Next morning, I set out towards Badami caves by 7 a.m. The caves were just 10 minutes walk from my hotel.

I was the first visitor that day. I was there even before monkeys took their positions.

The security guard at the entrance warned me that monkeys will be in anytime now and suggested that I can keep my bag at the canteen in the same complex for nominal charge of Rs.2. Wary, but to be safe than sorry, I followed his advice.

Hardly five minutes into my world of interpretation and admiration of sculptures in the first cave, a tourist guide approached me and offered to walk me through these caves for a discounted rate of Rs.200. I checked his credentials and agreed.

Whatever I write now is his version. So, take it with a pinch of salt. And no, I haven’t given away everything he told. I don’t want you guys to take a print out of my blog when you visit next time and deprive him of his means of livelihood.

The Naming Ceremony

Version 1:

Badami was earlier known as Vatapi, named after a demon by the same name. Vatapi transformed himself as a sheep and his brother served him (the sheep) to the travelers visiting this place. Once travelers had their food, Ilvala asked Vatapi to come out and Vatapi emerged out of the traveler’s stomach. Then, the brothers feasted on the traveler.

Once sage Agastya came to this place. Since he knew about the brother’s tactics, as soon as he had his food, he said “Vatapi Jeernobhava” (Vatapi, get digested). That day, when Ilvala called Vatapi, he never came out. Thus the name, Vatapi.

My take:

What was this place known as  before this incident? What if the traveler was a non-vegetarian? Why couldn’t the demons just kill the travelers instead of taking so much trouble?

Version 2:

The hills/ rocks in this place were formed due to a volcano centuries ago. Since these stones are of Almond color which means Badami in Kannada, this place came to be known as Badami.

My take:

This is quite possible.

The Cave Story:

Badami was the capital of Chalukyan kings. They have built four cave temples here.

1. Shiva
2. Vishnu
3. Mahavishnu
4. Jain

Every temple is carved out of a single piece of rock.

Cave 1:

Nataraja in first cave: This statue has 18 hands (9 on each side).  Any random left hand-right hand combo results in a Bharatanatyam position. Thus you can see all 81 positions here making this a one-of-a-kind sculpture.

Baby in various positions:Two faces/ bodies depicting four positions. Since the idea was to build temples in a single piece of rock, the sculptor didn’t continue when he saw the 2nd rock. Other interesting sculptures here include:

• Parvati pillion riding with Shiva on his vehicle Nandi.
• Bull-Elephant combo
• Ardhanaareeshwara (pic below)

The idol of Linga still exists in the sanctum sanctorum.

Cave 2

This was built by Keertivarman, Pulikeshi’s son. This temple is dedicated to Vishnu.

Sanctum sanctorum is empty. Vandalized by Bahamani kings.

Vamana avatara of Vishnu on one of the walls

Never-ending Swastika. British judges stole this hairstyle idea: Between 2nd and 3rd cave are these steps leading to Tipu Sultan’s fort on top. Cave formed due to erosion

Cave 3

Built by Mangalesha, Keertivarman’s brother. Similar to 2nd cave. Nothing in sanctum sanctorum.

Narasimha avatara

Evolution: Monkey from one side and Human from another. Other interesting sculptures include:

• Ashta dikpalakas on the ceiling
• Hari-Hara
• Colorful designs on the ceiling

Cave 4

Jain temple dedicated to the 24th Tirthankara of Digambara sect.

Idol in the sanctum sanctorum The guide left after this. I came down and headed towards the museum and other temples.

Agastya teertha

Till 1960s, the hills around this lake were full of medicinal trees. The rainwater from these hills flowed down into the lake and hence a dip here was believed to cure all diseases. Now this lake is used by washermen (meaning Agasa in Kannada) and this is known as Agasa teertha. No prizes for guessing its current medicinal value. 😀

The museum was yet to open. So I walked up further towards Bhootanatha temples.

Bhootanatha temples

This is one of most peaceful places I have ever visited. I sat there for about 45 minutes and all I heard was chirping birds and few washermen busy with their duty.

While I was taking pictures around Bhootanatha temples, I saw some sculptures dumped on the nearby hill. Even these are vandalized. But I don’t think Bahamani kings are to be blamed for this. 😛

I was back at the museum by 10.30 a.m. I generally find museums very boring. But this one has some excellent stuff and I was glad that I didn’t give it a miss. After spending a good 15-20 minutes there I set out towards hilltop temples.

On the way…

The temple at the highest point View from the top

When I walked down, it was 11.30 a.m.  I collected my bag from the canteen, sat there for few minutes having tea and snacks and set out towards my deal-clinching leg of Bijapur.

There are very few direct buses to Bijapur from Badami. The best option is to go to Kerur and then get a bus to Bijapur from there. The bus to Kerur started at 12.45 p.m. So did my thoughts. Overall, I was satisfied with my visits over the last two days. I rated Badami the best of the lot and wouldn’t mind visiting again after 3-4 years.

I reached Kerur at around 1.15 p.m. The road was good and there were very few stops in between. The Hubli-Bijapur bus reached Kerur as soon as I got down from my bus. I just confirmed with the driver and got in. On the way, I saw some people selling curd in a small pot. Wish I could buy one.

Bijapur

I reached Bijapur at 3.30 p.m. I checked with a couple of people and they said that I can cover Gol Gumbaz and Bara Kaman that evening. I also booked a ticket to Bangalore next day.

My first destination was Gol Gumbaz. The cheap and best mode of transport to reach there was the shared auto from a circle which was about 7-10 mins walk from the bus stand. I reached Gol Gumbaz at 4.00 p.m. I was completely shocked as soon as I walked through the gates. No, it was not the massive Gol Gumbaz. It was the parking lot. The sight of so many vehicles – buses of various capacities, Tata Sumo, Safari and every other tourist vehicle I can think of made me wonder if I made the right decision by coming here. But I still decided to go. Worst case, I will come again next day.

I saw people everywhere on the way to the main tomb – people came here for evening walk, picnic, and of course, being weekday evening, kids with various intentions. As expected, most of the crowd was inside Gol Gumbaz.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, Gol Gumbaz is famous for its whispering gallery. Every word uttered in this gallery echoes 7 times. And the keyword here is “whisper”. But imagine the chaos when you have about 150 people testing this? Or when a school teacher asks his team of about 70 kids to clap together (discipline factor) to hear the echo? Gol Gumbaz had turned Ghor Gumbaz.

I walked out of the tomb in less than 15 minutes. The guy manning the footwear said that if I really want to experience whispering gallery, I should be here by 6 a.m. He also helped with the plan for evening. If I can hire an auto, I can cover four key places that day itself. Considering the distance and time, the best deal would be at Rs.200.

I was back in front of Gol Gumbaz gate at 4.45 p.m. I cut a deal with an auto guy for the recommended fare and headed towards Bara Kaman first.

Bara Kaman

This was being constructed by the son of king who constructed Gol Gumbaz. However, the construction stopped when he died in a war. Now all we can see are these arches. If it had been completed, it would have been taller than Qutub Minar, currently India’s tallest monument.

Upli Burj

There is nothing much to see here.

Malik-E-Maidan a.k.a Topu

Got a guide here, though I hardly had any time to spare. This place is famous for the cannon British wanted to shift to England. But this cannon was so heavy that they gave up after bringing this down by just one floor.

Some trivia about this cannon:

• Made of panchaloha(combination of gold, copper, silver, iron, and lead).
• Won the battle of Talikota in which Vijayanagar empire was wiped out.  Locals worship this twice a week even today.
• A single shot from this cannon killed 200 people.
• Has a design of Elephant body with horse legs depicting its power and speed.

The king who built this was a very religious tolerant person. The proof of this is the pic below that has a moon representing the Islamic religion and sun for Hinduism.

This tower was one of the entrances of Bijapur fort. So there is a moat (which used to be full of crocodiles) around this as the first line of defence and small holes in the walls to fire at enemies who manage to cross the moat. If the team here wanted reinforcement, they used to clap here (see the square in the pic) and the regiment stationed at Upli Burj, located about 300 metres away, heard it and responded.

Ibrahim Roja

This tomb of Ibrahim Adil Shah inspired Shahjahan’s Taj Mahal. Need I say more?

I came out of Ibrahim Roja by 6.00 p.m. and reached the bus stand by 6.15 p.m. I checked into Yatri Nivas (Karnataka Government’s budget lodges) in the bus stand complex. It offered a single room with TV, fan and hot water for Rs.250. Exceeds Expectations.

A great day ends.

Sidewing:

The best quote from my Badami guide: GOD – Generator, Operator, and Destroyer.

It is worth hiring a guide in Badami. Their explanations might not be entirely true, but it definitely helps in understanding and appreciating the craftsmanship of Chalukyan era architects. Trust me, I have shared only half of what my guide told in this post.

One needs to pass through narrow-laned residential area to get to the museum and Bhootanatha temples. Watch out for the small signposts to make sure you are on the right path. Or even better, ask locals. Most of them can understand Hindi.

Bijapur is also known as Vijapur. Many buses use the latter on their boards. In any case, just check before you get in, just like I did.

If you are carrying any digital camera (this includes any non-reel camera, not just DSLR), get the camera coupon at Gol Gumbaz. The guy at the entrance of main tomb will not allow you to take it inside without that ticket.

Bags are not allowed inside Gol Gumbaz. You have to leave it at the guy manning the footwear. As far as possible, leave it in your hotel room.

The journey to Hubli was good. I was happy that the bus stopped at my fave Kamat Upachar for dinner.

I reached Hubli bus stand at 6.30 a.m. Hubli is a major city and I was assuming that the bus stand will be big and buzzing with activities. Surprisingly, what I saw was a old, small bus stand. The taluk bus stand in my native is bigger than this. Later I learnt that there is another “main” bus stand which met my expectations.

On the other side of the bus stand, the Badami bus was ready to leave. I got in and it started at 6.45. The conductor said they will reach the destination by 9.15. Disappointed at the duration, but glad that I got the bus immediately.

Saw some windmills on the way. Here is the pic:

And a grandpa in the most common menswear of this region. His kurta looks so white. I wonder which detergent he uses. I reached Badami at 9.30, passing beside lush green crops (I think they were Jowar and groundnut among others.) on a mostly-decent road.

My first task at Badami was to find a place to freshen up. I looked for simple bath complexes, but didn’t find any. So, I had to check out a lodge.

Despite being a major tourist destination, there are only 4-5 lodges near Badami bus stand.

• Anand Deluxe – Rs. 450 for single acco.
• Rajasangam – Rs. 880 for single acco.
• Mookambika Deluxe – Rs. 600+
• Satkar – Rs.600

Considering I was getting late, I negotiated with Satkar for Rs.250 to use their room for one hour. Damn expensive.

The hot water bath brought some life in me. I worked out my itinerary with the lodge receptionist and hit the road at 10.30 a.m.

Itinerary

Day 1 – Sunday – Pattadakal, Aihole, and Mahakoota.

Day 2 – Monday – 1st half – Banashankari and Badami.

Day 2 – Monday – 2nd half – Take the 3 p.m train to Bijapur, visit few places there on the same day.

Day 3 – Tuesday – Complete Bijapur visit and take the bus back home by evening.

The most preferred mode of transport from Badami to Pattadakal is the Mahindra van. The van stand is conveniently located next to the bus stand (opp. Satkar hotel). The frequency is every 30 minutes and the journey duration is about 30-40 minutes.

Pattadakal

I reached Pattadakal at 11.30 a.m. Pattadakal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. “Patta” in Kannada means “Title”. These temples were built to mark coronation and victory of Chalukyan kings. Some of the temples here are more than 1200 yrs old. Except the Jain Temple and Papanatha Temple, all other temples are located in the same campus.

Here are some pics:

While planning my vacation I forgot that December is the annual trip time for schools in Karnataka. I got the first taste of that in the first place I visited. Half way through my leisurely walk in the temple complex, I saw 80-100 students walking into the main Virupaksha temple. That very moment I decided to quickly take some snaps of whatever I can and get out of this place. I wrapped up Pattadkal (or so I thought) at 12.30 p.m.

I came out and started walking towards the Jain Temple which is less than a kilometer away from the main temple complex. With hot sun on top, pothole-ridden road below, and the empty stomach in the front, my bag on my back started feeling heavy. So I started looking for “lift”. I was lucky enough to find a biker. In that less-than-a-min journey he told me that more important than the Jain temple is the Papanatha Temple located on the river side, outside the main temple complex. Wow! Did somebody say everything happens for a reason? Was he the god-sent messenger?

Jain Temple:

This was a Jain temple when Rashtrakutas built it. Now, I am told that there is a Lord Shiva idol in the sanctum sanctorum.When I went, there was nobody around.

From Jain temple, I walked back (may be, there was no need for a messenger this time) to the main temple complex. The guy at the ticket counter allowed me to use the same ticket I purchased earlier to re-enter the complex. With some hills as the backdrop, Papanatha temple looked more beautiful than others. With this, I concluded my Pattadakal trip. By the time I came out, I was very hungry. I walked into a hotel in front of the temple complex and ordered Jowar roti (Tried to be a Roman in Rome).  Jowar roti is the staple food of this region (perhaps most of North Karnataka). The roti is served with three side dishes: Curry, Sambar, and the Curd-chilli powder combo. The curry tasted fiery by my standards. Seeing my plight, the guy at the hotel (supplier-proprietor-cashier everything in one) suggested I try the Curd-chilli powder combo. I ignored the chilli powder and used only the curd. Felt so much better. After that I had sambar rice and curd rice and wrapped up my brunch. Annadaata sukheebhava. The guy wanted me to buy dried jowar rotis which supposedly last even 6 months. I politely declined.

With my stomach taken care of, I started on my 2nd part of the day’s trip. I still had to visit Aihole and Mahakoota as per the plan.

The only means of public transport from Pattadakal to Aihole is the auto. After much bargaining and threats to skip Aihole, I got one guy who offered me a to-and-fro trip for Rs.220. For a total distance of about 25 kms, I think it was fair deal. (My logic for auto fare was simple. I just used to compare it with the 9 rs/km fare in Bangalore and if it is same or cheaper than that, I am in.)

The road from Pattadakal to Aihole is pathetic. Villagers have cut the road to lay water pipes every 500 meters.

Here are the Aihole pics

Aihole and Pattadakal temples are built using the stones available in the surrounding 30 villages. Badami is built using locally available stones. I found Aihole so boring that I was reluctant to even get down from the auto when my driver stopped at a temple on the way back. Perhaps it was the overdose of monuments.

However, he was adamant. He took me to a small, but nice, isolated temple next to Malaprabha river as well.

He asked me to take this snap, but later realized that there is no memory card in his mobile phone to get it transferred. 🙁 We returned to Pattadakal at about 3.15 p.m. My next destination was Mahakuta.

There is no direct transport from Pattadakal to Mahakuta. So, I had to get into a van going to Badami, get down at Nandikeshwara and take an auto from there to Mahakuta.

I reached Nandikeshwara at 3.30 and negotiated an auto for Rs.100 for a to-and-fro journey of 10 kms. The Nandikeshwara-Mahakuta road was so good that we reached our destination in less than 10 mins.

When I was looking for info on these places, one of the bloggers had mentioned that he liked Mahakuta more than Aihole or Pattadakal. So, I had some high expectations from this place. However, I was disappointed. I did not even feel like taking a snap inside the temple complex. Here is the only snap I took there.

I was out of Mahakuta within 5 minutes. Quite understandably, my auto driver was surprised.

On my way back, I told the auto driver that I plan to visit Banashankari next day. He suggested that I can cover Banashankari on that day itself as it was still 4 p.m. Moreover, he said, there are plenty of autos plying on Badami-Banashankari route and there is nothing much to see in Banashankari. I agreed and we were back at Nandikeshwara at 4.15 p.m.

While I was waiting for the van to Badami, the auto guy had gathered some passengers to Banashankari. So, there I go. My last destination before I retire at Badami.

Banashankari, as the auto driver said, doesn’t offer much to see. There is a temple, a lake in front of it and couple of towers which look like watchtowers.

I was done with Banashankari at 5 p.m. I bought some godambi kalyanaseve (cashew rolled in a sugar candy) and tasted some karadantu(some sweet made of coconut and jaggery) while I waited for an auto to Badami. Finally, I was back at Badami at 5.30 p.m.

I was really tired by then. Hot sun, pathetic roads, and just one meal had drained my body. All I wanted was a bed and I was sure I wouldn’t care about the world once I find one. Despite that, I was not willing to spend more than Rs.300 on the room. This time, since I had nothing else to do for the rest of the evening, I had decided to check out more guest houses, even if they are slightly far from the main road.

After roaming around the road and enquiring with few people, I finally found a lodge by name Lakshmi Vilas which had a cozy little single room with TV and hot water at Rs.250. This place is on the way to the bus stand, towards the caves. I checked in and hit the bed. Hardly five minutes into the sleep, my colleague called me for a party at her house. I gave her my status update and went to sleep again. After that, except couple of interruptions from my mom and another colleague, I had a good sleep till 9.30 p.m.

When I came down for dinner, I realised to my horror that the restaurant attached to my lodge was closed. When I walked out to the street, I found that most of the shops and restaurants were closed. I decided to walk up to the bus stand and if still nothing is available, eat some leftover chaat at the roadside.

Luckily, a “multi-cuisine” restaurant right opposite to the bus stand was still open. I ate leftovers there itself. But the curd rice there was really good. One of the best I have had in any restaurant.

I was back to my room by 10.15 p.m. Finally, a loooong day (and a loooong blog post) comes to an end.

Sidewing:

Badami is pronounced “ba-daa-mi” and not “baa-daa-mi” as I thought earlier.

The hotels at Pattadakal are roadside makeshift structures and not concrete buildings. So, if you are one the who can’t eat there, carry your own stuff.  Yeah, they are clean though. 

The auto guy’s parents joined me on the way to Aihole. They were so respectful towards me that though the father sat next to me, he maintained few inches between me and him. (NO! It was not my body odour! :P)

I saw many “lingayata khanavali” type of restaurants in Hubli. They were as common as “darshinis” in Bangalore. Any idea why they are associated with that particular caste? I mean, what is the specialty?

Get, set…

I had taken two days off from my work to utilize my mandatory leaves. Though it actually meant four days of holidays, I had to do be home on Saturday due to some personal work. So, that left 3 days for my vacations.

Having had an overdose of historical temples, I thought of visiting some beach and checked out Kanyakumari, Pondy, Kasargod, and Vizag. However train tickets were not available for any of these places. I finally decided to visit Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal and Bijapur. The possibility to cover Bijapur along with the other three worked in its favor.

Other reasons to finalize these places:

• Even though they are historical temple places, they are in ruins. So, as Karnataka Tourism department calls them, they are heritage sites, full of old monuments and loads of stories of wars and demolitions. And just in case I lose interest in visiting these places mid-way, I had a Plan B of making a dash to Mangalore from Hubli and visiting Kasargod from there.
• I always wondered how big the world’s 2nd largest tomb Gol Gumbaz looked like in real. Its whispering gallery was definitely something to be tried.
• Having seen Bidar, I thought covering Bagalkot and Bijapur will complete my North Karnataka trips. I know there are Gulbarga and Raichur. But still…

Go!

There are whole lot of buses from Bangalore to Hubli. So, getting a ticket on a Saturday night was not an issue. I made a conscious decision to travel by Rajahamsa Executive coach and not Volvo on my onward journey. Apart from the cost factor, I felt I can manage without “club class” benefits in this 8-hr overnight journey.  

I reached Majestic bus stand (I prefer to call it that way, though the official name is Kempegowda Bus Stand) by 9.30 p.m. I had not booked my ticket in advance. But still managed to get my preferred seat (1st row behind the driver).

Finally, my trip started at 10 p.m. 15 mins later than the scheduled start.

As the bus made its way out the bus stand, my mind went wandering. Plan A, Plan B, whatever I read about the places I will be visiting, my mobile battery, dinner break, empty seat next to me, my next trip,…

Sidewing:

Venue: Majestic Bus Stand.

Scene: Conversation between a passenger and a pan-chewing driver.

Story:

Driver is sitting in his seat, happily chewing his pan. A passenger approaches him at the driver-side window.

Passenger: Saar, does this bus to go to some-place?

Driver nods his head sideways to say no.

Passenger: Where can I get the bus to some-place?

Driver directs his hand to indicate “go further up”.

Passenger waits for few seconds and thinks of some other place (probably the alternative place).

Passenger: Does this bus go to some-other-place?

Again, the driver nods his head to indicate NO.

Passenger: Where can I get the info?

Driver (super-annoyed at the passenger, peeps out of the window, spits his pan right at edge of the passenger’s feet and says): Go and ask the TT there.

Me: lol