Today we had a very long and bumpy ride as we made our way to Badami. We passed many water buffalo and teams of bullock carts as we drove. Bullock carts aren't decorated here in the wonderful way they are in the southern part of Karnataka. Here it's the John Deere tractors that are festooned with brightly colored tinsel, flashing lights, tassels, and painted designs. I'm desperately trying to get decent photos of them.
We stopped in the morning at a colorful village market. Saw Lambodi (Deccan) women dressed in bright, multi-colored clothes decorated with mirrors and coins. Silver hair ornaments hung from (what appeared to be) strands of hair on either side of the face. They reminded us of tribal women we've seen in Gujarat. I particularly enjoyed the spice vendors with bags of marvelous smelling spices in every color imaginable. As we walked we came across a man (obviously some kind of performer) whose cheek, painted with yellow and red stripes, had a huge dagger piecing through it.
Our first historical site was Aihole (pronounced eye-ho-lay), a Chalukyan Dynasty capital dating from the 5th century. Aihole is regarded as the birthplace of Indian temple architectural styles and the site of the first built temples, distinct from those carved out of solid rock. Gopurum design shows how this early period influenced architecture seen at Halebid and other Hoysala Dynasty sites.
Most of the Aihole temples were originally dedicated to Vishnu but later became Shiva temples. It was amazing to see how facile artisans were using stone so many centuries ago. Some temple roofs looked as though they were made with wood; many had beautiful pierced windows, each in a different design; ceilings were adorned with circular motifs containing fish, nagas, and sacred flowers. Next we visited Ravanaphadi, a rock-cut Shiva shrine from the 6th century where inside we saw a tall dancing Shiva.
Pattadakal, a gorgeous temple on the banks of the Malaprabha River, is the second capital of the Chalukyan kings between the 7th and 8th c. It is the city where kings were crowned. The architecture of the vimana (the tower above the "inner sanctum' where the temple's deity is housed) reminded us of styles we'd seen in Orissan temples. On both the exterior and interior of the temples are beautiful carvings of figures of the gods. All but one of these temples are dedicated to Shiva.
At Pattadakal we saw a portion of a wedding ceremony quite different from our experience the other day. This time the young man (about to be a groom) underwent preparatory prayer and spiritual cleansing. He circled a temple prostrating himself again and again. There was a musical group preceding him, a person who ran placed the sari on the ground for the man to lie on, and a procession of men and women trailing carrying offerings such as coconuts to the gods.
Arrived in Badami, a small, dusty rural village and checked into our hotel. What it lacks in decor and modernity our hotel makes up for in service. We sat outside for a hour on the grass near the pool. While we relaxed a group of Tollywood (Tamil Hollywood) movie people arrived, creating much excitement for Lakuma, Cliff and Cathy who knew them all. We've been people watching ever since.
At dusk we took off as a group of five in an auto-rickshaw to look at textiles in town. Riding in the auto-rickshaw (aka 'tuk-tuk') was fun; Cliff and I sat in the back, laughing hysterically as we went over bumps and pot holes and hanging on for dear life. Lakuma took us to a nice textile shop and everyone else bought lovely cotton cloth and ordered shirts to be made. Cliff tried to find wi-fi in town, to no avail. I don't think there's internet anywhere in Badami. Took the auto-rickshaw back home. The restaurant at the hotel has delicious food and service is very nice.
We stopped in the morning at a colorful village market. Saw Lambodi (Deccan) women dressed in bright, multi-colored clothes decorated with mirrors and coins. Silver hair ornaments hung from (what appeared to be) strands of hair on either side of the face. They reminded us of tribal women we've seen in Gujarat. I particularly enjoyed the spice vendors with bags of marvelous smelling spices in every color imaginable. As we walked we came across a man (obviously some kind of performer) whose cheek, painted with yellow and red stripes, had a huge dagger piecing through it.
Our first historical site was Aihole (pronounced eye-ho-lay), a Chalukyan Dynasty capital dating from the 5th century. Aihole is regarded as the birthplace of Indian temple architectural styles and the site of the first built temples, distinct from those carved out of solid rock. Gopurum design shows how this early period influenced architecture seen at Halebid and other Hoysala Dynasty sites.
Most of the Aihole temples were originally dedicated to Vishnu but later became Shiva temples. It was amazing to see how facile artisans were using stone so many centuries ago. Some temple roofs looked as though they were made with wood; many had beautiful pierced windows, each in a different design; ceilings were adorned with circular motifs containing fish, nagas, and sacred flowers. Next we visited Ravanaphadi, a rock-cut Shiva shrine from the 6th century where inside we saw a tall dancing Shiva.
Pattadakal, a gorgeous temple on the banks of the Malaprabha River, is the second capital of the Chalukyan kings between the 7th and 8th c. It is the city where kings were crowned. The architecture of the vimana (the tower above the "inner sanctum' where the temple's deity is housed) reminded us of styles we'd seen in Orissan temples. On both the exterior and interior of the temples are beautiful carvings of figures of the gods. All but one of these temples are dedicated to Shiva.
At Pattadakal we saw a portion of a wedding ceremony quite different from our experience the other day. This time the young man (about to be a groom) underwent preparatory prayer and spiritual cleansing. He circled a temple prostrating himself again and again. There was a musical group preceding him, a person who ran placed the sari on the ground for the man to lie on, and a procession of men and women trailing carrying offerings such as coconuts to the gods.
Arrived in Badami, a small, dusty rural village and checked into our hotel. What it lacks in decor and modernity our hotel makes up for in service. We sat outside for a hour on the grass near the pool. While we relaxed a group of Tollywood (Tamil Hollywood) movie people arrived, creating much excitement for Lakuma, Cliff and Cathy who knew them all. We've been people watching ever since.
At dusk we took off as a group of five in an auto-rickshaw to look at textiles in town. Riding in the auto-rickshaw (aka 'tuk-tuk') was fun; Cliff and I sat in the back, laughing hysterically as we went over bumps and pot holes and hanging on for dear life. Lakuma took us to a nice textile shop and everyone else bought lovely cotton cloth and ordered shirts to be made. Cliff tried to find wi-fi in town, to no avail. I don't think there's internet anywhere in Badami. Took the auto-rickshaw back home. The restaurant at the hotel has delicious food and service is very nice.
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