Badami

The main attractions of Badami are its caves. There are four main caves. The first one, dedicated to Shiva, was excavated by the Chalukyas in 550 AD. The second one is dedicated to Vishnu. In this cave there are statues of Vishnu avatars like Varaha, the boar or Krishna. The third cave is also dedicated to Vishnu and the last one is a cave with Jain representations.

A cluster of sandstone shrines dedicated to the deity Bhutanatha, built between the 7th and 11th century CE.

Contains sculptures of various era from the region. To the left of it starts the footpath going up 300 stairs leading to the Lower and Upper Shivalayas.

When facing the museum, walk through the gate on your left and follow the path up the 300 stairs or so. You will pass by the Lower Shivalaya, a canon platform, the granary and will eventually arrive at the top of the plateau, where you will see the ruins of the three granaries and the Upper Shivalaya. Great point for watching the sun set over Badami. Get down in time, as the metal gate to the museum will be locked at 6PM.

This temple is the oldest one of the town. It is built on a flat rock and offers a nice view on Badami. The gate towards the footpath may be closed, though, and it is not accessible from the other Shivalaya temples.

With all the cliffs surrounding the town, Badami is a nice spot for climbing, not least since the sandstone is flattering to the hands. There are three big sectors (from north to south Ganesh Plateau, Deluxe Area and Temple Area with more than 30 or 40 routes each, as well as four smaller ones containing between 6 and 19 lines. While Temple contains routes around 20m, Deluxe and Ganesh go as high as 26 m. Kannaragavi even has some multipitch routes (38m). Equipment (rope, quickdraws, chalk, helmet, carabiners) can be hired at Rock Climbing Badami, however make sure the rope is still in good condition before you take it.