Drive to circuit the Heritage of Karnataka - Hyderabad to Badami, Pattadakal and Aihole.

[sagar]

Planning:

 

It was just another weekend coming up and we were longing for a weekend getaway from Hyderabad. Surfed around for a place to drive down which could range up to 500 kms at the max as we just had a Saturday and a Sunday in plan for this drive.

 

We chanced upon the name Badmai and the places around Badami (i.e. Pattadakal and Aihole) which are known for its rock cut temples and caves carrying inscriptions on the walls of the 13^th century Chalukya Dynasty rulers. With no second thoughts running in our minds, we finalized on this place to get to know more about the dynasty and their love towards architecture.

 

Glimpse of the beautiful architecture 

When: Sept. 5. Sept. 6 2015

 

Drive: Ford Fiesta

 

Fuel type: Petrol

 

Total distance: ~850 kms (To and Fro)

 

Travel time: 5 a.m. (Sept. 5th) - 12 p.m. (Sept. 5th) { 7 hours including breaks}

 

Mileage: Avg. 14 kmpl

 

Hotel: The Heritage Resort, Badami.

 

There were 3 different routes to reach Badami from our start point and we have taken the best possible route suggested by Google maps.

 

Route:

Hyderabad (Hi-tech-city) ---> Mahbubnagar (Via Hyd-Blore Highway) ---> Raichur ---> Mudgal (Via Lingsugur) ---> Badami (Via Hungund)

 

[sagar]

Execution:I always prefer staring on time especially when I have a schedule to keep. It was 5 a.m. in the morning and the drive started off quite pleasantly as we cruised onto the beautiful ORR and then onto the sweet NH7 tarmac. We took a diversion from Bhuthpur towards Mahbubnagar and the road started to deteriorate as we got off the Bangalore Highway. We stopped by a small hotel in Mahbubnagar around 7 a.m. for breakfast and continued our drive over the 2 lane road which started to get better again once we crossed Mahbubnagar town.

 

First click of the day at the rise during our drive

2 hours of drive, we crossed the Telangana border to enter Karnataka state and headed towards Raichur. This was where the drive further took a lot of time reason being potholes, bad road patch works and frequent speed breakers throughout until we had reached Badami. So essentially our average speed throughout this path after we had crossed Raichur ranged around 80 kmph. I will let the pics do the rest of the talking until our adventure drive marked its end back at the start point.

 

The bridge built over the flowing Krishna river connects the two states (Telangana and Karnataka)

A drive further, we pass by the 'Raichur Thermal Power Station'

This plant today represents the backbone of the European power system.

Experimenting my creative side, tried capturing this really massive industry in a single frame

We drove by this two lane road throughout until we had reached Badami (via Hungund)

We passed by this historical fort of Mudgal on our way

[sagar]

We had reached Badami around 12 p.m. as the ancient ruins welcome us on the either side of the road

We had checked-in to a beautiful stay named 'The Heritage resort'

The cottage booked was very neat and pleasant which served really tasty food for lunch, dinner and breakfast.

We were charged INR 4,200 for the cottage including complimentary buffet breakfast which was definitely a good deal when compared to the other hotels around .

Rested for the noon after Lunch and we started off around 4:00 p.m. to tour the grand archaeological remains of the glorious Chalukya empire of 5th century AD

We moved towards our first stop at the Badami Caves, 'Mosque of Adilshahi' was the first sight which grabbed our attention

The ticket to sight the Rock-cut Cave temples was INR 5/-

The Badami caves and temples are the main attractions of this place which has 4 main temples dedicated to Lord Shiva, Vishnu, Narasimha and Jain.

These caves were carved on the red sandstone having a hall with numerous pillars.

 

[sagar]

All these main temples elevated at different levels are connected by 50 to 100 steps carved between each other

 

 

 

 

 

 

The third rock cut temple of Lord Vishnu seemed most majestic inside a 100 feet deep cave.

The area surrounding the caves was well built by Red sand stone all over which also has the space to rest down and spend time

As we climbed up to the top most level of the Jain temple, we overlooked to this beautiful sight of the 'Agasthya' lake surrounded by the Badami caves, hills, Boothnath Temple and the village houses.

We got down the Cave temple and moved towards the 'Agasthya' lake and the 'Bhoothnath' temple which is 1.5 kms from the caves.

These temples were dedicated to Lord Shiva

Not just being carved at this absolutely scenic location, it also has a lot of rock carvings and caves around

 

This cave behind the Bhoothnath temple is related to the 6th century Jainism which has carving of Jain Tirthankars.

 

One last pic of the day before we headed back to the resort

 

[sagar]

The next day, we checked out after some delicious complimentary breakfast at the resort

The drive was set to visit Pattakadal and Aihole which has the ancient sites of age-old temples and ruins. The distance from our start point to Pattakadal was 20 kms which took us 30 mins. The road condition is self explanatory now.

The entry fee to step into this world heritage temple complex is INR 5/- per person

This temple complex is very well maintained by the Karnataka tourism department which is quite evident

Mallikarjuna and Kashivishwanatha temples

Papanatha Temple

Jambulinga Temple which was probably built in the mid of 7th century A.D

Sangameshwara Temple

Virupaksha Temple

Pattakadal can undoubtedly be called as the cradle of Indian architecture as it showcases the best works of the Chalukya period

We drove towards Aihole from Pattakadal to visit this Durga temple and its beautiful architecture which is about 14 kms

All set and done after the Aihole visit, we fastened our seat belts and drove back to Hyderabad. We had reached home by 6:00 p.m. to rest down and experience the Monday blues at work

[etoor]

Wow..!! Awesome mate.. A wonderful journey, beautifully photographed and well narrated...

[sagar]

Thank you so much..

[Gowtham]

Pictures look amazing. Resort looks good. How many people can stay in one cottage?

[uday]

Karnataka State government is best at maintaining the ancient architecture. Beautiful pictures.

[sagar]

The resort was really comfortable and the food served to us was also very hygienic and tasty.. It costed us 4200 for 4 of us.

[Shik]

Reading such travels is what keeps me inspired and helps take away the dullness of my day job... Great narration and pictures.

[sagar]

Thanks a lot .. You are always welcome to share your travel stories too

[vivek]

Lovely travelogue and beautiful photographs

[brteja]

Excellent travelogue .. One of the best I had come across.. Beautiful photography too..

[ullas]

I have been to almost all the popular temples in Karnataka except this.. Will be heading to these hidden temples very shortly.. Thanks a lot for the effort in documenting the details so clearly..

[veeran]

wonderful.... it is my dream to visit this place with my kids 

[sagar]

@veeran You should definitely visit this place.. It is very much under rated for its beauty.. you will love it for sure.

[hsudhir]

Looks like an amazing place for a weekend drive from Hyderabad. Lovely ancient carvings. @sagar Thanks a lot for sharing the information about this unknown destination.  

[Vamsmith]

On 9/14/2015 at 8:34 PM, sagar said:

The next day, we checked out after some delicious complimentary breakfast at the resort

The drive was set to visit Pattakadal and Aihole which has the ancient sites of age-old temples and ruins. The distance from our start point to Pattakadal was 20 kms which took us 30 mins. The road condition is self explanatory now.

The entry fee to step into this world heritage temple complex is INR 5/- per person

This temple complex is very well maintained by the Karnataka tourism department which is quite evident

Mallikarjuna and Kashivishwanatha temples

Papanatha Temple

Jambulinga Temple which was probably built in the mid of 7th century A.D

Sangameshwara Temple

Virupaksha Temple

Pattakadal can undoubtedly be called as the cradle of Indian architecture as it showcases the best works of the Chalukya period

We drove towards Aihole from Pattakadal to visit this Durga temple and its beautiful architecture which is about 14 kms

All set and done after the Aihole visit, we fastened our seat belts and drove back to Hyderabad. We had reached home by 6:00 p.m. to rest down and experience the Monday blues at work

So we'll narrated!!? 

[Shekar]

On ‎9‎/‎14‎/‎2015 at 8:34 PM, sagar said:

The next day, we checked out after some delicious complimentary breakfast at the resort

The drive was set to visit Pattakadal and Aihole which has the ancient sites of age-old temples and ruins. The distance from our start point to Pattakadal was 20 kms which took us 30 mins. The road condition is self explanatory now.

The entry fee to step into this world heritage temple complex is INR 5/- per person

This temple complex is very well maintained by the Karnataka tourism department which is quite evident

Mallikarjuna and Kashivishwanatha temples

Papanatha Temple

Jambulinga Temple which was probably built in the mid of 7th century A.D

Sangameshwara Temple

Virupaksha Temple

Pattakadal can undoubtedly be called as the cradle of Indian architecture as it showcases the best works of the Chalukya period

We drove towards Aihole from Pattakadal to visit this Durga temple and its beautiful architecture which is about 14 kms

All set and done after the Aihole visit, we fastened our seat belts and drove back to Hyderabad. We had reached home by 6:00 p.m. to rest down and experience the Monday blues at work

Photos are not visible Sagar