Cave Temples

Temple Caves
Situated in North Karnataka, Badami was founded by Pulakesin I in the 6th century A.D and was once the capital of the Chalukya empire. The Chalukyas are to be acknowledged with path-finding a new architectural style, examples of which can be seen in Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal and other neighboring areas. They built a number of temples, and other monuments that marked the beginning of the Hindu style of architecture. This new style combined the best of two distinct styles - the North Indian, Indo-Aryan Nagara style and the South Indian Dravidian style. Known as the Chalukyan style, this style is manifested in many cave temples, dedicated to Brahmanical deities, as well as the many Buddhist and Jain monasteries in the region.

The cave temple found here are as follows
Cave 1 : The first cave made of red sandstone, dates back to 578 A.D. and was probably the first to be carved. One has to climb up 40 odd steps to reach the colonnaded verandah, a hall with numerous pillars and a square shaped sanctum hollowed in the control back wall.

Cave 2 : Dedicated to lord Vishnu depicted here as a dwarf or 'Trivikrama' of awesome dimensions with one foot mastering the Earth and the other the sky, the second cave is atop a sandstone hill.

Cave 3 : Still going higher up one comes across this cave antedating 578 A.D. The facade of the cave is nearly 70 feet wide, on the plinth one can see the carvings of ganas. The sheer artistry and sculptural genius makes this cave the highlight of Deccan art.

Cave 4 : The only Jain cave, the construction of Cave four started in the 6th century and completed after nearly 100 years later then the earlier three caves.


Caves Temples in India
Ajanta and Ellora Caves
The caves of Ajanta and Ellora lies in the district of Aurangabad in the state of Maharashtra. There are total of 29 caves in Ajanta and 34 caves in Ellora. These rock cut caves of Ajanta and Ellora are the architectural marvel that also finds place in World Heritage list.

Bhimbetka Caves
Beautifully surrounded by the forests of Sal and teak, Bhimbetka Caves are located in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The local inhabitants around the Bhimbetka caves have the deep religious thoughts attached to it. The name Bhimbetka caves is on the name of Bhima, the hero of great Hindu epic called Mahabharata.

Borra caves
Borra caves are the natural caves, that are said to have originated from the Gosthani river, which flows through these caves. The caves are said to be more than 150 years old. They were discovered by the British geologist William King Gorge in the year 1807.

Elephanta Caves
The Elephanta cave temple are located on the small Elephanta Island in the Arabian Sea, 10 km from the gateway of India. It also includes Hindu Caves. Listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Elephanta caves are the architecturally rich.