Badami

[Raghu]

Badami in Karnataka, India is famous for the rock-cut caves in the solid red rocks of the hills. Done by the Chalukyas more than fifteen hundred years ago, they still stand testimony to the skills of artisans and sculptors and the spread of religions of that age. Happy to share a few here:

A view of the type and size of rocks, to begin with:


The approach:


A view from the outside. Imagine what a mammoth effort has gone into this!


A few examples of the extra-ordinary, more than life-size carvings. As these are either completely in the dark or on the sides of the corridor, lighting was a major challenge in capturing the images.
1. Nataraja:


2. Mahisha Mardini:


3. Jainese:


Beautifully worked pillar, with nature adding its own patterns:


A view of the small lake below:


I think they left this purposely unfinished, to show us how they went about carving:


The caves are a good site for excursion and education:


Money menace rampant, see this one snatching a bottle from a student and emptying the bottle!


A close up of the intricate work on rock pillar:


These and a few more pictures taken here can be seen at : http://www.flickr.com/photos/raghu_a...7629084398867/

C&C welcome.

Raghu

[catalex54]

Beautiful reportage of this fascinating site, evidence of the great religious and artistic culture of your great country. Great photos and thanks for sharing Raghu!

[banksy]

Great series Raghu, I enjoyed the journey.

[Tullio]

Very interesting place and history. Some of the carvings were very similar to the Egyptians.

[saly]

What an amazing place, Raghu! I agree that the carvings are impressive!

[jjdog2]

As always Raghu, great shots and thanks for sharing these special places.

jj

[SIMON40]

Great set of images- very interesting...

[Raghu]

Thank you friends, for viewing and for the nice feedback. I hope I will have the time and energy to see for myself and share with friends the wealth of ancient treasure spread across my country, at least two or three places a year.