Badami, Bagalkot, Karnataka India

Badami is at a distance of 30km from Bagalkot. Founded in 540 A.D. by Pulikesi I, Badami was the erstwhile capital of the Chalukya Empire in the 6th century AD and was formerly called as Vatapi. Badami is famous for its monuments, carvings and inscriptions and the credit for building such magnificent monuments and temples goes to the Chalukyas. Badami is noted for its rock-cut cave temples which are finest examples of Chalukaya architecture. The Chalukya style of temple architecture is a blend of the North Indian Nagara style and the South Indian Dravidian style. The four cave temples signify the secular nature of the rulers. These cave temples are carved out of sand stone on the precipice of a hill. Cave 1 is devoted to Shiva which was built during the 5^th century.