Belum Caves & Srisailam

It had been more than 3 months since my previous trip.  And two relatively unexplored destinations nestled in the Anantapur and Kurnool districts had caught my eye some time back.  The travel plans were drawn and train tickets were purchased.  I had an able companion in Saunak, my colleague at HP.  We left Egmore at 5 PM on a warm Friday in Kacheguda Exp to reach Tadipatri in Andhra Pradesh at midnight.

The railway station was unexceptional with a foot-over bridge aiding passengers cross over the railway tracks.  Outside the station, there were share autos lined up filling their seats with, perhaps, the passengers alighting from the last train that night.  We hopped in for a quick ride to the nearest lodge for Rs 15 per person and alighted near the Kalyan lodge.  The lights from a major power plant in the vicinity caught our eye as we entered the lodge.  We agreed on a double standard for Rs 400 a night and we informed the attendant that we would be leaving early next morning for our trip to Belum caves.  We retired soon after we occupied our rooms and were woken up at times in the morning by the sounds of trucks carrying heavy loads.  At daybreak, we spent less time getting ready and proceeded towards the bus stand which was quite far off from the hotel.  We took a share auto that charged Rs 7 per person for a drop to the bus stand.  We had our breakfast of idli vada and a cup of hot tea before we got into the bus bound for Nandyal.  Belum caves is situated 34kms north-east of Tadipatri en route Nandyal.  The bus charged Rs 27 per person and dropped us off at the entrance to the cave campus in 45 mins.  The route to Belum was dotted with sunflower fields on either sides of the road.   The bus was relatively empty and the chillness of the morning was having its effect on us at times.

After getting down at the entrance to the campus, we wandered into acres of emptiness with a huge Buddha statue in sight.  The campus housed a restaurant, a resort with dormitories, play area for kids and the underground caves.  We spent some time in solitude with the towering Buddha statue and later proceeded to the ticket counter for the caves.  We were informed at the counter that since the lighting underground would be operated using generators, they would sell tickets only after a decent crowd had gathered.  It was 11 AM and finally our doors to the caves were open.  Tickets sold at Rs 40 per adult and Rs 25 per child.  We kept our bags at the entrance and carried our camera along. 

The caves were a treat to watch.  Around 3.5kms in length with 1.5kms open to the public, they offered some fantastic moments for the camera.  There were various rock formations ranging from stalactites to stalagmites to straws to flowstones.  The cave at Belum is the second largest in the Indian subcontinent after Krem Liat Prah in Meghalaya.  The caves had long passages, spacious chambers, fresh water galleries and blowers at regular intervals.  The blowers provide temporary relief from the sweat and suffocation inside the cave.  The caves reach its deepest point at a place known as Paatalaganga.  The major sections of the cave include simhadwaram (archway resembling a lion’s head), Paatalaganga (a perennial stream which disappears into the depths of the earth) and Meditation hall.  We had a bottle of drinking water that aided us manage our thirst under the ground.  A complete view of the caves takes close to an hour.  Guides were available for both English and Telugu.  We captured some wonderful rock formations on our camera and returned back to the restaurant for lunch after exiting the caves.  

Food at the restaurant was served hot and was very spicy – you would call it the typical Andhra meal.  After having a full meal, we waited at the gate of the campus for buses to go to Nandyal.  We had booked out bus to Srisailam from Nandyal at 3 45 PM.  A bus arrived that took us to Banaganapalli – 20 kms away from the caves on a bad dusty road.  The ticket costed Rs 20 per person and the journey was very uncomfortable.  From Banaganapalli, we boarded a deluxe bus to Nandyal, a distance of 45kms on another stretch of barely laid road.  We reached Nandyal by 3 15 PM, had some light refreshments and boarded the express bus to Srisailam.

Srisailam is 160kms away from Nandyal and the bus travels through the Srisailam forests.  Leaving at around 4PM and taking a break for 20 mins at around 8 PM near Dornala, the bus reached Srisailam at around 10 15 PM.  The driver was over cautious at times as we negotiated through various hairpin bends and curves.  Once at Srisailam, we got down to have our dinner – dosa it was after a very spicy lunch.  We then looked out for rooms which were available in plenty.  Temple devasthanam had their rooms and cottages scattered all over the hill town.  Also available were state endowment choultries and private lodges.  We found a decent double room at a choultry maintained by a Marathi organization from Solapur.  It costed Rs 511 a night and the attendant informed that Rs 11 in the cost would be used for annadaanam.  We retired for a well-deserved sleep after a hectic travel through the day. 

We woke up the next day by 6 AM and reached the temple premises by 6 45 AM after taking our bath.  The huge general queue caught our attention and we decided to check with the security guards on how much time it would take for darshan.  One guard informed that it would take 2-3 hrs for darshan on the general queue and half an hour for darshan on the “shigradarshan” queue.  The “shigradarshan” costed Rs 100 per person and since we wanted to cover some more places of interest nearby, we decided to buy the tickets.  Since the abhishekam was being performed, the door to the deity was kept closed for around half an hour.  Once open, the queue proceeded quickly and we completed our darshan in half an hour.  The presiding Deities of this temple - Lord Mallikarjuna Swamy is one of the twelve Jyothirlingas and Goddess Bhramaramba Devi is one of the eighteen Mahasakthis and both are self-manifested. The unique feature of this temple is the combination of Jyothirlingam and Mahasakthi in one campus, which is very rare and only one of its kind.  Photography is not allowed inside the temple premises.

After completing darshan of all deities, we went out and had our breakfast.  The temple devasthanam runs their canteen to the left of the main entrance to the temple.  Food at the canteen was served hot and of high quality.  We took laddu prasadam from the counters behind the main temple.  After leaving the prasadam at the room, we left for the APTDC ropeway that runs to the Paatalaganga.  The ropeway costs Rs 50 per person and the journey time is around 5 mins.  From the ropeway car, one can see the Srisailam dam at a distance and the River Krishna with high mountains on either side.  We alighted at the station below and sat for a while on a rock at Paatalaganga.  We saw people lighting lamps in the water here and worshipping the river.  The water is supposed to be very pure and has healing properties for skin diseases.  We then took the return car, back to the summit from where we walked back to the canteen.  

We had our lunch at around 11 30 AM and returned back to our choultry for a well-needed rest.  Our bus was booked for Ongole at 2 30 PM and from there we had to catch the night train to Chennai at 10 50 PM. 

The bus started at 2 15 PM and travelled through the curves and bends of the hill to reach Dornala.  From there, the bus passed through Markapur and Podili before reaching Ongole at 7 45 PM.  We had dinner at a fast food center there and walked towards the station.  Since we had time on our hands, we did not want to take an auto to cover the 4km distance to the railway station.  We glanced through the roadside shops and bought a few jalebis on our way.  After waiting for a few hours at the railway station, we got on to the Howrah-Chennai mail that brought us back to Chennai the next morning. 

Thus ended an exciting, fun filled trip with lots of travel, moments of peace and variety of food J

Chalukyan Odyssey

North Karnataka is home to the ancient splendors established by the Chalukyan kings.  Badami, Pattadakal and Aihole are UNESCO World Heritage sites housing fine examples of Chalukyan architecture. 

Badami has a railway head, around 3kms from the town, which has connectivity to Bangalore.  There is a daily train from Bangalore through Badami which is an overnight journey.  You can take a share auto from the station to the town (Rs 5 per person).  There are decent hotels and guest rooms in Badami – my friends and I decided to stay at Hotel Royal Deluxe, located very near the bus stand.  Air conditioned rooms for the four of us costed Rs 1300 per night.  Non-ac rooms come for Rs 600 for two persons.  The room was nice with three beds and we took an extra mattress for the night. 

We began the day with breakfast at the nearby restaurant – Hotel Banashree and then walked our way through the town to reach the smaller inner lanes.  We enquired directions to the famous Badami cave temples and were provided help as well.  However, we slightly missed our way and did a circumambulation of the Badami fort by mistake.   It was a nice experience though, as we caught glimpses of the red rocky hills to our left.  We walked along the boundary of the fort and decided to jump over a wall that led us to a peak from where we got a magnificent sight of the Badami fort as well as the Bhutanatha group of temples by the side of the Agasthya Theertha tank.  We walked into the fort and reached a small temple for Lord Hanuman.  The fort complex housed many temples which were constructed during the Chalukyan period.  After spending some time enjoying the temple architecture, we walked down the fort steps to reach the archaeological museum situated down at the base of the fort.  Museum was closed since it was a Friday.  We found a vendor selling sugarcane juice and rested nearby to quench our thirst. 
        

Badami was the capital of the early Chalukyas of Badami, who ruled from this place during 6th–8th century AD. The place is known with ancient names Vatapi, Vatapiadhistana and Badavi. Even during the succeeding centuries, right up to the beginning of 19th century, it was an important politically strategic place forming part of the dominions of many later dynasties. 
        
A number of religious and defense structures were built during these periods at Badami. Beautifully excavated rock caves of Bramhanical, Buddhist and Jaina affinity with massive sculptures, structural temples of Dravida vimana type illustrating different stages of experimentations all set around Agasthya Theertha tank within the scenic beauty of sand stone formations, make this place a unique tourist destination.
        

The museum is located at the foothills of the northern hill containing the northern fort and near the famous Pallava Narasimhavarmman’s inscription. It was established in 1979, as a sculpture shed to collect and preserve explored materials, sculptures, inscriptions, architectural members scattered in and around Badami.
        

It was past noon when we walked through the Agasthya Theertha tank to reach the Bhutanatha group of temples.  There was a temple for Lord Shiva and caves having sculptures of Lord Vishnu and his various avatars.   
       

There was a cave of Buddha to the right side of the tank.  The tank was not too clean, however, the local villagers seemed to use the water for their day-to-day activities.
        
Again, walking along the boundary of the tank, we reached the famous Badami cave temples.  These temples display the full range of religious sects which have developed in India. These temples which date back to 600 and 700 A.D. are carved out of sandstone hills. Each has a sanctum, a hall, an open verandah and pillars. What makes these cave temples remarkable, are the large number of exquisite carvings and sculptures. 
        
The town encompasses a number of carved monuments and caves of the Chalukyas that is a blend of Indian Nagara style and the South Indian Dravidian style of architecture. There are many beautiful murals as well.  Two of the caves are dedicated to Vishnu, one to Shiva and the fourth is a Jain temple. 
        
Here are some splendid carvings of the Hindu Pantheon. Narasimha (the half-man half Lion avatar of Vishnu), Hari Hara (the composite god who is half-Shiva and half-Vishnu), AnataShayana (Vishnu sitting as well as reclining on the snake Shesh or Ananta). Each cave temple had a mukha mantapa, ardha mantapa and a garbha griha where the main deity is placed.  There were intricate sculptures on the side walls.  There are also some paintings on the ceiling and wonderful bracket figures on the piers. The caves were a treat to any lover of temple architecture.  
        

It was around 2PM when we completed the four caves – we walked down to the town back to Banashree restaurant for lunch.  Post-lunch, we rested for a while in our rooms and left for Banashankari temple – around 5 kms from Badami at around 3 30 PM.  Share autos charge Rs 5 per person to drop you at Banashankari temple.  The temple dedicated to Banashankari amma had lots of devotees who queued up to get a glimpse of the Goddess.  We spent around an hour at the temple and wanted to visit Mahakuta temple – around 8 kms from Banashankari temple.  However, since it was getting late, we decided to get back to Badami for the evening and catch a match of IPL on television.

Next morning, we booked a share auto for Rs 500 that would take us to Pattadakal, Aihole and Mahakuta and then back to Badami.  The hotel manager helped us with this arrangement and told us that it would take 6-7 hrs for the entire trip.  We started at 9AM and reached Pattadakal, around 22kms from Badami.  There are not many modes of transport connecting these small towns.  In fact, we only saw private cars or share autos. 

Pattadakal was a well organized group of monuments housing eight temples of varying architectural styles.  The entrance fee is Rs 10 per person.

Pattadakal represents the high point of an eclectic art which, in the 7th and 8th centuries under the Chalukya dynasty, achieved a harmonious blend of architectural forms from northern and southern India. An impressive series of nine Hindu temples, as well as a Jain sanctuary, can be seen there.  Situated between the Malaprabha River to the north, and a minuscule village to the south, 
        
Pattadakal possesses a sort of holy city comprised of an impressive series of eight Hindu temples dedicated to Siva. Somewhat off to the side, towards the village, is the ninth Sivaite sanctuary, the Temple of Papanatha, as well as a Jain temple. In the monumental complex of the central zone are structures whose design was strongly influenced by the architecture of northern India: the temples of Galaganatha and of Kashi Vishveshvara, which are noteworthy for their square-shaped shikharaswith curved edges. They stand along with other temples of a pure Dravidian style - Sangameshvara, built between 696 and 733, and Mallikarjuna, built consecutively from 733-44. Cornices decorate the walls of these temples and the roofs are the complex, storeyed type found in southern architecture.
        

The unexpected and yet harmonious mixture of these styles provided the inspiration for the masterpiece of Chalukya art, the temple of Virupaksha. This Sivaite sanctuary was erected around 740 by Queen Lokamahadevi to commemorate the victory in 731 of her husband, King Vikramaditya II, over the Pallava and other sovereigns of southern India. 
        

We spent around two hours at Pattadakal.  Some local vendors were selling buttermilk and roti curry.  We tried roti curry to get a taste of the local cuisine.  From there, we left for Aihole.  Aihole was located some 15 kms from Pattadakal and was considered as the school of architecture by the Chalukyan kings.
Known as Aryapura in ancient times, Aihole occupies a unique place in the history of temple architecture in India. It was the site for experimenting with different temple-building styles by the early Chalukyan kings from AD 450 to 750. This experimentation began in Aihole, continued at Badami and finally culminated at Pattadakal.  There are around 120 temples of varying styles and sizes in Aihole.

        

Aihole had many protected monuments – we visited the major ones at the Durg complex and took the services of a guide.  The Durg or Fortress Temple is an extremely photogenic temple and a visitor automatically gravitates towards it. A unique feature of this temple is the curvilinear passage/corridor that runs around the temple.  The guide gave us great glimpses into the unique nature of Chalukyan architecture.  The Durg complex also housed the archaeological museum which provided an informative experience. 
        

The Lad Khan temple, also located in the Durg complex consists of a shrine with two mantapas in front of it. The shrine bears a Shiva lingam. The mukha mantapa in front of the sanctum has a set of 12 carved pillars. The sabhamantapa in front of the mukha mantapa has pillars arranged in such a manner as to form two concentric squares. There are also stone grids on the wall carrying floral designs. The temple is built in a Panchayat hall style, indicating a very early experiment in temple construction. The windows are filled with lattice style which is a north Indian style. The temple was built in late 7th or early 8th century.

Huchimalli (gudi) temple at Aihole, built in the 7th century shows an evolution in the temple plan, as it shows an ardhamantapa or an ante-chamber annexed to the main shrine. Huchimalli Group Of Temples, to the north of the village behind the travelers’ bungalow is this beautiful temple. The sanctum here has a pradakshinapatha and its external walls contain lattices. The sanctum has a northern style rekhanagara tower. It is in this temple the shukanasa or the vestibule was introduced for the first time. A little away in front is another dilapidated temple. Another small temple to the north of Huchimalligudi is assigned to the 11th century.

        
Ravana Phadi cave is one of the oldest rock cut temples in Aihole, is located south east of Hucchimalli temple. This temple dates back to the 6th century, with a rectangular shrine, with two mantapas. There is a Shivalinga in the inner room or sanctum sanctorum. This is a Shaivite cave temple with a sanctum larger than that of the Badami Cave Temples. The sanctum has a vestibule with a triple entrance and has carved pillars. The walls and sides of the temple are covered with large figures including dancing Shiva. We had an austere lunch – Dahi Poha – at a local shop in Aihole and left for Mahakuta.

The Mahakuta group of temples is located in Mahakuta, around 12 kms from Badami. It is an important place of worship for Hindus and the location of a well-known Shaiva monastery. The temples are dated to the 6th or 7th century and were constructed by the early kings of the Chalukya dynasty of Badami. The dating of the temples is based on the style of architecture which is similar to that of the temples in nearby Aihole and the discovery of two notable inscriptions in the complex: the Mahakuta Pillar inscription dated between 595–602 CE and an inscription of Vinapoti, a concubine of king Vijayaditya, dated between 696–733 CE and written in the Kannada language and script.
        

We reached Mahakuta by 2 30 PM in the afternoon.  Our plan was to take bath in the temple tank which is considered auspicious.  However, the crowd in the temple tank changed our ideas.  We spent time going through the architecture of the group of temples – whose maintenance were left a lot to be desired.  After taking the blessings of Lord Shiva, we left Mahakuta and finally reached back Badami from where we started our architectural sojourn.