[THREAD] While we wait at home for an epidemic to subside, let me take you on a visual journey to Badami, Karnataka.
It's an extraordinary place with hundreds of temples along its landscapes, some of them dating back almost 1,500 years!
Image: Bhoothanatha Temple, Badami.
It's an extraordinary place with hundreds of temples along its landscapes, some of them dating back almost 1,500 years!
Image: Bhoothanatha Temple, Badami.
Chalukyan Kings established a kingdom here around 6th century CE, and went on to rule much of the peninsula.
Their time was perhaps a golden period in evolution of temple architecture and construction in India.
Image: Temples of Pattadakal and Malaprabha River.
Their time was perhaps a golden period in evolution of temple architecture and construction in India.
Image: Temples of Pattadakal and Malaprabha River.
In nearby Aihole Village, scores of temples have withstood the the onslaught of time, staying witness to the glory of Chalukyan era.
Image: a temple in Aihole.
Image: a temple in Aihole.
Most of these temples are built from red sand stone, a locally available material.
In picture: pillars of a temple in Pattadakal; a UNESCO World Heritage site. Pattadakal is said to be the place where Chalukyan kings were coronated.
In picture: pillars of a temple in Pattadakal; a UNESCO World Heritage site. Pattadakal is said to be the place where Chalukyan kings were coronated.
Badami and surroundings have several sandstone cliffs and crags that have provided material for building these temples. Early architecture were rock-cut. The most well-known landmark of Badami are a series of temples cut into a vertical cliff and facing a beautiful lake. 5/N
This is the sandstone cliff on which Badami's well-known rock-cut temples are located. The second image is a closer look at the first of the four temples.
The Bhoothanatha Temple in Badami is built at the grandest possible setting, with a beautiful slope rising right behind it, and the steps in front of it leading to the waters of Agastya Teertha.
The rocks and cliffs of Badami have created many unusual settings, enhanced by the colour of the red sand-stone. For instance, here is a small temple situated among vertical cliffs on all sides but for a narrow approach!
A long-exposure image of the night sky.
A long-exposure image of the night sky.
Walk along these hills and the rocky terrain, and you are never too far from a temple older than a thousand years! Reaching this temple takes a short but steep climb using steps build into natural crevices.
Another look at the same temple! It's a treat to find these small depressions over the hills filled with rain water. During monsoons, you often find frogs jumping out of them on approach. Some such ponds have beautiful aquatic plants growing on the surface.
Here's another thread I posted live last monsoon as I walked atop the cliffs, relishing the freshness of a recent rain. I traced the flow of fresh water formed by an after-the-rain stream that gave life to beautiful flowers and plants along its path.
How extraordinary can a place possibly be? Consider this: on a random walk along the cliffs, trying to manoeuvre a slightly difficult hike, we stumbled upon this exquisite collection of bas-reliefs sheltered under an overhang! 12/N
Let's delve a little more into the craft of the sculptors from Chalukyan times.
Edges of the stones are smooth and faded with years of exposure to sun and rain (happens with sandstone). But temple interiors, protected from the elements, are much intact.
Location: Pattadakal
Edges of the stones are smooth and faded with years of exposure to sun and rain (happens with sandstone). But temple interiors, protected from the elements, are much intact.
Location: Pattadakal
A pillared hallway at the rock-cut temples of Badami.
Given that the temple is cut into a rock surface like a cave, the pillars or probably decorative and not necessarily meant to support the load!
Given that the temple is cut into a rock surface like a cave, the pillars or probably decorative and not necessarily meant to support the load!
The stairways leading through the rock cut temples of Badami.
A mantapa in the landscape of Badami.
