Bagalkot town is the district headquarters of the Bagalkot district situate in Karnataka State. Bagalkot (Bagalakote) district was carved out of Bijapur and made as separate district in 1997. The earlier name of Bagalkot was 'Bagadige'. Bagalkot was the capital of the Chalukya Empire of South India. This region was also under the rule of Vijayanagara, Peshwas, Hyder Ali of Mysore, Marathas and East India Company.
Bagalkot offers many sightseeing places to the tourists. The main attraction here is Aihole, Badami and Pattadakallu which are known for their historical monuments and temples.
Badami
Badami is at a distance of 30km from Bagalkot. Founded in 540 A.D. by Pulikesi I, Badami was the erstwhile capital of the Chalukya Empire in the 6th century AD and was formerly called as Vatapi. Badami is famous for its monuments, carvings and inscriptions and the credit for building such magnificent monuments and temples goes to the Chalukyas. Badami is noted for its rock-cut cave temples which are finest examples of Chalukaya architecture. The Chalukya style of temple architecture is a blend of the North Indian Nagara style and the South Indian Dravidian style. The four cave temples signify the secular nature of the rulers. These cave temples are carved out of sand stone on the precipice of a hill. Cave 1 is devoted to Shiva which was built during the 5th century. The cave has carvings of Shiva in Ardhanareeswara and Harihara avatatrs. Shiva is also depicted in in his dancing form – as Nataraja with eighteen arms. One has to climb about 40 steps to reach this cave.
Caves 2 and 3 are dedicated to Vishnu. In cave 2 Vishnu is depicted in the Trivikrama form. This cave 2 can be reached by climbing 64 steps from the first cave. The ceilings of the cave have carvings of lord Vishnu on grauda along with many scenes from the puranans. In cave 3 lord Vishnu is depicted in different forms like the dwarf, as Trivikrama, as Narasimha and as Varaha.
Cave 4 displays reliefs of Jain Tirthankaras. Lord Mahavira is depicted in a unique sitting posture here. The figure of Tirthankara Parshavnatha is also carved inside the cave.
Badami fort
The Badami fort is located two kilometres from the town. This fort was constructed by great ruler Pulikeshi II during the 5th century. It has two huge temples for Lord Shiva. The Upper Shivalaya is devoted to Lord Shiva. Whereas the lower one is dedicated to Ganesha. The outer walls are sculpted with tales from mythology. There is also a 14th century watch tower close by.
Bhuthanatha Temples
Temples of Bhuthanatha dedicated to Lord Shiva face the Agastya Lake. Bhuthanatha means God of Souls. These temples are made from sandstone and there are two major temple one on the east and the other on the north-east side of the Agasthya Lake.
Archaeological museum
The Archaeological Museum was founded in 1979. It is situated at the foothills of the northern hill which houses the northern fort. The museum has four galleries out of which two are open air. The museum displays prehistorical stone equipment’s and sculptures which dates between 6th to 16th century AD which is the main attraction here.
The Agasthya Tirtha
This is a beautiful lake considered as holy by the pilgrims. It is situated at the foot of the hill that houses the cave temples. The water of this lake is believed to have healing powers.
Aihole
This historical town is a very popular tourist spot located on the banks of Malaprabha River in Bagalkot district of Karnataka. Aihole was the first capital of Chalukya dynasty. Aihole which is about 26km from Bagalkot was also called as "Ayyavole" and "Aryapura" in earlier days. Aihole is known as the cradle of Hindu stone architecture. Aihole was the experimental ground for different styles of temple construction during the chalukya rule. There are about 125 intricately carved temples in various style and historians have divided all the temples into 22 groups.
Prominent temple groups at Aihole are the Kontigudi group and the Galaganatha group of temples. A group of three temples is referred to as the Kontigudi group of temples consisting of the Lad Khan temple, Huchiappayyagudi temple and the Huchiappayya math. The most prominent among these is Lad Khan temple built in late 7th or early 8th century. Here there is a shrine with two mantapas in front of it and the temple is constructed in a Panchayat hall style. The windows were filled up with lattice work in the northern style and the main shrine houses a Shiva Linga.
The Huchappayyya Gudi temple has a curvilinear tower over the sanctum typical of the Chalukyan style.
The Galaganatha group of Aihole has nearly 30 temples along the bank of the river Malaprabha. The main shrine of the Galaganatha temple enshrining Shiva has images of Ganga and Yamuna at the entrance to this shrine. These temples are characterized by a curvilinear shikhara above the Garba Griha.
The Durga Temple or the fortress temple is the most popular temple. The notable features of this temple are semi-circular apse, elevated plinth and the gallery encircling the sanctum. There are beautiful carvings and ornamental reliefs all through the temple.
Melguti Jain Temple was built atop a small hill in 634 AD. This temple which was possibly never completed is the only dated monument here.
Gowda temple in Aihole is dedicated to Goddess Bhagwati. The temple has sixteen plain pillars.
Ravalpadi cave-temple is one of the oldest rock cut cave temples. This is a Shaivite cave temple and the temple depicts many forms of Lord Shiva. Located south-east of Hucchimalli temple this temple has triple entrance.
Suryanarayana temple built around 7th or 8th century has an icon of Surya along with his two consorts Usha & Sandhaya on a chariot drawn by horses.
Pattadakal
Pattadakal is located about 29 kms from Bagalkot. Pattadakal is situated on the left bank of the Malaprabha River in Bagalkot district of Karnataka and is 14 kms from Aihole and 22 Kms from Badami. Pattadakal was the cultural capital during the chalukaya rule. Pattadakal is famous for its group of beautifully crafted temples dating back to 8th century AD. Pattadakal was designated a World Heritage Site in 1987. There are ten major temples here, including a Jain temple. Out of the nine Hindu temples, four temples are in Nagara style and the other six are in Dravidian style.
The best known temple is the Virupaksha temple, built by Queen Lokamahadevi. This temple was built in 745 to honour Queen Lokamahadevi’s husband Vikramaditya II’s victory over the Pallavas of Tamilnadu. The Virupaksha temple which is one of most beautiful temple was influenced by the architecture of the Kailasanathar Temple located at Kanchi and the interior of temple is embellished with intricate carvings and aesthetically modelled sculptures. Virupaksha Temple is the only functioning shrine in the temple complex today.
Mallikarjuna temple was built soon after Virupaksha temple. This is a smaller version of the Virupaksha temple and was built by Vikramadiyta's second queen Trilokyamahadevi in 745. There is an octagonal pillar set up in front of the temple which is engraved with inscription in the Siddhamatrika and Kannada -Telugu characters.
Sangameshvara Temple is incomplete but still very attractive. Sanghameswara Temple is the oldest temple in Pattadakal and was built by King Vijayaditya Satyashraya. The temple is built in Dravidian style & consists of a sanctum, small vestibule, sub shrines on either side of the vestibule, inner passage & a huge hall with pillars.
Papanatha Temple built in 680AD was started in Nagara style but later changed to Dravidian style. The temple is dedicated to Mukteswara. This temple has many similarities with the Navabrahma temples in Alampur, Andhra Pradesh. The temple has beautiful sculptures depicting the scenes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
Kasivisvesvara temple was built by the Rashtrakutas in the 8th century. This temple was probably the last to be built in the early Chalukyan style and houses the Shiva Linga on a plinth in the sanctum.
The Kadasiddheswara and Jambulingeswara temples built in very similar styles are fine examples of Nagara style of architecture. Kadasiddeshvara temple has a sculpture of Shiva holding a Trident or Trishul.
The Jain Temple was built in the Dravidian style by the Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta. This three-storied temple which belongs to the 9th century has some very beautiful sculptures and carvings.
Galganatha Temple has sculpture of Lord Shiva killing the demon Andhakasura.
Kudala Sangama
Kudala Sangama is about 40 km from Bagalkot. This is the place where Malaprabha River and Krishna River merge. Kudala Sangama is one of the important pilgrim centres for people of lingayat faith. On banks of Sangama, there is a temple called Sangamanatha temple. The shrine is dedicated to Lord Sangameshwara worshipped here in the form of a Linga. The Aikya Mantapa of Basavanna who was a 12th century poet, reformer and the founder of the Lingayat faith is found here along with a self-born Linga.
Mahakuta
Mahakuta is a place of religious significance for Shaivites and is at a distance of 15 km from Badami. The temples here represent the Chalukya architecture. Two inscriptions found in Mahakuta -the Pillar Inscription and the Porch Inscription is of great significance. The Mahakuteswara temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is built in Dravidian style. The temple has a linga and nandi in the front.
Banashankari
Banashankari Amma Temple dedicated to Goddess Parvati is located at Cholachagudd which is about 5 km from Badami. The temple was originally built by chalukyas in Dravidian style which was later rebuilt during Vijayanagara and Maratha periods.
How to reach Bagalkot
The nearest major airports to Bagalkot are the Belgaum Airport which is 121 kms and the Dabolim Airport in Goa which is 218 km from Bagalkot. Bagalkot has its own train station and is connected to most major cities in India. Bagalkot is well connected by road to other cities of the state like Hubli, Belgaum, Bijapur etc. There are a number of KSRTC buses plying between Bagalkot and neighbouring cities. Regular KSRTC and MSRTC buses also ply between Bagalkot and Sholapur.
Accommodation
There are plenty of accommodation options available in Bagalkot catering to different budgets.