Over awed by the ostensible grandeur of the Vijayanagar Empire we drove to Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal. These pre-dated the Vijayanagara kingdom and was ruled by the Chalukyas from the 6th to 8th century BC. The Puranas state the wicked asura Vatapi was killed by sage Agastya, and it refers to this area as Vatapi and Agastya Tirtha. In the Ramayana, Agastya and Lopamudra are described as living in Dandaka forest, on the southern slopes of Vindhya mountains. He is described as the sage who used his powers to kill demons Vatapi and Ilwala after they had jointly misled and destroyed 9,000 men. The Badami caves complex is part of a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site candidate under the title “Evolution of Temple Architecture – Aihole-Badami-Pattadakal” in the Malaprabha river valley, considered a cradle of temple architecture that formed the model for later Hindu temples in the region.
28th Dec 2018Travel Sights
