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Badami, Karnataka · 15.9186°, 75.6847°
Four caves cut into red sandstone cliffs above the Agastya lake at the first Chalukya capital — among the earliest dated Hindu cave temples (Cave 3's 578 CE inscription is a fixed point of Indian art history), with the colossal Trivikrama and 18-armed dancing Shiva announcing the classical Deccan style.
The lake below is named for sage Agastya; local legend holds its waters once turned a crocodile-demon to stone — the red cliffs themselves are said to blush with the blood of the demon Vatapi, cooked and consumed by Agastya in the Puranic tale that gave Badami its old name.
Badami has its own railway station with direct trains from Bengaluru (an overnight run of about 10–11 hours), Hubballi, Vijayapura and Goa; the nearest airport is Hubballi, roughly 105 km away, and KSRTC runs overnight buses from Bengaluru, some 450 km by NH67. The caves are cut into the cliff above the town and are climbed on foot up uneven rock-cut steps — sixty of them between the first and second cave, with more above — and are open 6 am to 6 pm; sturdy footwear is advised.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-26 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Chalukya (Badami)