Rock-cut caves Badami - Historical landmark in Badami - Bagalkote, India

Superb place to visit along with aihole and pataddakal. Single rock cut caves are ancient marvel. And also see ASI museum, bhootnath temple complex and Badami fort. Keep water with you and be sure don't pay any camera fee as it's for personal use and no need to pay camera fee as per guide line at ticket window but have a photo of that guideline to show to security.

Must visit place if you are keen to explore the history of Hindu civilisation. How rich and advance our culture was .

The most beautiful cave temple out of all 4. Largest too! Beware of monkeys. One tried to steal my bag while I was wearing it and sitting on a bench. Tried to scare me when I found out it pulling my bag and jumped front. Guard came to the rescue!!

Deep in the rocky mountains of Bagalkot district in northern Karnataka, lies an architectural wonder. The tiny town of Badami in Bagalkot district is home to the rock-cut Badami Caves, a complex of Hindu and Jain cave temples. The cave temples in Badami are remnants of the Chalukya dynasty.

The Badami caves temple complex is very beautiful sculptures carving and maintained well by archeology department of India . There are four caves in this group of caves . The out-of-four caves there are Hindu religious and one is Jain religious cave . The time required to see the caves is two hours sufficient.

This is the third temple which is inline along a set of four cave temples carved a rock mountain in an elevation. Impressive and gigantic. You can't imagine how hard it would be to come up such carvings in a rock and the result looking absolutely stunning and astonishing. I would like to be transported to the times these cave temples were being carved. Such a wonderful place.

Cave 3 is earliest dated Hindu temple in the Deccan region, dedicated to Lord Vishnu, who is presented in various avatars and forms, such as a standing Vishnu with eight arms; Vishnu seated on the hooded serpent Shesha on the eastern side of the veranda; Vishnu as standing Narasimha (man-lion avatar); Vishnu as Varaha (man-boar avatar) rescuing earth; Harihara (half Shiva, half Vishnu and their equivalence); and Trivikrama-Vamana avatars. The cave also shows Kama scenes in pillar brackets, where a woman and a man are in courtship or mithuna (erotic) embrace.

This cave temple is the largest rock cut cave temple built by Chalukyas in Badami which is dedicated to the deity Vishnu. Because this is the largest cave temple of Vishnu, local people called this as Maha Vishnu Temple in those days. You can see the sculptures of incarnations of the lord Vishnu here. Ashtabhuja(eight handed) Vishnu sculpture is carved on the right hand side of the cave. We can see Herbal paintings done by the Chalukyas from inside after entering.