Badami is a historical place that is located in the Bagalkot (30kms from Baglkot) district of the Karnataka State. It is known for rock cut cave temples belonging to the era of Chalukya Kings in the Indian history. It is a milestone in the history of Dravidian architecture. You can reach Badami by road and railways. You can reach via Baglkot, Hubli (130kms), Bangalore (500kms), Bijapur (128kms) or from Belgaum (150kms). People visiting Badami also visit Pattadkal and Aihole which also are major tourist spots nearby. Nearest airport is Hubli. But, Hubli has limited flights towards major cities of India. Temperature of Badami ranges from 45 degrees in summer to 15 degrees in winter.
About Badami: Badami was the capital of Chalukya rulers around 6th to 8th century AD. It was known as Vatapi earlier. The place is connected to Indian mythology, with the story of Agastya and the demon king Vatapi. Badami reached the heights of its glory during the rule of Pulakeshi II. Badami is known for rock cut temples. So, it is obvious that you would visit the cave temples. They are built in red sand stone. This cave complex consists of Hindu, Jain and the Buddhist caves. Cave no 1 belongs to Lord Shiva. Second cave is of Vishnu, 3rd one is dedicated to again to Vishnu and the fourth one is a Jain cave. There is a Buddhist cave having a very narrow entrance that visitors will have to crawl into the cave. Visit Bhutanatha temple complex that is situated on a lakeside. The name of the lake is Agasthya Lake. There is a fort in Badami which is on the top of a hill. There is a museum on the way to the fort. There are some old temples to visit such as Dattatreya temple, Malgetti Shiva temple and the Mallikarjuna temple in Badami. You can get out from Badami towards Pattadkal which is 22kms far from Badami. From Pattadkal you can visit another nearby historical place called Aihole (10kms from Pattadkal and 46kms from Badami). So, visit Badami, Pattadkal and Aihole in a package. Badami has steep rock hills. So, one can try rock climbing there.
