Aihole- Pattadakal-Mahakuta temple

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We started our daytrip in Badami after a delicious self made breakfast of muesli. We took a local bus to Aihole, and from there we drove by car to Pattadakal and the Mahakuta Temple.

AIHOLE
Aihole is a little village near Badami. Here you can find Hindu Architecture in its embryonic stage, from the earliest simple shrines to the later and more complex buildings. The most impressive building in Aihole is the Durga temple. Especially the shape of the temple and the outstanding intricate carvings crowding the colonnaded passageway around the sanctuary( source:my bible), made it one of my favoriths. The whole village is covered by temples and it's a nice walk to discover them all. the only problem was the indications, which were missed. We saw lots of temples, but we had no idea what the name was and neither the period they had been built... We made some suggestions to the museumguide,but "Yes, yes madam" was the only reaction.

PATTADAKAL
In the afternoon we wanted to catch a bus to Pattadakal, but a town in the middle of nowhere, with only electricity in the late afternoon, seemed to be difficult to leave by public transport. While we were waiting and waiting and waiting, a Danish guym with some tourist business in Goa, offered us a free ride to Pattadakal and even to the Mahakuta temple. Oh, an airconditioned car: what a refreshment !

Pattadakal was the second capital of the Badam Chalukyas. Most of its temples were built during the7th and the 8th century, but the earliest remains dates from the 3rd and 4th centuries and the latest structures from the 9th century. The group of temples is a World Heritage site.

MAHAKUTA TEMPLE
The Mahakuta temple is only ten kilometer east of Badami. This temple is still in use as a pelgrimage site. Within the walled courtyard, are two main temples on either side of the old tank. Swimming is allowed in the tank, and the locals use it as a public swimming pool. I really liked this temple cause it is a cosy place where you can easily spend a couple of hours watching the nice swimmingstyle and the fun of the Indians...

It was still extremely hot here. Finally I could use my umbrella that I had bought in Sri Lanka to protect myself. it looked funny, but was very effective!

The day ended in front of the television... what a day!

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Photos

naandi in Temple of Aihole
( source: Donna)

tempel
(source: Donna)

Meguti temple
This temple, on top of a hill, is dedicated to Shiva.

temple
one of the oldest structures in Aihole

local woman
most of the people who are working in the construction are women!