Trip To Badami - Part 3 (Exploring Aihole Pattadakal and Mahakuta)

Day Three 12th September 2016

Today we have plenty of time so first decided to cover Aihole, Pattadakal and Mahakuta, front office staff of the lodge is very friendly and he provided the sketch of these places.

Badami City

Farmer buying the agriculture related items

Houses at Badami

First took Banashankari Road and headed towards Aihole is just 35kms from Badami. Here I would like to mention one thing, if we compare the Badami with Hampi it will give you entirely different experience. Hampi is cleanest city but Temples of Badami and Aihole located between middle of the congested city, the tourism site are maintained properly but out side it is not, pigs, dogs,  cattle were freely roaming on galies and elders are washing clothes children are playing and all day today activities are going at the road.

Near Cave Temple

Gadag Road

Banshankari is located at the outskirt of the Badami,  Town from there we took diversion and headed towards Aihole. KSRTC was playing regular buses between these two cities most of them are Etchers. 

Kubota Mini Tractor

Decorated Sonalika

Jowar

Way to Aihole

The superb road goes through the villages, and villagers are using road not only for their travel purpose they put their agricultral products on road to drain on the sun. First we directly went to the last point i.e Aihole around 1100hrs reached there and start to explore the beauty of Aihole.

Village view

Road under construction works

Agro work in progress

Onion

Sheep and got

Sunflower

Taking rest

Narrow Roads inside Aihole

Dugra Temple Complex

Well maintained Garden

Aihole is famous for Chalukya's architecture with about 125 stone temples dating from 5th Century. Three are so many temple complex was there.Dugra temple complex, Lad Khan Temple, Ambigera Gudi Complex, Rachi Temple, Huchchimalli Temple complex, Ravanapadi rock cut temple, Rock cut Jain Basadi etc. are very interesting. Archeological department runs a small Museum inside the temple complex.

Kalyani

Carvings on pillars of Durga Temple

Museum

We started to explore from Durga Temple complex, it was neatly maintain and beutiful large Pushkarani (Tank) also built inside the complex, carvings on pillar are really great. Thease temples are photogenic and  It is apsidal in plan, along the lines of a Buddhist chaitya, a high moulded adisthana and a tower – curvilinear shikhara. A pillared corridor runs around the temple, enveloping the shrine, the mukhamantapa and the sabhamantapa. All through the temple, there are beautiful carvings. The temple appears to be of the late 7th or early 8th century.

Aihole Town

After visiting the Durga temple complex decided to explore the outer skirt of Aihole, there are many Hindu and Jain temple, cave temples are built around the the city. It was already around 1300hrs so we have approached a small hotel and filled our stomach with rice bath and started explore the rest of the places.

 Rice Bath

Kalyani

One of the Cave Temple

Many Cave Temples built around Aihole

Inside the temple

Carvings

These are enough to explain the rich history of Aihole

After visiting these temples we have went top of the hill from there one can see the areal view of the Aihole. At the top of the hill a small fort was built from here one can get whole view of Aihole town and all temple complex were visible from here. The roads which goes in front of the Huchchamalli temple, Mallikarjuna Temple leads to the fort. 

Children carrying water

Way to the fort

Steps 

View from the steps

View from the Top (Fort)

After visiting fort headed towards our next destination i.e Pattadakal which is located between Aihole and Badami, just 14km from Aihole. 

KSRTC

Around 1500hrs reached Pattadakal, parked bike outside the temple complex and started exploring. Pattadakal or Pattadakallu is a village famous for Hindu and Jain temples built by Chalukya's of Badami.

Pattadakal Complex

Compared to the Aihole, Pattadakal is well maintained and it also comes under UNESCO inscribed World Heritage Site. 

Old Nandi capt behind the temple

New Nandi

After Spending an hour inside the temple complex came out, as soon as came out lady's who was selling the hot Jowar roti and butter milk surrounded us to sell the meal. There are many small hotel also built in front of the complex. We went one of such a hotel to try the taste of Jowar Roti.

Tasty Hot Jowar Roti

The tasty hot Jowar Roti was served with Curd, Pickle, Methi (Fenugreek) leaves, Radish, Subzi and Peanut Chutney Powder. Our next destination was Mahakuta group of temples which is on  the way to Badami.

Sunflower field behind the hotel

On the way

Entrance

Around 1700hrs reached at Mahakuta. It is an Important temple for Hundus. It was built by Chalukya's of Badami in 6th or 7th Century.

Its also known as Dakshina Kashi

A natural mountain spring flows inside the temple,  a small Kalyani is built inside the temple it is called as Shiva/Vishnu Pushkarini, it gets water from this stream. Before dipping in the Kalyani one has to take bath at Kashi theertha located at outside.

Kashi Theertha

Puskarani

 Temple

Outside view

Temple post

Temple Car

Car Street

Guava Fruit vendor

Decorated Tafe Tractor

Check the sound system built inside

After visiting the temple and eating the sweet Guava's  😁😁 went back to Badami. It was around 1830hrs, so we have decided to just wander around the Boothanatha temple and took inner road. Unfortunately it was Monday weekly fair at Badami, everything is available in it. Once you enter inside the fair its impossible to turn back following picture will explain you the reason.

Crowded Monday Fair

So we continued on same road with half clutch messing with peoples, carts, cycles, Mopeds, Cows, Vendors, at last after half an hour able to escape from the fair and reached hotel. At night took a decent dinner and gone to bed.

Continued