Badami cave temples are the complex of Hindu and Jain Temples located in Badami town in northern part of Karnataka. Caves have very old structures carved out from a solid natural rock and dates back from 6th century. The Badami cave temples represent some of the earliest known examples of Hindu Temple in the South region.
The structures were built in the Nagara and Dravidian styles, which is the first and most persistent architectural style adopted by the Chalukyas in the history.
The Badami cave temples are carved out of soft sandstone on a hill cliff. There are 4 caves in the temple complex. The plan of each of the four caves (1 to 4) includes an entrance with a verandah (mukha mantapa) supported by stone columns and main hall (maha mantapa), and then to the small, square shrine (garbha ghriya) 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 order.
More on Caves 1 to 4
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 relief of Vishnu is the largest. In picture; Vishnu as Varah, rescuing earth as Bhudevi
The largest cave is Cave 3, featuring Vishnu-related mythology, and it is also the most intricately carved cave in the complex.
Cave 4 is dedicated to revered figures of Jainism.
