Skip to main content

Featured Post

Odisha Part 11: Discovering the Jaina Heritage of Odisha at the caves of Udaygiri and Khandgiri

The Hindu and Buddhist history of Odisha , or rather, ancient Kalinga, is rather well known to everyone. Who hasn’t heard of the grand temples of Odisha – Puri, Lingaraj and Konark, or the great war of Kalinga which inspired Ashoka to convert to Buddhism? In contrast, very few know of the Jaina heritage of this region. This is quite a pity, since, just around 7 km from the city, is one of India’s most ancient inscriptions, which throws light on the Jaina heritage of Odisha. This inscription is the Hathigumpha inscription of Kharavela, in the hills of Udaygiri. Udaygiri and Khandgiri are two hills located opposite each other, and both are testaments to the rich Jaina heritage of Odisha. The caves at Udaygiri are older, while Khandgiri is relatively newer, but has lasted much longer, and continues to be a place of pilgrimage for Jains even today. These hills, from inscriptions and excavations of caves, shrines and rock beds, appear to have been a haven for Jaina monks, right from the ...
1 comment

Skywatch Friday - Images from Badami


Badami was the capital of the early Chalukyas, from the 6th to the 8th century AD. The city was then known as Vatapi.

The name came from the legend of Sage Agasthya who destroyed the demons Vatapi and Ilvala here. As the story goes, Vatapi and Ilvala were demon brothers. Vatapi had a boon from the gods that no matter how many pieces his body was cut into, when called, they would join and he would be whole and alive. Taking advantage of this, the brothers tricked all sages who passed by their region. They would invite them for a feast, an invitation which could not be refused. Then Vatapi would turn into a ram and Ilvala would cut him up and serve him to the guests (in those days, even sages ate meat).
Once the sage had eaten, Ilvala would call out to his brother, and Vatapi would emerge from the bowels of the sage, whole, killing the sage in the process. When the sage Agasthya arrived on the scene, they tried the same trick on him. However, Agasthya was among the greatest of sages and could not be tricked. As soon as he completed his meal, he rubbed his full stomach and said, “Vatapi, be digested!” at which command, the individual pieces of Vatapi were at once digested, and no longer remained free to re-join! Ilvala as usual called out to Vatapi again and again but to no avail. The sage got angry when Ilvala tried to attack him, and killed him easily. It is believed that the huge rocks which make up the mountains around city are the remains of the two demons. The lake amidst the mountains is believed to have been created by the sage, and is named after him as Agasthya Lake, or Agasthya Teertha.

The modern name for the city, Badami, is believed to come from the rocky red sandstone outcrop which surrounds the city…. The red colour resembles that of almonds (badam).

Here are some of my images of Badami....

The mountains, the lake and the city



From the other side..

View of the city from the abandoned and ruined fort!


The placid waters of Lake Agasthya

another view of the lake.. against the backdrop of the forests which have disappeared due to mining
For more beautiful images from around the world, go to the Sky Watch Page


Badami Factfile
  • Location: Badami is located in Karnataka, 30 Kms from Bagalkot and 589 Km from Bangalore
  • Nearest Airport: Belgaum, 190 Km
  • Nearest Railway station: Hubli, 100 Km
  • Accomodation: There are plenty of options for staying in Badami, but most of them are lodges and low to medium end hotels. The best is certainly the Karnataka Tourism hotel Maurya Chalukya
  • Around Badami:    
    • Bijapur – 125 Km
    • Aihole – 46 Km
    • Pattadakkal – 29 Km
    • Hospet – 190 Km



Labels:

Comments

  1. Beertje ZonnAugust 26, 2011 at 12:25 PM

    Very nice Photos

    Beertje Zonn

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beertje ZonnAugust 26, 2011 at 12:26 PM

    Very nice photos

    Beertje Zonn

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anu ShankarAugust 26, 2011 at 12:35 PM

    Thanks a lot Beertje!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Rniranjan_dasAugust 26, 2011 at 12:36 PM

    Lovely captures.

    www.rajniranjandas.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anu ShankarAugust 26, 2011 at 2:16 PM

    Thanks!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mridula DAugust 26, 2011 at 3:41 PM

    Beautiful place and beautiful pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  7. VinniAugust 26, 2011 at 5:56 PM

    Interesting post and nice shots, would love to visit Badami

    ReplyDelete
  8. teamgsquareAugust 26, 2011 at 9:12 PM

    great pics

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anu ShankarAugust 26, 2011 at 9:20 PM

    Thanks Mridula!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anu ShankarAugust 26, 2011 at 9:20 PM

    Thanks Vinay! Its a beautiful place! am sure u will love it!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anu ShankarAugust 26, 2011 at 9:21 PM

    thanks!!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. arabesqueAugust 27, 2011 at 9:08 AM

    these fotos are quite stunning.
    i never knew there was this interesting place hidden in India.
    hopefully, my feet could take me there sometime. ^0^

    ReplyDelete
  13. Sridharan SrinivasanAugust 27, 2011 at 12:59 PM

    Great view..I would love to be there with my camera..! Nice captures Anu..!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anu ShankarAugust 27, 2011 at 3:17 PM

    Thanks a lot! I hope you get to come and see them sometime!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anu ShankarAugust 27, 2011 at 3:18 PM

    you would love the place, Sridharan! go sometime!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Shrinidhi HandeAugust 28, 2011 at 5:52 AM

    was in Badami during childhood. Have no photos.. seeing yous and Arun Bhat's photos, feeling the need to revisit

    ReplyDelete
  17. SudhageeAugust 28, 2011 at 1:56 PM

    I visited Badami last year around this time. Your post and photos brought back wonderful memories. Looking forward to reading the detailed travelogue. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anu ShankarAugust 28, 2011 at 2:20 PM

    Thanks Srinidhi..... Arun's photos were what inspired me to combine Badami with my Hampi trip! I couldnt possibly go all that way and come back without visiting such a wonderful place!! you should go soon!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anu ShankarAugust 28, 2011 at 2:20 PM

    Thanks Sudha!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Tatjana ParkachevaAugust 28, 2011 at 10:02 PM

    Nice photos.

    Regards!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Derebail2008August 29, 2011 at 7:00 AM

    Badami is world class destination, if one gets to stay, than it is worth it.  Did you reach Badami while it was raining photos are little dull

    ReplyDelete
  22. NonaAugust 29, 2011 at 9:58 AM

    Nice pictures

    ReplyDelete
  23. ArtiAugust 29, 2011 at 11:38 AM

     Beautiful place! Interesting story, and the captures are terrific!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anu ShankarAugust 30, 2011 at 9:06 AM

    Thanks Tatjana!!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anu ShankarAugust 30, 2011 at 9:06 AM

    No Umesh! it was terribly hot, which is why the glare makes the photos appear dull!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Anu ShankarAugust 30, 2011 at 9:07 AM

    Thanks Nona!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anu ShankarAugust 30, 2011 at 9:07 AM

    Thanks Arti! you would love the place!

    ReplyDelete
  28. RajeshAugust 30, 2011 at 3:33 PM

    Awesome images.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Anu ShankarSeptember 1, 2011 at 2:59 PM

    Thanks Rajesh!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks so much for stopping by. Please leave a comment for me so that I will know you have been here....

Popular posts from this blog

Gokarna Part II – The Five Lingams

We continued our Gokarna trip by visiting four other Shiva temples in the vicinity, all connected to the same story of Gokarna. The story of Gokarna mentions the Mahabaleshwara Lingam as the one brought from Kailas by Ravana, and kept at this place on the ground by Ganesha. (See my earlier post- Gokarna – Pilgrimage and Pleasure). However, the story does not end here. It is believed that, in his anger, Ravana flung aside the materials which covered the lingam- the casket, its lid, the string around the lingam, and the cloth covering it. All these items became lingams as soon as they touched the ground. These four lingams, along with the main Mahabaleshwara lingam are collectively called the ‘ Panchalingams’ . These are: Mahabaleshwara – the main lingam Sajjeshwar – the casket carrying the lingam. This temple is about 35 Kms from Karwar, and is a 2 hour drive from Gokarna. Dhareshwar – the string covering the lingam. This temple is on NH17, about 45 Kms south of Gokarna. Gunavanteshw...
10 comments
Read more

Newasa - Encountering an unique form of Vishnu, and Sant Jnaneshwar

The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...
9 comments
Read more

Review of Executive Lounges at New Delhi Railway Station (NDLS)

During my recent trip to Uttarakhand , I was faced with a problem I had never encountered before. We were passing through Delhi, but we had hardly any time in the city. On earlier visits when I have had to change trains/flights at Delhi, I have always arrived in the morning and left again at night, visiting relatives in between. This time, I was arriving in the city at night, and leaving again early in the morning. There was hardly any time to visit people. I would only have a couple of hours with them before I’d have to leave again. For the first time, we considered booking a hotel, but there again, we were hesitant about the actual hotels, the costs involved, and the logistics of getting from the airport to the railway station and then back again from the station to the airport.  That’s when we remembered reading something about a corporate-managed lounge at Delhi station. We soon figured out that we could book online and pay by the hour. Besides, we also learnt that there wasn’...
2 comments
Read more