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Showing posts with label Badami. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Badami. Show all posts

Monday, August 5, 2013

Badami - a quaint town in Karnataka


Overview

Earlier known as Vatapi is a historic town (taluk) situated in Bagalkot district of Karnataka. Once served as the capital of Chalukya Kingdom (between 6th century AD to 8th century AD), Badami is now a quaint town and draws discerning tourists, religious mind people, historians, art lovers and architect lovers. Badami is the place where the Chalukyas started a new type of architecture called Dravidian architecture ((a blend of older South Indian temple construction and the Nagara style of North India) that later became a source of inspiration for architectural styles of the region.

Besides Chalukyas, Badami was ruled by many dynasties whose rulers built several forts, temples and impressive monuments. Badami abounds with major attractions like magnificent cave temples, ruined fortresses, beautiful carvings and much more. A trip to Badami virtually takes you back to old era and offers a chance to see the unique architectural and sculptural styles. The wonderful location of Badami in a tranquil valley at the base of a rugged, red sedimentary outcrop surrounding Agastya Lake, and excellent shopping opportunities of local handicrafts and sandalwood items altogether makes a holiday in Badami a memorable experience.

Badami Cave Temples


Fast Facts

Main Languages: Kannada along with English and Hindi.

When to Go: The climate of Badami is characterised by four seasons, namely winter (November to January), spring (January to March), summer (April to June) and monsoon (July to October). During the summer season the mercury level remains over 40 degree Celsius most of the time, while the winter and spring seasons are quite comfortable. November to February is the best time to visit Badami.

Local Transport: Rickshaws and tongas are the modes of local transport in Badami.

Currency: Indian Rupee (INR) 1 USD is approximately 48 INR

Voltage: 230V / 50Hz

Time Zone: Indian Standard Time (UTC +5:30)

Location: Bagalkot district in Karnataka

Nearest Metropolis: Bangalore – 450 km away

Eating

Don’t expect about luxurious restaurants at the small town of Badami. The eateries and food stalls in and around Badami serve traditional South Indian dishes at cheap rates. You may also find North Indian and other Indian cuisines at some eating joints.

Shopping

Although there are no huge shopping malls or shopping centres in Badami, but the town offers delightful shopping experience to visitors. The town of Badami is dotted with many small shops that mainly deal in handicraft items and rugs. Explore the shops and see a beautiful collection of attractive objects made from sandalwood and rosewood. Take your pick from a variety of items that you can be a souvenir for your near and dear ones. Jewelleries, handlooms, sandalwood sculptures, paintings, inlay work, wood carvings, metal lamps, perfumes, sandalwood oil and incense sticks are some of the must buy in Badami. Most of the shops in Badami offer a little bit of haggling, so don’t hesitate to ask your desired price.

Sightseeing

Because of its historic connection, the tourist attractions in Badami mainly revolve around ruined fortresses, massive gateways, amazing cave temples and beautiful carvings. Begin your sightseeing expedition in Badami from the massive cave temples that can be reached by taking a climb of about 2000 steps. Actually carved out a hill, the three caves represent the Brahmanical faith, while the fourth cave represents the Jain faith. Lord Shiva as Nataraja with 18 arms is the presiding deity of the first cave. The second cave shows Lord Vishnu as presiding deity, who is portrayed as a dwarf form of Trivikrama. Lord Vishnu is the holy deity of third cave and shown in various forms. The fourth cave is dedicated to Jain Thirthankaras.

Further visit the 18th century Tipu’s Fort, situated atop the same hill in which the cave temples had been carved. While heading towards Tipu’s Fort, you can see some exquisite carvings. Next pay a visit to noted temples of Badamai, namely Bhootnath Temple and Banashankri Temple. A brilliant masterpiece of South Indian temple architecture, Bhootanath Temple actually comprises two temples both dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temples are situated against magnificent backdrop along the lake and have impressive sculptures and Jain figures.

Just 5 km away from Badami is Banashankari Temple that deserves a visit. Believed to be constructed in the 17th century by the Chalukyas of Kalyan, Banashankari Temple houses the black stone statue of Goddess Parvathi seated on a lion. Every year during the Hindu months of Pusha - Magha (January – February) the car festival is organised at Banashankari Temple, which draws large number of devotes and common people.

Set at the foothills of the northern hill, Badami Museum is another must visit place which was established in 1979. Badami Museum has four galleries and encompasses a fine collection of pre-historical stone equipments, sculptures and other interesting items dating between 600 AD and 1600 AD. You can also see impressive exhibits of Lord Shiva and Vishnu inside the museum. Badami Museum is open all weekdays (except Fridays) from 10 am to 5 pm.


Activities

Leisurely walk is the most popular among the visitors to Badami. In fact, you have to cover the popular destinations of the town on foot. The red sandstone cliffs of Badami offer excellent opportunities for leisure activities like climbing and bouldering. Badami has more than 150 bolted routes and multiple routes that are ideal for free climbing.

Events

The people in Badami and nearby areas celebrate a number of festivals and events every year. Hindu festivals like Dusshera and Deepawali (October / November) are celebrated with great pomp and gaiety. Some specific local (temple) festivals are also celebrated in Badami. Banashankari Temple is the venue of annual temple festival (January – February) that showcases massive festivities including huge processions. Vinayak Chaturthi (September) is also an important festival of Badami. Almost all the festivals and events in Badami provide a fine glimpse of the old traditions and customs. Plan a trip to Badami during noted festivals and events, and become a part of the traditional festivities.

Nightlife

Badami is a small temple town and offers nothing special to do in the night. If you wish, you can ask your hotelier to arrange a bonfire within the hotel premises.

Excursions

After exploring the tourist hotspots of Badami take excursions to cover nearby attractions. Pay a visit to the town of Aihole, situated in the western side of Badami. Renowned as the birthplace of Hindu stone architecture, Aihole is home to around 125 temples that are noted for their unique construction styles. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Pattadakal is about 30 km away from Badami and thronged by visitors in large numbers. Set on the left bank of Malaprabha River, Pattadakal is home to attractions like Virupaksha Temple and Banashankari Temple. Hubli (100 km), Bijapur (135 km), Amboli (200 km) and Goa (210 km) are other famous tourist destinations close to Badami. You can combine your Badami tour with state capital Bangalore (460 km) or the city of Mangalore (450 km).

Getting There
Air: Belgaum Airport, approximately 150 km away is the nearest airport from Badami, but currently the airport is not served by scheduled flights. Dabolim Airport in Goa (200 km approx) is the nearest major airport, which is served by many flights from various parts of the country and few international destinations as well. From Dabolim Airport hire a private vehicle (taxi / car) to reach Badami. Bangalore Airport (460 km) is another option, from where you can reach Badami by taking a taxi or bus.

Rail: The nearest major railhead is located in Hubli, about 100 km away from Badami. Hubli Railway Station is connected by express trains to many important cities of the country. There is also a small railway station close to Badami, which is just 5 km away but has very few trains.

Road: KSRTC (Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation) and private operators offer bus service to and from Badami at frequent intervals. Tourist buses also ply daily from many cities like Bangalore and Mangalore to Badami.
Driving directions: From Bangalore – Start from Brigade Road and proceed towards NH 7 (Shri Chowdaiah Road). Continue till you reach CV Raman Road (NH 4) and take a right on NH 13 at Chitradurga. Further take a left on SH 30 to reach Badami (460 km, 12 hours approx).

Recommended for:

Top 5 Must See

Cave Temples: Pay a visit to amazing cave temples that are carved out from a hill.

Bhootnath Temple: Actually a group of two temples, Bhootnath Temple is a fine specimen of South Indian Temple architecture.

Banashankari Temple: Built in the 17th century, Banashankari Temple has mythological as well as architectural significances.

Tipu’s Fort: Situated at the top of a hill that fort provides a breathtaking view of the surroundings.

Open Air Museum: Established in 1979, the museum has a vast collection of ancient sculptures and equipments.


Art lovers, architect lovers, historians and temple lovers.



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