Cave Temples of Badami: Cave

Cave Temples of Badami- Masterpieces of Chalukya Temple Art

Carved out of a red sandstone hill overlooking the beautiful Agastya Lake, the four cave temples of Badami are great works of religious art and a showcase of Chalukya temple architecture. Because of their stunningly beautiful carvings – enhanced by the colorfulness and pleasant texture of the red sandstone – they stand out from the rest of the cave temples in India. Visiting them is a fascinating experience.

Built by the Badami Chalukyas between the 6th and 8th century CE, these rock-cut cave temples are the forerunners of the religious monuments built in Southern India. Besides these cave temples, Chalukyas built many freestanding temples in and around Badami. The dynasties that came after them continued this trend, and as a result, the temple building flourished. Hundreds of beautiful temples, big and small, dedicated to different gods and goddesses, now dot the landscape of Karnataka and the surrounding regions.

The rock-cut cave temples were constructed by meticulously carving out the stone material from the rock to create beautiful structures, sculptures, and sculptural reliefs. It is mind-boggling how the ancient Indians manage to carve such magnificent temples out of rocks without the aid of sophisticated machinery or tools.

Built next to each other and connected via stone staircases, the four cave temples are labeled Cave – 1, Cave -2, Cave – 3, and Cave – 4, based on the sequence of their approach from the main entrance to the temple complex. In other words, you would visit Cave – 1 first and Cave – 4 last.

The chronological order of their construction is not known because of the lack of inscriptions. Only Cave – 3 has inscription detailing its dating. Nevertheless, it is generally believed that they were excavated in the same sequence as their approach.

The rest of the page is about Cave – 1. Check the following pages for a detailed explanation of the other three caves:

Cave	Dedication	Reliefs
Cave – 2	Vishnu	Varahavatara, Vamanavatara
Cave – 3	Maha Vishnu	Maha Vishnu, Ashtabhuja Vishnu Varahavatara, Vamanavatara, Narasimhavatara
Cave – 4	Mahavira (Jain Temple)	Mahavira, Adinatha, Parshvanatha Bahubali, Mahavira with Jakkave

Cave – 1: Magnificent temple dedicated to Shiva

Dated to approximately to 550 CE, Cave – 1 is the first of the four rock-cut caves in the Badami hills. It is a mantapa-style temple dedicated to Shiva. Visitors first enter the courtyard of the temple through a flight of steps and then ascend a second flight of steps to enter the interior of the temple.

Entrance to Cave - 1 located at Badami in Karnataka, India — Facade and Entrance

Ground plan of Cave - 1, the first of the four rock-cut caves located near Badami in Karnataka, India — Ground plan

Excavated from the massive red sandstone boulder at 60 feet above ground level, Cave – 1 has an impressive rectangular façade measuring approximately 70 ft x 20 ft. As seen in the image, the façade is supported by four pillars and approached by a flight of steps. Flanking the façade on either side are two life-size sculptural reliefs, carved into the walls that extend from the façade.

The garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum) is a small chamber housing the Shivalinga that was carved out of the stone at the rear-side of the cave. Like any traditional mantapa-style temple, there is a sabhamantapa (congregation hall) in front of the garbhagriha and a mukhamantapa (verandah) in front of the sabhamantapa.

The façade shows the pillars of the mukhamantapa and the staircase leading to it. Inside the mukhamantapa and sabhamantapa, there are more pillars embellished with beautiful carvings. Extending the facade on the right and left are the walls carved with beautiful sculptural reliefs, which are described below.

Nataraja performing Tandava Nritya

Carved into the right side extension, this large-size sculptural relief depicts Nataraja (Dancing King), a form of Shiva, performing the Tandava Nritya, a vigorous cosmic dance of creation, preservation, and destruction.

Shiva portrayed as Nataraja carved on the right side of Cave - 1, the first of the four of rock-cut caves of Badami, Karnataka, India — Nataraja carved into a wall on the right side of the Cave – 1 facade

Nataraja in this image is standing with an elegant dancing pose on a lotus flower pedestal, and his 18 hands carry a variety of objects, including a trishula (trident) and an ax. His vehicle Nandi is standing behind him, and his son Ganesha is standing to his left. An unidentified figure is seated behind Ganesha.

Dwarapala with Shiva-Parvati and Vrishabha-Kunjara

Carved into the left-side extension, this relief depicts the dwarapala (door-keeper) of Shiva. The dwarapala is holding a trishula (trident) with his right hand. Carved below the dwarapala is Vrishabha-Kunjara (Bull-Elephant), an illusionary sculpture with a single head joined by the torsos of the bull and elephant. It looks like an elephant from one side and a bull from the other side. Carved above the dwarapala is a relief of Shiva and Parvati seated on Nandi, Shiva’s vehicle.

To the right of dwarapala are the pillars of the mukhamantapa and to the left are the flights of steps to Cave – 2.

Mukhamantapa – Richly decorated porch

As mentioned, the mukhamantapa is the front porch of the cave temple. It is ornate with beautifully carved reliefs on the lateral walls and the ceiling, which are described below.

Ardhanarishvara – Fusion of Shiva and Parvati

Sculptural relief depicting the story of Ardhanarishvara and sage Bhringi carved on the right side wall of the mukha mantapa in Cave - 1 located at Badami, Karnataka, India — Ardhanarishvara and sage Bhringi carved on the right side wall of the mukhamantapa

Carved into the right-side wall of the mukhamantapa, this narrative sculptural relief depicts the story of Ardhanarisvara, a manifestation of Shiva as half man and half woman.

In this relief, Ardhanarishvara, who has man-like features on the right half and woman-like features on the left half, is standing with an elegant Tribhanga stance (i.e., body bent in three places, neck, waist, and knee).

While appearing to play a musical instrument, Ardhanarishvara is gently leaning on his vehicle Nandi. Standing with the folded hands (i.e., namaste gesture) behind Nandi is Bhringi, a sage with three legs who appears like a skeleton. Standing to the left of Ardhanarishvara is an unidentified female figure carrying a bowl with her left hand. Flying above Ardhanarishvara are the Vidyadhara couples.

Read the Ardhanarishvara with Sage Bhringi page for a brief explanation of the story behind Shiva’s manifestation of Ardhanarishvara .

Harihara – Fusion of Shiva and Vishnu

Sculptural relief depicting fusion of Shiva and Vishnu as Harihara carved on the left side wall of the mukha mantapa in Cave - 1 located at Badami, Karnataka, India — Fusion of Shiva and Vishnu as Harihara

Situated on the left lateral wall of the mukhamantapa, this beautifully carved relief depicts Harihara, a symbolical fusion Vishnu and Shiva, two principal deities of the Hindu Trinity.

This composite form is created by combining half the features of Shiva and half those of Vishnu. As a result of this fusion, Harihara is revered by followers of both the Shaiva and Vaishnava traditions

As seen in the image, Harihara is carved with Shiva’s features on the left side and Vishnu’s features on the right side. Shiva’s consort Parvati and his mount Nandi stand beside the Shiva half, while Vishnu’s consort Lakshmi and his mount Garuda appear on the Vishnu half, reinforcing the dual identity of the deity.

A stunningly beautiful sculpture depicting Harihara can be found in one of the devakoshtas of the Durga Temple at Aihole, about 22 miles east of Badami. Like the Badami cave temples, this free-standing temple was built by the Badami Chalukyas and is richly adorned with sculptures and reliefs of comparable artistic excellence.

Coiled Nagaraja

This intricately carved relief depicts Nagaraja, the mythical king of serpents, with multiple serpent heads and a human head above a torso extending into a spiraling serpent body.

As seen here, the Nagaraja has five serpent heads surrounding his human head. His coiled serpent body—gradually tapering as it spirals outward—fits harmoniously within a finely engraved wheel. Enclosing the wheel is a square panel richly decorated with flower-like patterns.

A similar relief is found on the ceiling of the mukhamantapa of the Durga Temple at Aihole.

Garbhagriha with Shivalinga

An interior view showing the garbhagriha entrance and pillars — An inside view showing the garbhagriha entrance and pillars

Shivalinga inside the Garbhagriha of Cave - 1 located at Badami in Karnataka, India — Shivalinga inside the garbhagriha

The image shows the interior of Cave – 1. At the far end is the entrance to the garbhagriha and a flight of steps leading to it. The Shivalinga is not installed as a separate unit but carved out of the rock when the garbhagriha was built.

Notice that the shivalinga rests on a square-shaped yoni, an uncommon feature, as most shivalingas in Indian temples are set on oval-shaped yonis.

Proceed to Cave -2 …

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Cave Temples of Badami: Cave – 1