Badami, Aihole & Pattadakal and off the beaten track

@snonymous, Belgaum would be ideal! From Belgaum, distance is anywhere between 160-170 Kms as there are many internal roads to reach Badaami after Yaragatti. I found the drive most intersting from Belgaum as I could see lot many 'Gren bee-eaters & KFs' ! Also black shouldered kites & Drongos. SH too is in very good condition, for a drive.

Hi Mithun, thank you but I thought you would have been bored by now !

Oh yes, Hubli can be closer!! Stupid I am, forgot about Hubli, but I think Belgaum has more frequent flights?

Edit...Hubli is another option as Mithun has suggested!

Thanks, that sounds a lot better than the long drive from Bangalore or overnight train journey.

Ohhhh no ... don’t ever challenge my patience- I can digest 3 hour movie of "Ramgopal Verma ki AAG" or "Khusi", even now-a-days I have learned to digest 349 page technical document . And travelling has always been my passion moreover I love reading travel stories , moreover your in-depth and excellent "documentary" gives me an in-depth knowledge of the facts and significance of these places which I recently travelled to but never really knew these details. But mundane office work ,now-a-days restricting me from commenting any of these wonderful threads , moreover to answer some of the PMs.

Do I still need to say "Its a absolute delight to virtually travel to these place with the help of your trip report. "!!!


Ohh yes , Belgaum will have more flights in compare to Hubli. Just for the sake of one more sunset , if not for anything else, I would love to travel to Gadag once again in near future.

Splendid work, Naveena. Specially the photographs (and by no means I am trying to belittle your enormous contribution in the complementary text section) are too good for any exclamatory expression I can type here. You have set a new and very high benchmark in architectural photography in IM.

Well...I know snonymous is the grandmaster...who's the master btw???? (not me atleast...I am still learning the basiscs of writing and photography ).


In that case not single landscape photographer should be given any credit for thir works....nature is anyway beautiful, isn't it??
My thought of photography is - its way more than just optics playing its part...you have to love your subject/object for the photo to look good. You seemed to have done exactly that...made those photos more with your heart than the lens (too much philosophy I guess ).

Thank you Mithun, you will have to tolerate a few more posts ! If you can watch an RGV film, you can as well keep track of this thread too !

Those are extremely kind words, Biman! I am not used to so many compliments, but then each of the member has written so many good things that I am touched. It surely has given me a lot of encouragement. At one point, I did feel that may be the posts are too lengthy & not up to the mark, but then I had started off and there was no way I could change the style of these posts, I had to put it across as I had started off initially. But then constant encouragement from all of you has kept me going. Thank you and all the other IMers who are tirelessly backing this thread !

We all know, Sir ! We all learn too!

I will have to post only !

Ofcourse I love the subject which I photograph!! Infact my hubby keeps wondering when I photograph the haystacks or a roadside colorful temple etc! But then when he gets to see the result on the PC, he is convinced! Even when I go to Vegetable market & comeback I am so happy, so just imagine if I visit a gorgeous place like Badami etc...what the experience would be like! So many wonderful places to see & photograph, but only one birth , and upon that a place like SIKKIM, gosh, I need to stop!

Now, can you beat this sort of philosophical banter ?

I can only imagine you returning with bag full of potatoes in one hand and your cam in the other !!

But I must say, if you're passionate about something, you'd better be passionate about it crazily!

Ahhhh....Sikkim!!! ..paradise examplified!!


When it comes to philosophy, there's nothing in my dictionary called 'banter'....I am never overdosed talking about it! You can safely carry on the discussion(atleast with me)

Have a wonderful weekend!

I do, but not potatoes, I'm Methi (Fenugreek leaves) & Bhindi (Lady's finger), fan ! But cam accompanies me most of the time .


Oh yes, we'll surely discuss !

BTW, having Pulao &/or Biryani for dinner? It's Friday already and yes, you too have a cheerful weekend! In the meantime, I will try to post the next edition on this thread !

I have been told that there's a surprise dish in tommorow's dinner menu! ....I am wondering if it is methi ka saag dish ....

Please go ahead with the next installment...will wait for it!

Hmmm, seems like your wifey dear is an expert in cooking and loves to treat you with varieties of dishes ! And Methi ki saag, I am already drooling...lucky you !

Part – 11: Aihole Sightseeing

Makara Sankranti Special - Caution, a lengthy special edition at that !!

Visit to Hucchimalli temple was a real treat for us who had thought that Aihole is all about ‘Durga gudi and Ladkhan temple’! As we moved ahead visiting each and every structure one after the other, we were totally in awe of the whole place. What a contrast this place was from Badami, where mostly the rock-cut cave temples and the sculpture there had hogged complete limelight as against the structural temples! But Aihole was full of structural temples, ofcourse many are restored and are still in the process of being restored, till date.

So,as mentioned in my previous post, we move towards‘Ravanaphadi’ CAVE TEMPLE! Yes, it is a rock-cut cave temple in Aihole, and what A place it is! Just a few hundred meters away from Hucchimallimalli group of temple, lies this cave temple.

Just like majority of visitors who visit Aihole and leave immediately after visiting the main temple complex, we too would have proceeded towards ‘Pattadakal’ but for the printout of ‘list of temples in Aihole’, which I was holding in my hands constantly. Once we visited Huchhimalli temples, we did a complete ‘U’ turn and decided to visit as many temples as possible on our way back lest we miss out on something nice! It is this decision which helped us in stopping right in front of ‘Ravana phadi’! From the road, this mini mountain (more of a huge boulder, by the looks of it , hardly attracts any visitors. But as the wise ones say ‘do not judge the book by its cover’ and certainly don’t judge this place just by a glance ! For us it was a 'treasure trove'!



Ravan Phadi: The place does look very inviting, perfectly maintained lawn, tree with yellowish white blossom, a huge Nandi (Shiva’s vehicle) and the neat entrance to this cave makes for a perfect picture except for this broken column. Again a great job of restoration & maintenance by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). This 6th Century cave temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva.

We could do with a clear view, right? Here it is. We can observe that the cave temple stands on a high platform and it’s exterior is simple and yet well-designed with 2 columns supporting the roof. Also there are isolated shrines on either side.



Moving ahead towards the entrance of the cave, we pass by this huge Bull:



Let us get a closer look of the cave entrance; we can clearly see the carvings of the guard deities & entrance decorated with reliefs of pot-bellied deities on either side.



The independent temple to the right of the cave temple, simple but the carvings are clearly visible on the door frame, lintel & the pillars!



We move on to the main cave temple: As we enter the cave temple one is automatically transported to an entirely different world! We are left speechless for seconds. The cave entrance opens into a hall with main temple sanctorum (fairly big) right in front of the main entrance. One could also see the huge figurines at the left hand corner. Just to give the a sense of depth, I have taken this photo slightly moving towards the right side of the main entrance!



Hold your breath. A big chamber on the right hand side as we stand near the main entrance. This chamber does not have any carvings or idols inside. But the sculpture adorning the exteriors are simply beautiful!



Seemed more like a chaitya hall, inside the chamber!



Also a narrow chamber to the left hand side could be seen , but we will come here at leisure once we finish off visiting the inner sanctum sanctorum !

The entrance of inner sanctum has this guard deity on the left side. The trident and snake complete the embellishment!



Inside the inner sanctum sanctorum, towards one corner (right side) we have this huge Mahishasuramardhini (Godess slaying the demon king Mahishasur):



Another view:



To the left of the sanctum sanctorum, wall is decorated with a huge sculpture of “Varaha” (relief depicting Vishnu in his Varaha incarnation). On his arm rest Bhudevi- goddess earth!



Having inspected the inner sanctum, we come back to the Main hall of this temple and here starts our visual treat, which I had kept for last! The chamber & the side walls of the temple hall are full of life size reliefs of Shiva and Vishnu. By now we are familiar with almost all of the sculptures of Badami and the same can be seen here. But the difference being, this rock cut cave temple could not even be half the size of the ones we have visited in Badami. But the sculptures are huge and exhibits lot of details! Less talk more photos!

The narrow chamber with exquisite carving of “Nataraj"! This relief is also considered by a few as depiction Shiva's triumphal dance after he defeated the demon Andhaka.



Close up reveals that it is not only exquisite but also stunning! 10 armed Shiva in dancing posture flanked by Parvati and figurine of a healthy looking Ganesh. Shiva's extended upper body, the head gear; beautifully designed pleated garments may resemble the Early Western Chalukya style in sculpture.



On the adjacent walls (on either sides) of this Nataraja, one can see figurines of females (could be the Sapta Matrikas). The features are beautiful so are their postures!





A close up of these female carving, with the Nataraja's face in the foreground:



Having taken the photos inside this shallow chamber, it was time to inspect the main hall as it contained maximum number of carvings. All the 4 corners had different carvings and each one deserves its fair share of attention!

Let us start with the one right beside the inner sanctum sanctorum! Two large carved figures stand to the right as you face the entrance to the inner sanctum sanctorum.

The figure at photo left is a form of Shiva; he wears a skull in his headdress, and his right hand bears a staff with entwining snake. Another snake appears above his left shoulder. The figure at photo right is Harihara, a deity that is half-Vishnu, half-Shiva. The figure has four arms, the upper arms being faint and shallowly carved. His right upper hand bears a snake, and the right half of his headdress bears a crescent moon, both symbols of Shiva. His left upper hand bears the conch, a symbol of Vishnu. Source



Another corner of this hall which is highly embellished is the extreme right corner, immediately as when one enters the main hall. The huge relief of Shiva & parvati and a sage next to Shiva in a meditating pose! Certain posts on the web refers to the sage as ‘Agastya’ and some also mention it to be the figurine of ‘Bhringi’! Also one can observe celestial bodies in the corner!



Also the panel running close to the ground/floor has some interesting dwarf sculptures too!



Now that we have had a look at almost all the nook & corners of this place, just to give perspective of the main hall and the inner sanctum sanctorum together in a single frame, here is a photo! Kindly ignore the tripod & my ‘hubby dear’ in the frame ! This photo is taken from the chamber where no art work could be seen!



One might have already noticed the work on the roof in the previous photo! So why leave it without an exclusive photo – the roof carvings!Sheer bliss to watch this, nothing more to add! Take a look and we will exit from here.



Even as we exit, a photo or two of the sculpture which adorns the entrance from within the temple : Make no mistake in identifying the details, the right hand holds a 'Trishul' and the head gear has the ardha chandra (Half moon) which denotes Lord Shiva and the left side of the figurine shows the elegant female standing posture, a bosom, a very decorative piece adorning the left ankle (serpent!!) and the face of a lady - Yes it is the Ardha Naareeshwar!



So out in the open, time to start from here! But just before we leave, this cute little temple standing alone at a distance needed to be clicked!



And then these flowers on the tree!



Only one more place needed to be visited here in Aihole, we thought and that was Meguti temple, which again, is just a few hundred meters away from Ravana phadi. Even as we drive towards Meguti temple, we see along the side of the road, some temples being restored:







But we proceed towards Meguti, perched on a hillock. The approach to this temple is quite bad.



Infact the flight of steps starts suddenly in between a residential locality. We did manage to reach the base of this hillock but the thought of climbing up the stairs in the hot sun, did put us off. I should accept, by now I was tired a bit and was not very keen on climbing the steps but some write ups had mentioned that one could get a clear view of Aihole temple complex from the top of this place, so we were in 2 minds whether to venture or not. In the meantime I did take 2 snaps from the base from our vehicle.



We decided that it would be better to proceed ahead and visit some other temple if we spot en-route ‘Pattadakal’ rather than climbing up the steps here. So that was a short visit, wasn’t it !

Hmmm may be another kilometer travelled, we found a narrow mud road with fortified walls and a nearby info board mentioned that there was a Gauri temple and a group of Jain temples inside the complex. So, what else could be expected of us? Immediately we parked the vehicle, ate 3 ‘GOOD DAY’ biscuits each, oh yes, we had to eat something , we would reach Pattadakal a little late and we had not seen any hotels or roadside stalls in the immediate vicinity. For such emergencies it was only wise to carry something with us, right? Felt better after gobbling up those biscuits and then we continued with our exploration.

The road towards the temple complex!



One more, with the temple visible.



And what do we see as we are standing right in front of the temple cluster? We were totally taken aback with sight in front of us!



Actually, the Jain group of temples is located to the left and the Gauri temple to the right. My hubby was totally confused as to which one we would visit first!



Well, the jain group would be first! It is located right in the middle of the village, atleast it seemed so. It is referred to as Jaina Narayana or the Yogi Narayana group of temples.



This group has 3 Temples and is assigned to 11th Century. We immediately made a beeline to check what we could see inside. Oh well, we were not alone!



What could be there inside? Nothing much, really! The Garbha griha ( inner sanctum sanctorum) is empty but we could see a platform highly decorated as also the main doorframe completely decked with carvings. A small carving of ‘Mahavira’ in the middle of the doorframe closer to the lintel can be seen.



Ofcourse a closer look at the seat where a huge idol could have been placed centuries ago!



We moved to other smaller temples in that group.





One particular temple had this stone idol of ‘Mahavira’ intact, seated on a platform, lower panel of which had carvings of lions!



With the flash on, one more !



We came out wondering why these temples were not being maintained or restored completely.



Anyway, we next moved towards the temple which stood right in front of the Jain group of temples!



By the looks of it, a solid stone structure, may be slightly restored. But would it be worth visiting?

Let us check up!



Now, what does one say ? Absolutely wonderful! It is the Gauri temple.

It was extremely surprising to see such a wonderful temple lying uncared and also probably not visited by many!



This virupaksha Temple with a Shivlinga in the inner sanctum sanctorum has 2 female figurines in the mantapa!



The Shiva linga:



Godess Gauri/Parvati:



Every nook and corner has some carving! The pillars too very well done and closer observation did suggest a ‘Lord Vishnu’s worship’ here!







Tremendously satisfied with this visit, we moved back towards our vehicle. It was high time we started back towards ‘Pattadakal’. It was 1.45 pm and we were yet to have our lunch too! 'So no more stops, it would be a non-stop drive and immediately after our halt we would dash off for lunch', were the words of my hubby! “Yes Sir, no arguments on that issue’ I mumbled but thought to myself ‘there goes my chance of clicking birds en-route ’. Hmmmm, could not risk uttering it loud, one never knows how a starved person reacts, you see ! It is about 2.30 pm!

So a half an hour's drive and by 3.00 pm we are at the main gate of Pattadakal temple complex. It is slightly hot. We had to first have our lunch before we could think of anything else. Parked the vehicle and reached the nearest stall which was serving hot ‘Jowari rotis’ (A type of Indian bread made of sorghum seeds).

Hotel Chalukya !







My Thali: Cluster Beans dry sabzi, Black eye beans curry, Jowari rotis, pickles, a small cup of curd and Chutney powder (dry spicy powder is the best I could translate it to, but to know more about Chutney click here )was served. Also rice and Rasam, was served later. Freshly made rotis definitely tasted yummy!



Once we had our lunch, we decided to take it easy from here. It is 3.30 pm and we could comfortably visit the entire temple complex at leisure but would have to skip ‘Mahakoota’ on our way back to Badami, we thought! That’s OK, one cannot see everything in one visit ! There can always be a next time; Hampi is one place we might want to visit very soon, so… .

Before we could start our next visit, we saw this interesting sight by the roadside next to the temples!



Corn being processed, an interesting sight!



In the background one can see the ancient Pattadakal ruins standing still and here a machine methodically going on about it's business! What a contrast!



And the corn out of the 'cob'!!



I have not forgotten about moving ahead, just taking some time out before we embark upon a heavy dose of 'temple visit' in my next edition !

Here is a peek of the place where we would be heading soon !

Naveena, sorry to be boring but I can only see the first pic
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-X5Mo-_HNKrQ/TxE0rE8rxhI/AAAAAAAAKZ8/3IDYNA4Mqiw/s640/7%252520Aihole%252520Ravan%252 520phadi%252520%252520%2525283 %252529.jpg
Lovely blue sky

I went through that image problems link but nothing works in my case, so could you please post the google album link as well? Also for the Nature thread, because Id love to see them without waiting until Monday. Even Ipad dont work!


EDIT:You will not believe it but just as this got posted, all the pics appeared! I think Google fixed the problem?

Really stunning pics, beautiful place and wonderful compositions Naveena Grand Master !!! Now Im going to the Nature thread before those pics dissapear, both windows are open right now.

On another note, Naveena and Sagarneel have you also experienced that when you upload an image here at IM, the quality of the uploaded image seems very poor now compared to earlier? Not that my images are of fine quality or anything but certainly not as bad as they come up when uploaded. Attached images were always poor but uploaded images were certainly not this poor. No wonder most of us use Insert Image now.

PS: Take a look at Sadanand Kamaths Picasa album, he is another superb P&S GM

, seems like somebody is up to some mischief! I haven't faced the problem thankfully! Now, I better enquire it with my Bangalore nephew! Will check & revert soon!

Thank you ! I will forward the link if necessary, picasa that is!

True, on FB, it looks better even when standard resolution is uploaded, my friends loved Badami & Aihole photos and a few have already planned a visit ! Earlier, I am not much sure, but somehow I have a feeling that it looks more grainy!

Could I get the link?

Naveena,
https://picasaweb.google.com/1149040...dDecember2011#