Pattadakal, World Heritage Site

Pattadakal, a small town in Bagalkot district of Karnataka, is included in the World Heritage Site list for its small cluster of temples. There are just ten of them, and the architectural styles of these temples are a mix of North Indian and the Dravidian styles. A Jain temple too is included; it is situated slightly away from this main cluster of temples. Pattadakal was the capital of the Chalukya dynasty of Southern India, the temples here were built in the seventh and eighth centuries.

Wiki mentions: Aihole is considered a School of Architecture, Badami a Degree College, and The University of Architecture is Pattadakal. Seeing the sculpted statues and temples at all the three places, I was awe struck. No machine of today’s world can re-sculpt the stones here with same beauty and grace. The devotion that must have gone in to carve out the emotions in these stones is unfathomable… all with hands holding just a hammer and a chisel.


Each of the nine temples in the complex has its own importance and uniqueness. The above shot is of Kashi Vishveshwara Temple. The main temple at Pattadakal, the Virupaksha temple was constructed by Queen Lokamahadevi (Trilokyamahadevi) in 745AD to commemorate her husband's victory (Vikramaditya II) over the Pallavas of Kanchi.



Rich imagination and the delicate details, so well etched in each of the temples. Not just Gods, the demi-gods, human figures, narratives from the epics and the Bhagavatha can be seen. Pattadakal is where the early Chalukyan Kings were crowned and also is the center where experimentation in Temple construction carried out.



Pattadakal is 22kms from Badami and 10kms from Aihole. All the three places can be covered in a single day and it will be a wiser decision to spend more time at Aihole. A setting sun would provide an ideal back drop to take the shots of the temples there.

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The Cave Temples of Badami

Badami is a small rural town of Bagalkot district, Karnataka. When I saw the crowded narrow lanes of this town for the first time, I was finding it hard to comprehend the beautiful rock cut cave temples belonged to this place. Just a few kilometer’s drive from the main bus stand we were at the foot hills of red sand stone mountains and looking up we saw the caves, dug in a series across the mountain.

Just four caves, small ones, unlike the 27 carved caves of Ajanta in Maharashtra. Three of these caves are dedicated to Hindu Gods, the fourth one dedicated to the Jains. These cave temples date back to 6th and 7th centuries and are not UNESCO World Heritage site, though the ASI is trying hard to get these monuments in the list. All of them are very well maintained and protected. The sculpted statues haven’t lost their charm even after so many centuries.

18 armed Nataraja, the manifestation of Lord Shiva erected in 81imposing poses.


Ardhanareshwari in the second cave. If you notice the image carefully you will see the rounded form in the left half of the body.


The third cave has Lord Vishnu in many forms. Vishnu as man-lion, Vishnu as Trivikarma conquering Earth with one leg and rules the sky with other foot.



The fourth cave had the carvings of Mahavira and the 24 Tirthankaras of Jains.


The sight of the finest Chalukyan style of Architecture here makes the visit most rewarding.

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Aihole, Bagalkot Karnataka

Aihole, is located in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka. It has a cluster of temples, beautifully carved dating back to the 6th century. When I say cluster, it is not 10 or 20 but 120 to 130 temples scattered in a rocky land of 7kms radius. Each temple has a unique architecture. We spent more than 3 hours scouring the temple for the visual delights.

The Durga temple near the entrance to the main temple complex has a ‘U’ shaped structure, thought to imitate the Buddhist chaitya halls. And we were told this is the temple which inspired the architectural plans of India’s parliament building. An elaborately decorated building, Goddess Durga is not worshipped here, the name Durga comes from ‘Durgadagudi’ meaning the temple near the fort.



The other important temple in this complex is the Lad Khan temple. It is the oldest temple of Aihole dating back to 5th century. We were surprised by the Muslim name to the Hindu temple. The guide then told us that it actually was a royal assembly hall where Pulakeshan I had performed the horse sacrifice and later used for religious functions also. A Muslim official ‘Lad Khan’ used the building as his residence, since then the building got this name.

There are many other temples scattered around. Some of them hardly had any demarcation from the local houses. The archeological Survey of India has done some restoration work to some of the buildings. Aihole has the potential to be included as a UNSECO World heritage site.



Hubli Airport is the closest airport. The nearest railheads are at Bagalkot and Badami. Aihole is connected by road with Pattadakkal (19 km), Badami and Bangalore.
Best time to visit is from October to February.

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Premier Book Shop

For today’s My World post, I wish to present a World that was mine, but not any more now. A book shop, here in Bangalore: The Premier Bookshop. It doesn’t exist any more and I miss it terribly. The shop doesn’t have any great ambiance as is there in some of the modern bookstores in the city. It is cramped up and books stacked up in every possible corner. But ask Shanbag, the proprietor of the shop for any book, and he will immediately be able to locate it in that chaos of books.


The shop existed for 37 years and in Feb’09, the shop closed down. Some of my friends have spent hours standing there reading expensive books, those not affordable, preparing for exams and Shanbag was the last person to object. A straight 20% discount was given on all books,, which is unimaginable in any other book shops. Shanbag admitted, “I know its upsetting to close the place down and many of my customers are upset as well,” then he added, “But what I can do? I do not have a choice.”


I did make a last visit in the last week of January '09 and had taken these shots then, in between making the final purchases from that shop. When I asked him what he intended to next,he smiled and replied he wanted to spend some time with his daughter in Australia. Bangalore is expanding at a fast rate, all old buildings are being pulled down, and the city is getting a face lift…well, all these at the cost of favorite old haunts.

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Bahubali At Shravanabelagola

A couple of weeks back we were at Shravanabelagola, 158kms from Bangalore. It is a religious spot, a Jain pilgrimage centre. The place is famous for 58ft. 8in.tall colossal statue of Bahubali. One has to climb 620 steps to reach the top of the hill.The huge statue of Bahubali and the view around is stunning.


The story of why and how such a statue got built here goes like this:

Bhagwaan Rishabh Dev the first Tirthankar of Jains had two sons, Bharat and Bahubali. When Rishabh Dev renounced all worldly desires, he passed on his kingdom to his sons. However Bharat was more demanding and desired that Bahubali should concede his share, so that he could become the supreme ruler of the world. Bahubali refused, but before their armies attacked each other, their intelligent ministers suggested that both of them should engage in hand to hand combat to avoid unnecessary bloodshed of the soldiers. (I wish today’s world leaders took a lesson from this.)



There were a series of duels, like the water duel where he brothers stood in knee deep water and sprayed water on each other, the sight duel when they had to stand in sun and stare at each other. The one who blinked first lost. Bharat was constantly losing the duels. In the final round of wrestling Bahubali picked up Bharat, whirling him around in the air, he was about to throw Bharat down.

Just that moment a thought crossed his mind, "Such pride is false. What good is being a king or a supreme ruler of the world? Such desires are endless. Fulfillment of such desires cannot lead to peace of mind." He gently put his brother down on his feet. He renounced his kingdom and setout to seek true happiness. He spent many years in meditation and penance. According to legend, he stood meditating for such a long time that anthills formed on the ground where he stood, snakes lay coiled at is feet, and creepers grew around them.


Chamundrai, the prime minister of King Rachmalla II of Ganga dynasty, built a colossal statue of Bhagwaan Bahubali. It was consecrated under the guidance of the great Acharya Nemi Chandra Siddhant Chakravarti in 981 A.D.

I will not add my thoughts here, certain experiences are silencing!