Badami

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Badami ( Kannada: ಬದಾಮಿ Badami [ bʌd̪a ː mi] ) is a town in the Bagalkot District in the Indian state of Karnataka. It has about 26,000 inhabitants. Badami is located in the northern part of the Deccan Plateau. At the small town bordered to the east of the artificial Agastya Lake (also called Lake Bhutanatha ), which is surrounded by sandstone mountains. In the West, Badami goes into flat farmland.

The dynasty of the early Western Chalukyas made ​​Badami middle of the 6th century as their capital, and created by the end of the 6th to the 8th century significant cult caves and Freibautempel. The previous capital of the Chalukyas was Aihole, Pattadakal was the following. These places are, as is the fourth temple town Mahakuta apart just a few miles. They were giving example for the development of Indian temple building.

History

As documented in an inscription, Badami was founded under the name Vatapi 543 from the first great ruler of the Western Chalukya, Pulakeshin I, as the capital of the Chalukyas. One hundred years later, that is, from about 641-654, the city was following its conquest by Narasimhavarman I., under the rule of Pallava. Badami was ruled I. at this time of Vikramaditya. After the Chalukya Badami were able to conquer the city was taken 753/754 of the Rashtrakuta by Dantidurga. Until around the year 973 Vatapi was ruled by the Rashtrakuta. Only then found the Chalukya back to Badami.

The temples and caves

Especially in the early Chalukya reign many temples and caves were created to worship gods. Pulakeshin I. and Mangalesha are two known rulers, where some of the plants are owed ​​to as the Cave III of Badami. The style of the caves and temples provides information on the development of art and political contacts and influences from other regions. This is also about the artistic implications of the occupations Badamis by the South Indian Pallava and Rashtrakuta.

The partially existing inscriptions of the buildings contain information about the builders of the systems - so at the cave III of Badami. In Malegitti - Shivalaya temple an inscription on the east wall was installed, which is however not clear to decipher; in Jambulinga Temple, which was built by Vijayaditya and is located in the west of Badami, can be found on a door lintel another. The inscriptions contain information about the history of Badami, as well as the creation time of the structures.

The type and number of preserved buildings suggests a prosperous nation. The remains of the city walls also show the size of the city Vatapi as Badami was called in the Middle Ages to. However, the greatest insight into the religion, the lives of people and their rituals enter the temple.

Nordberg

On the northern mountain or on its flanks, a cave temple from the 6th century, and several free-standing temples are from the 7th century with clear influences of the South Indian Dravidian style.

• Lower Shivalaya Temple ( 650)

From this - standing on a terrace on the mountainside - Temple without platform or strong base zone, the sanctum is only obtained with a remarkable tower building in the South Indian Dravidian style. The multi-storey tower terminates in a central octagonal Haupt'kuppel ' with four smaller accompanying pavilions - a constellation which is based on the model of only a few years older Malegitti - Shivalaya Temple, whose repertoire in substantial parts turn in on two of the five Ratha shrines South Indian Mamallapuram can be returned. Despite the massive stones used and plates makes the building because of its multiple subdivisions in its overall image a quite elegant. The former - resting on slender octagonal pillars and probably originally flat-roofed - porch ( mandapa ) is only preserved fragmentarily, but makes a lighter impression than the porch of Malegitti - Shivalaya Temple. The Portalgewände is indeed multiply stepped, however, has little ornamental or figurative Bauzier. The temple interior is a round stone setting - probably a kind of Yoni; the associated Lingam is however disappeared.

• Upper Shivalaya Temple ( 630)

Also, the upper Shivalaya temple on the acropolis is preserved only in parts - the closed side porch is largely destroyed. After all, he stands on a platform that balances the side sloping terrain level and at the same time protects the temple from floods and freely moving animals. The roof structure above the sanctum is less steep, but more horizontally structured than in the lower Shivalaya temple; Accompanying pavilions within the square ' dome ' lacking. The outer wall is pierced by several Jali windows, including one in wheel shape; In addition, there are some figurative reliefs.

Near the temple are three upright rubble stone buildings that may have been designed as a granary.

• Malegitti Shivalaya Temple ( 600)

The temples dedicated to Shiva located on a terrace at the back of the North mountain, and can only be reached from the city. He stands on a plinth zone and consists of a narrow portico, whose flat roof rests on several massive pillars, one shot and the interior supported by several pillars porch and a sanctum. The heavily indented roof structure is in the lower part square, but terminates in a large octagonal dome appearance, which in turn is accompanied by smaller pavilions; Another small note domes are found in the corners of the wide -bearing building structure. On a pillar inside the temple there is an almost prehistoric -looking drawing of a standing person. The niches in the outer walls of the temple are decorated with figural reliefs ( dvarapalas, Ganas, figures of gods ). To Bauzier include window niches ( chandrasalas or kudus ) at two similarly designed cornices at the top socket and the lower roof area.

South Mountain

A cave complex with three Hindu caves and a Jain shrine is situated at the northern edge of the southern mountain; the cave temples carved out of hard work from the hard reddish sandstone. The lowest and the place closest to the cave is the cave I, the highest IV is cave is also located between the second and third cave is a smaller, unfinished cave or grotto. The cave is dedicated to Shiva I, II and III Vishnu the caves, the Cave IV is a Jain cave. The caves are attributed to the early western Chalukya art, but come from different centuries.

• Cave 1

The cave dates from the 6th / 7th Century and is dedicated to Shiva. On the walls of the porch ( mandapa ) there is a great relief of the 18 -armed Nataraja as God; Shiva stands on a decorated with lotus leaves podium and is accompanied by his mount ( vahana ), the Nandi bull and his son Ganesha. Other reliefs show Harihara, Ardhanarishvara and Parvati and Lakshmi, the consorts of the two main Hindu gods; also Nandi and Garuda - the mounts of the two gods - can be seen. The ceiling of the cave temple with a coiled serpent deity ( naga ) in the center is supported by massive pillars; in the small, increased lying and only accessible via a staircase Sanctum on the back wall is a lingam.

• Cave 2

The Cave 2 from the 7th century is dedicated to Vishnu and is supported by two stone guardian figures ( dvarapalas ) guarded; two reliefs with representations of his incarnations as Varaha and Vamana adorn the lobby. The decorated by a 16 -petalled and fish surrounded lotus flower ceiling of the main hall rests on ornate pillars. Also Swastika ornaments are seen.

• Cave 3

See cave III of Badami

• Cave 4

Cave 4 is a Jain place of worship with representations of various Tirthankaras, including the most famous: Adinath in Sanctum, Parsnath with snake hood and Bahubali / Gomateshvara with leafy tendrils on the legs and arms. The relief background and the accompanying figures are partially unfinished. The cave is dated to the 8th century.

Lake

Also on - accumulated by a dam - Bhutanatha Lake (also called Lake Agastya ) or can be found in the immediate vicinity several temples and smaller cave sanctuaries. The older Bhutanatha temple is built of massive stones and flagstones, has only a small roof-mounted and still probably dates from the 7th century; left and right of the entrance portal are two decorative panels as well as two massive, but repeatedly articulated piers. The younger Bhutanatha Temple is located right on the lake and has a towering, multi- tiered roof structure with a strikingly high capstone.

The Seetempeln includes the standing on the dam Dattatreya temple from the 12th century, in which - were worshiped together Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu - in the form of Dattatreya. Also interesting is a small, flat roofed shrine dating from the 6th century, whose back wall is cut out of the rock, and a beautiful relief of the god Vishnu is shown on the world serpent Shesha, which - is spanned by an arch in the form of a celestial vault - unusual for India. A small - totally unassuming from the outside - buddhist cave temple stands nearby.

Near the lake shore also run by the Archaeological Survey of India Archaeological Museum, which, inter alia, the - headless - figure of a female birth-giving goddess ( ' Lajja Gauri ') can be seen, showing that even in the Brahmanas influenced Hinduism place was for diverse - the popular belief that were found - deities.

City

Two medieval temples stand in the present town of Badami, including dating from the 12th century Yellama temple with a richly articulated in the utmost limit sanctum with a about it seamlessly adjoining tower building in the South Indian style with a final bill dome.