One of the historic places I visited last weekend was Badami, founded in 540 A.D by the Chalukya king Pulakesi.Cave temples hewn out of huge red sandstone rocks are very beautiful. This stone warrior guards one of the caves.
According to legend, two demons named Vatapi and Ilwala lived in these hills . Whenever they saw a traveller, vatapi would turn himself into a goat. Ilwala woujld kill the goat and feed the hungry traveller goat- meat curry. After the traveller finished eating, Ilwala would call out, "Vatapi, come out" , and Vatapi would burst forth from the hapless traveller's stomach. The demons would then feast on the traveller. They tried this trick on the sage Agasthya one day, but the sage was quicker than them. As soon as he finished eating, he said, "Vatpi, get digested!" and the demon was digested . The two hills nearby are believed to be the demons' remains.
The Old Man Cactus Cephalocereus senilis does not look out of place in front of the ancient temple. Its long white hairs protect it from the sun.
The deep puple bougainvillea has gone out of fashion in the cities, but looks enchanting here.
The first cave hewn out of red sandstone houses the Hindu gods and goddesses, while other caves have Jain and Buddhist motifs.
What a really cool place...and a really odd story...and awesome gardens! I can't believe bougainvilleas of any kind could be "out of fashion" anywhere!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't like to come across those demons ;) What a magnificent place, thanks for sharing it with us!
ReplyDeleteIt was marvellous to read about the nearly 1500-year old cave temples of Badami. And the delightful story of the demons :)) A sage is a sage, after all!
ReplyDeleteGreat photos, too.
Hi Floridagirl!Bougainvilleas are so common here that the colours move in and out of fashion !
ReplyDeleteGippslandgardener, I hope you never meet a demon like those:-)
Shailaja, nice to hear from you after a long time. Badami caves are really beautiful. Hope you get to visit them some time.
A magnificent place. The contrast between the gardens and the stone cliffs is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThis place is beautiful! The stone carvings softened by the colorful florals and foliage is breathtaking! Thank you so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteLovely pictures - particularly the cactus! I don't think my pictures of this place are as good!!
ReplyDeleteSweetbay, Badami is a breath takingly beautiful place.
ReplyDeleteKimberly, thanks.
Rao, welcome to my blog and thanks for your comments.
OMG how I enjoyed your visit to this historic city. I loved the fable tale. This is food for the virtual tourist like me. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHey very nice post. i enjoyed reading it.. keep posting :-)
ReplyDeleteI read about Badami Cave Temples at below mentioned link:
http://www.ijaunt.com/karnataka/badami
If anybody want to know more info about Badami cave temples then please visit above mentioned link, its worth to visit :-)