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Chalukya Cave Temples: Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal Tour
5.0
9 Ratings
Badami
Explore 6th-century Chalukya cave temples in Badami, Aihole, and Pattadakal. Discover India’s finest temple art on a full-day private tour from Hampi.
Explore 6th-century Chalukya cave temples in Badami, Aihole, and Pattadakal. Discover India’s finest temple art on a full-day private tour from Hampi.
Duration:
11 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Badami - Nestled in a ravine at the base of red sandstone hills, Badami captivates with its scenic surroundings by the Agastya lake. The cave temples, crafted from red sandstone, boast a hall with numerous pillars and a square-shaped sanctum. The ceilings are adorned with paintings. A notable feature is the depiction of Lord Shiva and his consort…
- Badami - Nestled in a ravine at the base of red sandstone hills, Badami captivates with its scenic surroundings by the Agastya lake. The cave temples, crafted from red sandstone, boast a hall with numerous pillars and a square-shaped sanctum. The ceilings are adorned with paintings. A notable feature is the depiction of Lord Shiva and his consort Parvathi with a coiled serpent. Another highlight is the 18-armed Lord Nataraja in 81 dancing poses. Badami is renowned for its inscriptions, including the significant first Sanskrit inscription in old Kannada script on a hillock dating back to 543 CE.
- Aihole - Aihole is home to over a hundred stone temples dating from the 5th century onwards. According to legend, it is here that Lord Parashurama cleansed his axe after vanquishing the Kshatriyas.
- Pattadakal - This UNESCO World Heritage Site exemplifies the Visara style of architecture. The most magnificent temple here is the Virupaksha, constructed in the 8th century by Queen Lokamahadevi in 745 to celebrate victory over the Pallavas of Kanchi.
What's Included
- Goods and Services Tax (GST)
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- Entrance charges
- Lunch
- Guide
- Goods and Services Tax (GST)
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- Entrance charges
- Lunch
- Guide
Additional Information
Our journey will take us to the renowned cave temples constructed by the Chalukyas at Badami, Aihole, and Pattadakal. Dating back to the 6th century, these temples are considered some of the finest examples of temple art in India. The Chalukyas fostered the development of various cultural forms, particularly cave art and temple architecture. The…
Our journey will take us to the renowned cave temples constructed by the Chalukyas at Badami, Aihole, and Pattadakal. Dating back to the 6th century, these temples are considered some of the finest examples of temple art in India. The Chalukyas fostered the development of various cultural forms, particularly cave art and temple architecture. The architects created 16 types of free-standing temples and 4 types of rock-cut shrines. The monuments at Badami, Aihole, and Pattadakal transformed the Malaprabha river valley into a cradle of Temple Architecture.
This tour is organized by Five Senses Tours, a private limited company recognized by the Ministry of Tourism and a member of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO). The tour is designed to support local livelihoods by employing local guides and supporting local businesses, in line with the company’s mission to ensure travel dollars benefit the local community.
Location
Badami
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(9 Ratings)
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Ravim84
Mar 8, 2025
A walk through history - Since we had our own vehicle, met the guide Mr. Ramesh at Aihole and started from there.
We covered Aihole, Pattadakal and Badami in about 4 hours.
As a tourist if you visit these places yourself, it's just a few photos and admiring the architecture.
Where a guided tour helps is with the stories, the behind the scenes of such locations.
Mr. Ramesh was very knowledgeable, informing us about the details of so many of the sculptures and monuments and literally enabling us to walk through a bygone era. It was worth doing, and do not miss these locations especially if you are a Hindu.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Roving04215908140
Jan 4, 2025
Amazing architecture - This was an amazing tour of world Heritage sites. We learnt about the architecture and art of ancient Chaalukya kingdom. We particularly were amazed by the nuanced architecture at Pattadakal. Badami was very grand. Our guide Kotresh was knowledgeable and with a good sense of humour. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Myopinion99
Dec 7, 2024
Worth a visit - Long drive to Aihole ,Pattadakal and Badami and full day of sightseeing, excellent cultivated guide effective patient who knows his subject at his fingertips. Good local lunch included and good driver. Recommend
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jet26981681397
Aug 26, 2024
Badami memories - Trekking Badami Caves was very interesting and on the top of the hills we had breathtaking view of Agasthya lake, adjacent to the hills. The sculptures are made of red stones huge in size and wonder to the eyes. A must visit place as it was the capital of Chalukyas as informed by the guides.
Also as devotee of Goddess, I was overpowered by spiritual vibes of Banashankari temple at Badami.
I was also captivated by Sarees meant for offering to the Goddess. As a memory to cherish bought a local made saree to keep my memory alive with Banashankari temple.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Grandtour63708956916
Aug 26, 2024
Marvelous creations - Badami , Pattakallu and Aihole , this was a complete eye opener to the Chalukya dynasty and their history.
The Badami caves made us Marvel at the complexity and it was unbelievable to see the terrains in which these have been built.
Pattadakal was like a master class of the ancient architecture of temples , the guide gave us great nuances of the different types of architecture that were prominent then. The structures were to Marvel at and the Malaprabha river at the backside with the wind blowing over you is an experience for lifetime.
Aihole was like an extension to Pattadakal , this was like a school level like mentioned by our guide in terms of the architecture. Here we could see several prototypes of temples built back then. They made these miniatures like prototypes and checked them before building the bigger ones. There are also old partly destroyed but preserved old statues of many deities in a museum at the same place. Which makes you so appreciative of the art back then.
Thanks to 5 Senses for such an wholesome experience will definitely recommend for everyone to avail their services. ❤️
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Priyakadapashah
Jul 21, 2024
Aihole, Pattadkal and Badami - An exhilarating experience! What a treasure Aihole ,Pattadkal and Badami are . And our guide Chandragund Katigeri was super informative and he added so much to our experience.
Would recommend this region and Five senses for the guide and vehicle arrangements.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
C2136mkgl
Jul 18, 2024
Better than a university level course of architecture - I am no longer a student, but with Kotresh as my guide I feel like I've just completed a course of Chalukyan Architecture 101 within this one-day excursion. His professor-like knowledge of every detail had me satisfied that I've come away with something that I want to share with friends and family.
The trek began with the driver taking me 3hr from Hospet to the outskirts of Badami where I checked into the pre-arranged resort at 6pm which was absolutely serene which ended up being perfect to digest the tour that next day.
Our tour began with Manjunath picking me up promptly at 9am to meet the guide in Aihole, which was about a 30min drive from the lodging. Kotresh had a nice blend of scholarly knowledge with a hint of humor, not to mention the skill of a professional photographer. We managed all three sites with a small lunch by 5pm, and then an overnight at the hotel before returning to Bangalore the next day.
Highly recommended to accompany this trip with Hampi to make use of the time spent outside the city.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Samj68p
Jul 17, 2024
Breathtaking world heritage site - I had an extra day in Hampi and was wondering what to do when I saw this day trip on TripAdvisor. The tour was fantastic as our brilliant guide Kotresh showed us 3 amazing ancient cities. This Kingdom called Chalukyas predate Hampi by several centuries. Pattadakal is a world heritage site and it was breathtaking. Badami and Aihole were also amazing . The architecture and scriptures were unique and worth making this day trip from Hampi.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Henryten
May 15, 2024
Bringing history, architecture and religion to life - It was a mesmerizing journey through time, unveiling the evolution of temple architecture and the confluence of northern and southern Indian styles. The 6th-8th centuries were an era of architectural brilliance, astonishing skills and rich cultural heritage, and this circuit brings them together.
What made it work, though, was the expert guiding, seamless handling of the tour by 5 Senses. I stretched it out over two days, which allowed me to linger within the temples, capture images and avail myself of the rich and detailed expertise of my guides. By combining history, architecture and religion, they brought these ancient sites to life.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
