Goa to Bangalore

21st September 2009

Day 3: On the road to Badami

From Om Beach to Badami is roughly 260 kilometres and passes through some very lush countryside with all kinds of vegetables and grains being cultivated on some very fertile land and animals looking very healthy. You can fix up a cab at any of the small lunch homes or cafes in Gokarn and the journey in an air-conditioned car should cost you 11 rupees.

 On the way: stop at Hotel Sapna (08388-231979) for some delicious Southern breakfast washed down by cups of steaming hot filter coffee. Badami town itself is a one-street town with its main bus station, all hotels, main shops and establishments lining the road. Of all the hotels featured in websites and guidebooks, we found Hotel New Satkar (08357-220417, 09901542194, 09448776317), the cleanest and among the most economical. (rooms available for 300 a night with basic amenities and can go up to a 1000 for AC and TV) Badami gets its name from the ancient name of Vatapi, an old legend and has some of the most beautiful rock carvings in the country. The highlight are the four caves, each of it dedicated to Shiva, two to Vishnu and one to Jainism, the carvings which date back to the 6^th century and built by the Chalukya Kings and highlight the sheer talent of the sculptors in that period. 

 Of particular note are the 18 armed Nataraja, the beautiful carvings of the 5 incarnations of Vishnu dotting the caves, Harihara, Ardh Narishwar, elephants and bulls and the Maha Vishnu carvings in the 3^rd cave. Take guides when visiting the caves (200 rupees) and the caves overlook the beautiful tank with the bhootnath temple on one side (made famous in Mani Ratnam’s Guru). On the opposite side of the caves complex is the remnants of Badami fort with a few watchtowers surviving to this day and a museum at the base of the fort. The entire complex can be covered within 4 hours and all the hotels are situated within 1.5 kilometres of the cave complex.