History
: These caves were built during the regime of the Chalukya Empire around the 6th century. They were discovered by the Pulekeshin I, the great Chalukya ruler. Along with these cave temples you may find here number of monuments belonging to the ancient times. These caves presents the perfect blend of the architectural design of the north India Nagara style and the south India Nagara. Description of caves of Badami : There are total of four Badami caves. Out of which three are the Brahminical caves and one is the Jain cave. Cave I is dedicated to Lord Shiva, Cave II and III to Lord Vishnu and cave IV to the Jain saints.
Cave I :
It is the oldest of the four caves of Badami. It was carved in 578 AD made of red sandstone. A flight of steps leads to the hall of pillars, behind which is the square shaped sanctum. The cave is beautifully designed with the painting and carved work that leaves the tourists spell binded. Apart from the walls the ceilings provides the ultimate example of the finest art work of that period. Another main attraction of the ceilings are the Nataraja panel and the carved panels. The ceiling also has the collection of paintings of Shiva and Parvati.
Cave II :
In this cave you will find Lord Vishnu in different forms and shapes. In one of the images Lord Vishnu is shown as Trivikrama. The artists try to portrays Vishnu with one foot conquering the earth and the other covering the sky. There is one more very beautiful image of Vishnu which displays him as Varaha, the boar incarnation of Vishnu. But the most striking feature of the cave is the form Lord Vishnu, riding the Garuda and the lotus is encircled by the sixteen fishes.
Cave III :
This is the most interesting cave among the four caves of Badami. The cave contains the wonderful sculptures and paintings of the Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. This beautiful large cave is approximately 70 feet wide. You may find here the images of Trivikrama, Shankaranarayana, Bhuvaraha, Anantasayana, Harihara. It is only cave which contains inscriptions dating back from 578 AD.
Cave IV :
It is the only Jain cave among the other four Badami caves. The cave was completed around 100 years later when the other three caves were completed. The main attractions of the cave include image of Lord Mahavira, image of Lord Parsvanath (with the serpent in his feet), images of Padmavathi and Tirthankaras.
Excursion from Badami Caves :
There are many sightseeing places around the Badami caves. You can make a visit to the famous historic village of Pattadakal, which lies at the distance of 20 km from Badami. The village has many picturesque temples dating back to the 6th and 7th century AD. Than You can also make a visit to the Mahakuta temple a and Naganath temple, 10 kms from Badami.
