to Yana Hills is Mangalore Airport at 262 kilometers. The second closest is Kempegowda International Airport of Bangalore at 463 kilometers.

Accommodation:

• Sanskruti Quality Resort (26 KM from Yana Rocks)
• Sathwik Home Stay
• Palm Beach Huts (24 KM from Yana Rocks)
• Nirvana Nature Resort (24 KM from Yana Rocks)

Nearest Cities / Town

• Sirsi
• Gokarna
• Hubli
• Kumta

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