Badami Cave – 2: Ceiling carved with a maze of swastika patterns

Swastika patterns and the Samudra Manthana frieze carved on the celing of Cave - 2 located at Badami in Karnataka, India

Swastika patterns and the Samudra Manthana frieze

Swastika patterns and the Samudra Manthana frieze
The recessed stone ceiling shown in the image is part of the mukhamantapa (verandah) of Cave – 2, the second of the four rock-cut caves carved out of a soft sandstone hill near Badami in Karnataka, India.

As you can see from the image, the stone ceiling is carved with a maze-like pattern formed by four swastikas, and at the center of this pattern is a lotus medallion. The swastika symbol is sacred to religions originated in India, i.e., Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism, and are carved in many religious monuments in India and Southeast Asia. A similar pattern is found at the Durga Temple at Aihole. Check this page: Jālandhara carved with the swastika and lotus flower patterns.

The beam below this ceiling (at the far end of the image) is carved with a relief that depicts the Samudra Manthana story. Check the Angkor War Bas-Reliefs page for a detailed explanation of this story.

This is one of the two mukhamantapa ceilings carved with the swastika-like patterns, which flank another ceiling carved with a pattern depicting a cosmic pond, known as Matsya Chakra (Fish Wheel).

Cave – 2 Related Images
Facade and Entrance
– Mukhamantapa left wall: Varahavatara
– Mukhamantapa right wall: Vamanavatara
– Mukhamantapa ceiling: Matsya Chakra

Related Pages
Badami
Badami Cave – 1, Badami Cave – 2, Badami Cave – 3, Badami Cave – 4
Durga Temple at Aihole
Angkor Wat, Angkor Wat Bas-Reliefs

Copyright © 2019 – 2021 by YatrikaOne. All rights reserved.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Translate »

You cannot copy content of this page

%d bloggers like this: