Badami in Karnataka is well known for its incredibly beautiful Badami Caves . But just 45 minutes away from Badami are the stunning ancient temples of Aihole & Pattadakal. Tourists normally visit Badami but are not aware of these hidden gems just a few kilometers away.
How to reach Aihole-Pattadakal : Can be visited as a day trip from Badami. Aihole is 34 kms from Badami & Pattadakal is just 20 kms from Badami. Autos can ferry you across to these places or the Hotel where you are staying can also arrange for transportation.
About Aihole : Aihole ( called as Aivalle by the locals ) was the experimenting ground for Temple architecture & construction techniques by the Chalukyan Kings during 450 AD-750 AD. Initial temples were built in Caves but gradually during the Chalukya reign experiments were made on the style of the temples built and it is visible in the temples of Aihole.
Aihole is a small village surrounded by hills on all sides . It does not have many restaurants ,but there are stalls outside the Durga Temple Complex selling fruits, cold drinks ,buttermilk. The temples can be visited on foot and require atleast 3 hours if explored in detail.
The early temples in Aihole are the Ravan Phadi Cave Temple, Ladkhan , Huchimulli temples and the later ones with more architecture and carvings are the Durga Temple and the last one to be built in Aihole the Meguti Jain give us a glimpse on how temple architecture evolved over the centuries. There is no idol in the sanctum of most of these temples .
We began our sightseeing with the Ambigera Temple Complex, which has 3 of the early temples to be constructed in the 5th century.However they are in the ruins.
Next to this is a huge complex which has the Durga Temple Ladkhan Temple,Gowdargudi temple & Suryanarayan Temple. There is an nominal entry fee to enter this complex
Ladkhan Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is supposed to be the oldest temple built during the 5th Century (450 AD). It has a cave like appearance with flat roofs. The walls have floral patterns and windows have lattices work for sunlight. There are intricate carved pillars and have sculptures of Garuda.It got its name from a Muslim commander from the Bahamani rule who used it as a operational hub
Gowdargudi : Built in the 7 th Century and next to the Ladkhan Temple. It is believed to be older than the Ladkhan Temple. It has logshaped stones . Next to it is a step well probably constructed during the 10th -11th century.
Suryanarayan Temple : Next to the Durga Temple. It has a Surya statue with each hand holding a lotus flower in its garbha griya(sanctum), in a chariot and seven small horses carved at the bottom. The temple outline is intact, but most of the details are damaged.
Durga Temple : This is the main temple in Aihole and represents a final stage in the transition of Hindu temple architecture. It was built in the 7th Century and has a Shikhara (a carved dome on the top) unlike the Ladkhan and the Gowdar temples. It gets its name from 'Durg' or fortification and is not dedicated to Goddess Durga as its name implies. The pillars of the temple are intricately carved and have sculptures of different Hindu Gods Goddesses. The latticed windows allow sunlight to stream inside the temple
Close by is the Huchimalligudi Temple Complex which is again a Shiva Temple built in the 6th - 8th Century on an elevated platform. It is known for its wonderful sculptured designs .
Next to it is the Ravana Phadi Cave Temple one of the earliest temple. It is a rock cut cave mainly sandstone belonging to the 6th century. The cave is made up of a hall with two pillars . There are beautiful carvings of Nataraj, Ganesha , Parvati and Goddess Durga. It is amazing that such intricate carving was done in the 6 th century and is a architectural marvel
A little far away on a small hillock is the Meguti Temple and Buddhist Chaitya. There are few steps to be climbed to reach these temples
There are many other temple complexes in Aihole like the Mallikarjuna Temple Complex, Gouri Gudi Temple Complex but the main ones are mentioned above
From Aihole we drove to Pattadakal ( 13 kms ) which is a 20 minute drive .