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'Badami' (Kannada: ಬದಾಮಿ), formerly known as 'Vatapi', is a panchayat town in the Bagalkot District of Karnataka, India. It was the regal capital of the Badami Chalukyas from 540 to 757 AD. It is famous for rock cut and other structural temples. It is located in a ravine at the foot of a rugged, red sandstone outcrop that surrounds Agastya lake.

Contents

Etymology

History

Insciptions

Geography

Climate

Economy

Government

Transport

Demographics

Culture

See also

External links

References

Etymology

The name Vatapi has origin in a legend. There were two demon siblings Vatapi and Ilvala. They used to kill all mendicants by tricking them in a queer way.The elder Ilvala would turn Vatapi into a ram and would offer its flesh to the guest.As soon as the person ate the flesh , Ilvala would call out the name of Vatapi, as he had a boon that whomsoever Ilvala calls would return from even the netherland, and Vatapi would emerge ripping through the body of the person, thus killing him.. Their tricks worked until Sage Agastya counter tricked them by digesting Vatapi before Ilvala could call for him and thus ended the life of Vatapi in the hands of Ilvala. Two of the hills in Badami represent the demons Vatapi and Ilvala.

History

Badami was the capital of the Early Chalukyas, who ruled much of Karnataka and 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. His sons Kirthivarman (567-598 AD) and his brother Mangalesha I(598-610 AD) constructed the cave temples. The greatest among them was Pulakeshi II (610-642 AD) who defeated many kings including Pallava king Mahendra Verman I and extended the kingdom.
The rock-cut Badami Cave Temples were sculpted mostly between the 6th and 8th centuries. The four cave temples represent the secular nature of the rulers then, with tolerance and a religious following that inclines towards Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. cave 1 is devoted to Shiva, and Caves 2 and 3 are dedicated to Vishnu, whereas cave 4 displays reliefs of Jain Tirthankaras. Deep caverns with carved images of the various incarnations of Hindu gods are strewn across the area, under boulders and in the red sandstone. From an architectural and archaeological perspective, they provide critical evidence of the early styles and stages of the southern Indian architecture.
The Pallavas under the king Narasimhavarma (also called Mamalla Pallava) seized it in 642 A.D. Vikramaditya I of Chalukyas drove back Pallavas in 654 A.D. and led a successful attack on Kanchipuram, the capital of Pallavas. The Rashtrakutas absorped the karnataka including Badami around 757 AD and the town lost its importance. The later Chalukyas of Kalyani defeated them and were able to keep region from 973 A.D. to 1189 A.D., when it was occupied by the Hoysalas.
Then it passed on to Vijayanagara empire, The Adil Shahis, The Savanur Nawabs, The Marathas, Hyder Ali. The Britishers made it part of the Bombay Presidency.

Insciptions

Badami has eighteen inscriptions, among them some inscriptions are important. The first Sanskrit inscription in old Kannada script, on a hillock dates back to 543 CE, from the period of Pulakesi I (Vallabheswara), the second is the 578 CE cave inscription of Mangalesa in Kannada language and script and the third is the Kappe Arabhatta records, the earliest available Kannada poetry in ''tripadi'' (three line) metre.^[1][2][3] A second one near the Bhutanatha temple, on a rock, testifies to Mamalla Pallava's victory over the Chalukyas in the year 642 CE. It also has inscriptions dating back to the 12th century in Jain rock-cut temple dedicated to the Tirtankara Adinatha.

Geography

Badami is located at ^[4]. It has an average elevation of 586 metres (1922 feet). It is located at the mouth of a ravine between two rocky hills and surrounds Agastya tirtha water reservoir on the three other sides. The total area of the town is 10.3 square kilometers.
It is located 128 kilometers from Bijapur, 132 kilometers from Hubli, 46 kilometers from Aihole, another ancient town, and 500 kilometers from Bangalore, the state capital.

Climate

★ Summer - March to June

★ Spring - Jan to March

★ Monsoons - July to October that contributes to rainfall

★ Winter - November to Jan
The temerature ranges from minimum 23 degrees to 45 degrees during summer and from 15 to 29 degress in winter. The rainfall of the area is 50 cemtimeters. Best time to visit is between low humid season from november and March.
The cool climate has made it a safe haven for the monkeys of south india. Tourists often flock to Bamadi for the opportunity to see monkeys interact in a natural enviornment. There are even glass enclosures in trees , called Glass Baristas, where one can sit and have a meal while monkeys interact right beyond the glass.

Economy

The main economy is centered around karnataka tourism.

Government

It is a town in the Bagalkot District in Karnataka state, India. It is also head quarters of Badami Taluk in the district.

Transport

The nearest airport is Belgaum about 150 kilometers away. It is on the Hubli Sholapur rail route, and the rail station is 5 kilometers from the town. It is also connected by road to Hubli and Bijapur. Badami is reachable from Bangalore by a 12-hour bus ride, or with a combination of an overnight train journey from Bangalore to Hospet followed by a short bus ride from Hospet to Badami.
Local transport is by Rickshaws, tongas and city buses.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census^[5], Badami had a population of 25,851. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Badami has an average literacy rate of 65%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 59% of the males and 41% of females literate. 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Culture

Badami is full of cave temples, gateways, forts, inscriptions and sculptures. People speak Kannada, Hindi and English. They wear traditional Indian cotton wear.
Attractions

★ Four rock-cut Badami Cave Temples between the 6th and 8th centuries. The magnificent among the carvings are 81 dance poses of Nataraja. Important carvings are of hindu deities Ganapati, Shanmuka, Mahishasura Mardhini, Ardha Nariswara, Sankara Narayana, Vishnu, Trivikrama, Astadikpalakas and Adisesha.

★ Fourth cave temple daing back to 12th century with carvings of Jain Tirthankaras Mahavira, Parshwanatha and Padmavati.

★ A Buddhist cave in a natural setting that can be entered only by crawling on knees.

★ The Bhutanatha temple, a small shrine, facing the lake, constructed in 5th century.

★ Badami Fort situated on top of the hill.

★ Many Shivalayas including the Malegitti Shivalaya with 7th century origins.

★ The Dattatreya temple.

★ The Mallikarjuna temple dating back to the 11th century, built on a star shaped plan.

★ a Dargah, a dome of an Islamic place of worship on the south fort side.

★ Vista points on top of the North Fort for the view of the ancient town below.

★ Famous Banashankari Temple in nearby place.

★ Archaelogical museum, that has collection of sculptures from Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal.

See also

★ Badami Chalukya Architecture

★ Badami Cave Temples

★ Pattadakal

★ Aihole

External links

★ Badami art and archearlogy

★ Photographs of Badami and other monuments of Karnataka

★ Article on Indian Murals

★ Architecture of Indian Subcontinent (under Karnataka)

★ Badami temples of Karnataka

★ Bagalkot district info about Badami

★ Photos of historical sites of Badami

References

1. Dr. Suryanath U. Kamath (2001), A Concise History of Karnataka from pre-historic times to the present, Jupiter books, MCC (Reprinted 2002), p9, p10, 57, p59 OCLC: 7796041
2. K.V. Ramesh, Chalukyas of Vatapi, 1984, Agam Kala Prakashan, p34, p46, p50
3. Badami Chalukyans' magical transformation Azmathulla Shariff
4. Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Badami
5.