Aihole

INTRODUCTION

Nowhere is this more evident than at Aihole in Northern Karnataka. Aihole is a glorious part of India and a trip to this great center of medieval Indian art and architecture would make you aware of a great heritage. Plan your trip to Aihole in India with us and fix your date with history.

HISTORY

The Chalukya Dynasty was founded by Pulakesin I, or the Great Lion, in AD 543. In all likelihood, his family were feudatories of the earlier Kadamba dynasty before they declared their independence from their former lords.

This period saw the construction of great architectural wonders not only at Aihole but the whole region including Badami, Pattadakal, and other places. The early Chalukya dynasty was ousted by its own district officers, the Rashtrakutas in AD 757. Later on, Aihole became a part of the Bahmani and other local Muslim dynasties. In the 17th century, Aurangzeb annexed the Deccan and made it a part of the Mughal Empire and Aihole, as a part of that region, came under the Mughal rule.

SIGHTSEEING

Aihole is situated on the banks of river Malaprabha. The cave temple of Ravana Phadi stands all by itself backed against the rocky hill out of which it has been carved. The sculptures here are superb, particularly the beautiful dancing Shiva who seems to be trembling with motion. Then there is image of the fearsome Mahishasuramardini or the Mother Goddess Durga destroying the demon Mahisha. This cave is well worth a long visit.

The main Aihole temple complex is some distance away. There are about a hundred shrines, large and small, dotted all across this abandoned capital of the Chalukyas though only a few of them are in the fenced area. At one time, Aihole was a thriving trading town with a guild of 500 merchants. Today, it is a hamlet, though fenced out of the area protected by the Archeological Survey of India.

Of particular interest is the Durg Temple, which is not only the most decorated monument in Aihole, but it is also famous as an imitation of a Buddhist rock-cut chaitya hall. There is also the unusual Lad Khan temple. Some historians believe that this was never intended to be a temple but a village meeting place built to resemble a thatched hall. It is also likely that the early Chalukyan architects created these two shrines when they first attempted to build structural temples for the Hindus to worship in. SIGHTS NEARBY

Mohammed Shah Wali of Bahmani Dynasty selected Bidar as his capital in 15th century. The ancient fort at Bidar has a length of 5.5 km and is hewn out of solid rock. It is a very impressive structure, which once held 37 bastions and seven gates, royal baths, audience halls, pleasure pavilions, and water gardens in the style of West Asia. Other interesting monuments include the Rang Mahal, a huge college (madarsa) constructed in 1472, the Barid tombs, Bahmani tombs, and the Chaukhandi of Hazrat Khalil-Ullah.

Gulbarga was the first capital of the Bahmanis and the main attractions here are the tomb of Hazrat Khwaja Band Nawaz Gesu Daraz and a mosque in the old fort.

Bijapur is a large town with the Gol Gumbaz rising like a humpbacked monarch above the trees, dominating the town even from a distance. But the Gol Gumbaz is only one of the many impressive monuments in Bijapur. Other monuments include the Ibrahim Roza built in 1626, the Taj Baoli, Assa Mahal, Gaggan Mahal, Bara Khamba, and All Saints Church.

Badami was once the capital of the Chalukya kings and the place is famous for many Hindu and Jain rock-cut cave shrines. There are around four caves, each better than the other. Apart from the cave shrines, there are some old structural temples around the lake.

Pattadakal is famous for its 150 temples constructed within a radius of 48 km by the Chalukya kings. The famous ones are the Papanatha, Kashivishvanatha, Jambulinga, Galganatha, Sangamesvara, Mallikarjuna, and Virupaksha.

HOW TO REACH

By Air

The nearest airport is at Bangalore (483 km). An alternative is flying to Hyderabad and from there reaching Aihole via Raichur.

By Rail

The nearest railhead is Bagalkot (43 km) on the Hubli-Sholapur line and is connected to Badami, Bangalore and Bijapur.

By Road

Aihole has convenient road connections to several important places around it. One can got to Hubli and then proceed to Badami, which can offer good and decent accomodation options. The distances of some important places from Aihole are-Aminabad 10 km, Badami 46 km, Bangalore 483 km, Bijapur 129 km, Hampi 146 km, and Pattadakal 17 km.