the cave temples of badami

8/14/2019 The Cave Temples of Badami

1/23

THE CAVE TEMPLES OF BADAMI

Photography: Mahesh Patwardhan


2/23


3/23

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.


4/23

Pulakeshi I had two sons,Kirthivarman (567-598 AD)

and Mangalesha I (598-610

AD).

They constructed the cave

temples.


5/23

The greatest among them

was Pulakeshi II (610-642

AD) who defeated many

kings including Pallava kingMahendra Verman I and

extended the kingdom


6/23

The Chalukyas created a new architectural style

that is visible in the temple architecture and the

sculptures found in them.


7/23

Each of the cave templeshave a sanctum, a hall, an

open verandah and pillars

adorned with spectacular

carvings and sculptures.


8/23

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.


9/23

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.


10/23

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.


11/23


12/23

Shiva as Natraja, with 18 arms is seen in 81 dancing

poses.


13/23

Carvings on the ceiling


14/23

More carvings on the ceiling


15/23

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.


16/23

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.


17/23

Carvings on the ceiling.


18/23

Carving on the ceiling.


19/23

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.


20/23

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.


21/23

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.


22/23

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.


23/23

the cave temples of badami

Documents