Badami cave temples
The Badami cave temples are a complex of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain cave temples located in Badami, a town in the Bagalkot district in northern part of Karnataka, India. The caves are important examples of Indian rock-cut architecture, especially Badami Chalukya architecture, and the earliest date from the 6th century. Badami is a modern name and was previously known as "Vataapi", the capital of the early Chalukya dynasty, which ruled much of Karnataka from the 6th to the 8th century. Badami is situated on the west bank of a man-made lake ringed by an earthen wall with stone steps; it is surrounded on the north and south by forts built during Early Chalukya and in later times.
The Badami cave temples represent some of the earliest known examples of Hindu temples in the Deccan region. They along with the temples in Aihole transformed the Mallaprabha River valley into a cradle of temple architecture that influenced the components of later Hindu temples elsewhere in India.
The 4 caves are all in the escarpment of the hill in soft Badami sandstone formation, to the south-east of the town. In Cave 1, among various sculptures of Hindu divinities and themes, a prominent carving is of the dancing Shiva as Nataraja. Cave 2 is mostly similar to Cave 1 in terms of its layout and dimensions, featuring Hindu subjects of which the Hari Hara, Ardhanari shiva, Mahishamardini, Dwi Bahu Ganesha and Skanda in a separate antichamber on extended cave at western side-next to great Nataraja sculpture. Cave 2 has premier images of relief of Vishnu as Trivikrama is the largest. The largest cave is Cave 3, featuring Vishnu as Ananta seated on coiled serpent, Varaha with Bhudevi, Harihara, Narasimha in standing posture, great image of Trivikrama and Virata Vishnu. The cave has fine carvings exhibiting matured stage of Karnataka ancient art. Cave 4 is dedicated to revered figures of Jainism. Around the lake, Badami has additional caves of which one may be a Buddhist cave. Another Cave like gallery known as Arali Tirtha has around twenty seven carvings.
Geography
The Badami cave temples are located in the town of Badami in the north-central part of Karnataka, India. The temples are about east of Belagavi, and northwest of Hampi. The Malaprabha River is away. The cave temples are from the UNESCO World Heritage Site Pattadakal, and from Aihole – another site with over a hundred ancient and early-medieval-era Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist monuments.Badami, also referred to as Vatapi, Vatapipura, Vatapinagari and Agastya Tirtha in historical texts, the capital of Chalukya dynasty in the 6th century, is at the exit point of a ravine between two steep mountain cliffs. Four cave temples in the escarpment of the hill to the south-east of the town were carved into the cliff's monolithic stone face. The escarpment is above a man-made lake called Agastya Teertha, created by an earthen dam faced with stone steps. To the west end of this cliff, at its lowest point, is the first cave temple. The largest and highest cave is Cave 3, which is further to the east on the northern face of the hill. The fourth cave, Cave 4, is a few steps down further east.
History
The cave temples, numbered 1 to 4 in the order of their creation, in the town of Badamithe capital city of the Chalukya kingdom are dated from the late 6th century onwards. The exact dating is known only for Cave 3, which is a temple dedicated to Vishnu. An inscription found here records the dedication of the shrine by Mangalesha in Saka 500. The inscription, written in the old Kannada language, has enabled the dating of these rock cave temples to the 6th century. This makes the cave the oldest firmly-dated Hindu cave temple in India.The Badami Caves complex is part of a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site candidate under the title "Evolution of Temple ArchitectureAihole-Badami-Pattadakal" in the Malaprabha river valley, considered a cradle of temple architecture that formed the model for later Hindu temples in the region. The artwork in Caves 1 and 2 exhibit the northern Deccan style of the 6th and 7th centuries, while those in Cave 3 simultaneously represent two ancient Indian artistic traditions; the northern Nagara and the southern Dravida styles. Cave 3 also shows icons and reliefs in the so-called Vesara style, a fusion of ideas from the two styles, as well as some of the earliest surviving historical examples in Karnataka of yantra-chakra motifs and colored fresco paintings. The first three caves feature sculptures of Hindu icons and legends focusing on Shiva and Vishnu, while Cave 4 features Jain icons and themes.
Temple caves
The Badami cave temples are carved out of soft Badami sandstone on a hill cliff. The plan of each of the four caves includes an entrance with a verandah supported by stone columns and brackets, a distinctive feature of these caves, leading to a columned mantapa, or main hall, and then to the small, square shrine cut deep inside the cave. The cave temples are linked by a stepped path with intermediate terraces overlooking the town and lake. The cave temples are labelled 1–4 in their ascending series; this numbering does not reflect the sequence of excavation.The architecture includes structures built in the Nagara and Dravidian styles, which is the first and most persistent architectural idiom to be adopted by the early chalukyas.
Cave 1
Cave 1 is about above ground level on the north-west part of the hill. Access is through a series of steps that depict carvings of dwarfish ganas in different postures as if they hold the cave floor. The verandah, with an inner measurement of by, has five columns sculpted with reliefs of flower garlands, foliage and jewelry.Nataraja Carving
The cave portrays the Tandava-dancing Shiva as Nataraja on the rock face to the right of entrance and also part of Gandharveda. The image, tall, has 18 arms in a form that expresses the dance position arranged in a geometric pattern, which Alice Bonera Swiss art historian and Indologist, states is a time division symbolizing the cosmic wheel. The eighteen arms express Natya mudras, with some holding objects such as drums, a flame torch, a serpent, a trident and an axe. Shiva has his son Ganesha and the bull Nandi by his side. Adjoining the Nataraja, the wall depicts the goddess Durga of Shaktism tradition slaying the buffalo-demon Mahishasura. The sculptors had excellent knowledge of the natya mudras of Bharatanatya, because there is no chance to correct any errors and it has to be perfectly carved at the first place otherwise the entire cave has to be abandoned.
Mahisasura Mardini Carving
On the right side of the Nataraja carving is a carving of Mahishasura mardini with Chaturbhuja. The sculpture depicts the killing of the demon Mahishasura by Durga. Mahishasura was the son of Mahisi and great grandson of Bhahmarishi Kashyapa.
On the left of the entrance is a two-handed Shaiva dvarapala who holds a trident, and below him is a bull-elephant fused image where they share a head; seen from left it is an elephant and from right a bull.
Harihara Carving
Inside the veranda, the cave presents a carved sculpture of Harihara, a high sculpture of a fused image that is half-Shiva and half-Vishnu. He is flanked by the goddesses Parvati and Lakshmi on each side.
Ardhanareshwara Carving
To the right, toward the end of the wall, is a relief sculpture of Ardhanarishvara, a fused image of Shiva and his consort Parvati. One half of the image has Shiva with a moon on his mukuta, snakes in his hands, earrings and next to the half that represents Parvati is an attendant carrying a tray of jewels. Next to the Ardhanarishvara half that represents Shiva is Nandi the bull, and skeletal Bhringi, a devotee of Shiva. The Bhringi sadhu carvings shows the advance knowledge of anatomy for the whole body which includes the Skulls, Ribs, bones on hands and legs.
The carvings of Ardhanareshwara and Harihara were carefully built with a vision by the Chalukya kings delivering message to the Chalukya citizens about the equal rights for men and women in the society and need to mutually respect each other. There is no great male and no great female.
Inside this cave, the sons of Shiva, Ganesha and Kartikeya, the god of war and family deity of the Chalukya dynasty, are seen in one of the carved sculptures on the walls of the cave, with Kartikeya riding a peacock. The roof of the cave has five carved panels with the central panel depicting the Nagaraja, with flying couples on both sides. The head and bust are well formed and project from the centre of the coil. In another compartment a bas-relief in diameter has carvings of a male and female; the male is Yaksha carrying a sword and the female is Apsara with a flying veil. The succeeding panel has carvings of two small figures and the panel at the end is carved with lotuses.
All the figures are adorned with carved ornaments and surrounded by borders with reliefs of animals and birds. The lotus design is a common theme. On the ceiling are images of the Vidyadhara couples as well as couples in courtship and erotic Mithuna scenes. Through a cleft in the back wall of the cave is a square sanctuary with more carved images. In the mantapa is a seated Nandi facing the garbha ghruha containing a Shiva linga.
Cave 2
Cave 2 is above and to the east of Cave1 and faces north. It was created in late 6th or early 7th century. It is smaller than Cave1, somewhat similar in terms of its floor plan, but it is dedicated primarily to Vishnu. Cave2 is reached by climbing 64 steps from the first cave. The cave entrance is a verandah divided by four square pillars with ends as half pillars, all carved out of the monolithic stone face. The pillars have decorative carvings with frieze of ganas with various facial expressions. On the two sides of the entrance are standing dvarapalas holding flowers, not weapons. Like Cave1, Cave 2 art reflects Hindu theology and arts.The largest relief in Cave 2 depicts the legend of Vishnu in his Trivikrama form, taking one of the three steps. Below the raised step is a frieze showing the legend of Vamana dwarf avatar of Vishnu, before he morphs into the Trivikrama form. Another major relief shows the legend of Vishnu in his Varaha avatar rescuing goddess earth from the depths of cosmic ocean, with a penitent multi-headed snake below. Like other major murti in this and other Badami caves, the Varaha artwork is set in a circle and symmetrically laid out; according to Alice Boner, the panel is an upright rectangle whose "height is equal to the octopartite directing circle and sides are aligned to essential geometric ratios, in this case to the second vertical chord of the circle". The walls and ceiling have traces of colored paint, suggesting the cave used to have fresco paintings.
Inside the temple are friezes showing stories from Hindu texts such as the Bhagavata Purana. These show the legend of cosmic ocean churning and Krishna's birth and flute playing indicating the theological and cultural significance of these in 7th century India. The ceiling and door head carvings show Gajalakshmi, the swastika symbols, flying couples, Brahma, Vishnu asleep on Shesha and others.
The ceiling of Cave 2 shows a wheel with sixteen fish spokes in a square frame. The end bays have a flying couple and Vishnu on Garuda. The main hall in the cave is wide, deep, and high and is supported by eight square pillars in two rows. The roof of this hall has panels filled with bas-relief carvings. The sculptures of Cave 2, like Cave 1, are of the northern Deccan style of the 6th and 7th century similar to that found in Ellora Caves.