The Badami Cave Temples, an example of Indian rock-cut architecture is at Badami, a town in the Bagalkot District in the northern part of Karnataka, India. Badami was the capital of the early Chalukyas, who ruled much of Karnataka from the 6th to the 8th centuries.
The Badami Cave Temples are composed of four caves, all carved out of the soft Deccan sandstone on a hill cliff. The four caves are simple in style with an entrance verandah with stone columns and brackets leading to a columned mandapa and then to the small square shrine (sanctum sanctorum) cut deep into the cave.
The architecture of the cave temples reflects a blend of North Indian Nagara Style and South Indian Dravidian style and they bear exquisite carvings, sculptures and beautiful murals.
The temple caves represent different religious sects. Most important are the Bhutanath temples that derived their name from the lake. The lowest temple dates back to 578 A.D. On the upper end of a 40 steps staircase, the cave has a colonnaded veranda with many sculptures. Behind the columns lies a hall with numerous pillars and a square shaped sanctum. There are paintings of amorous couples, Shiva and his consort Parvati, a coiled serpent, and the 18-armed lord Nataraja in 81 dancing poses.
Some stairs up is the second temple, dedicated to Vishnu in the form of a dwarf or Trivikrama of awesome dimensions. One foot is shown mastering the Earth and the other the sky. Another form of Vishnu portrayed here is a boar called Varaha and finally there is a frieze depicting Vishnu as Lord Krishna. This is the largest temple dedicated to Vishnu. It is from the 6th century and its relief gives an insight into the art and culture of this time, showing costumes, jewelry, and hairstyle. Other sculptures depict Vishnu with a serpent, Vishnu as Narasimha (half lion, half man) and Harihara (Shiva -Vishnu).
Finally, there is a Jain Temple, the youngest of the temples, completed about 100 years later. The encarvings show Tirthankara Parshavnatha with a serpent at his feet and Mahavira in a sitting posture.
