Badami’s highlight are its beautiful cave temples. Cave One , just above the entrance to the complex, is dedicated to Shiva. It’s the oldest of the four caves, probably carved in the latter half of the 6th century. On the wall to the right of the porch is a captivating image of Nataraja striking 81 dance moves in the one pose. On the right of the porch area is a huge figure of Ardhanarishvara. On the opposite wall is a large image of Harihara, half Shiva and half Vishnu.
Dedicated to Vishnu, Cave Two is simpler in design. As with caves one and three, the front edge of the platform is decorated with images of pot-bellied dwarfs in various poses. Four pillars support the verandah, their tops carved with a bracket in the shape of a yali (mythical lion creature). On the left wall of the porch is the bull-headed figure of Varaha, the emblem of the Chalukya empire. To his left is Naga, a snake with a human face. On the right wall is a large sculpture of Trivikrama, another incarnation of Vishnu.
Between the second and third caves are two sets of steps to the right. The first leads to a natural cave with a small image of Padmapani (an incarnation of the Buddha). The second set of steps – sadly, barred by a gate – leads to the hilltop South Fort.
Cave Three , carved in AD 578, is the largest and most impressive. On the left wall is a carving of Vishnu, to whom the cave is dedicated, sitting on a snake. Nearby is an image of Varaha with four hands. The pillars have carved brackets in the shape of yalis. The ceiling panels contain images, including Indra riding an elephant, Shiva on a bull and Brahma on a swan. Keep an eye out for the image of drunken revellers, in particular one lady being propped up by her husband. There’s also original colour on the ceiling; the divots on the floor at the cave’s entrance were used as paint palettes.
Dedicated to Jainism, Cave Four is the smallest of the set and dates between the 7th and 8th centuries. The right wall has an image of Suparshvanatha (the seventh Jain tirthankar ) surrounded by 24 Jain tirthankars . The inner sanctum contains an image of Adinath, the first Jain tirthankar.
