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THE CAVE TEMPLES OF BADAMI
Photography: Mahesh Patwardhan
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The Chalukyas
Badami was the capital of
the Chalukyas, a dynasty
that ruled much ofKarnataka nd Andhra
Pradesh between the 6th
and 8th centuries.
It was founded in 540 A.D.
by Pulakesi I (535-566 AD),
an early ruler of the
Chalukyas.
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Pulakeshi I had two sons,Kirthivarman (567-598 AD)
and Mangalesha I (598-610
AD).
They constructed the cave
temples.
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The greatest among them
was Pulakeshi II (610-642
AD) who defeated many
kings including Pallava kingMahendra Verman I and
extended the kingdom
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The Chalukyas created a new architectural style
that is visible in the temple architecture and the
sculptures found in them.
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Each of the cave templeshave a sanctum, a hall, an
open verandah and pillars
adorned with spectacular
carvings and sculptures.
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The four cave temples
represent the secular
nature of the rulers,
showing tolerance and areligious following that
included Hinduism,
Buddhism and Jainism.
The four caves are devotedto Shiva, Vishnu, and Jain
Tirthankaras.
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Cave 1
The first cave temple in
Badami is made of redstone.
This cave was built in 578A.D. You need to climbforty steps to get to the
cave.
The beautiful murals andsculptures found in thesecaves include the
renowned idol of a 18-armed Lord Nataraja(Shiva), which seems tostrike 81 poses in all.
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The cave has an openverandah, a hall with
several pillars and a square
shaped sanctum.
The architectural style canbe said to be a blend of
Indian Nagara style and the
South Indian Dravidian
style.
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Shiva as Natraja, with 18 arms is seen in 81 dancing
poses.
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Carvings on the ceiling
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More carvings on the ceiling
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Cave 2
The second cave is perched
on a sandstone hill.
The second temple bears
images of Vishnu in his
Varaha and Trivikrama
incarnations.
On its celing are carvings
of Vishnu on Garuda and
several other scenes from
the puranas.
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Lord Vishnu is the holy
deity of this cave
manifested as a dwarf or
Trivikrama.
The Lord is shown in the
position of conquering the
Earth with one foot and
ruling the sky with hisother foot.
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Carvings on the ceiling.
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Carving on the ceiling.
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Cave 3
The third cave has
inscriptions which dates
this Vishnu temple to 578AD , the period of
Kiritivarma Chalukya.
Here you can find carved
images of the Narasimha
and Trivikrama avataras of
Vishnu.
There are also murals
depicting the divine
marriage of Shiva and
Parvati.
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Vishnu is shown
manifested in many forms -
Vishnu with a serpent,Vishnu as Man-Lion, Shiva
Vishnu and Vishnu as
Trivikrama.
These are some of theother attractions of the
cave.
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Cave 4
Further up, is a Jain rock
cut temple dedicated tothe Tirtankara Adinatha
with inscriptions dating
back to the 12th century.
This cave houses the idolof the 24th Tirthankara,
Mahavira, seated against a
cushion in the inner
sanctum.
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It is said that the
construction of the world-
famous Elephanta and
Ellora caves were inspired
by the Badami caves.
The other shrines worth
visiting at Badami are thethe shrine of Nagamma,
the local serpent goddess,
on the bank of the ancient
Bhutnatha lake, and the
two Shiva temples.
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