Rock-cut shrines near Bhootnath temple complex

Right besides Bhootnath temple complex is this huge sandstone boulder on which relief sculptures are present.

On the northern face are four Shivalinga, two of the Shivalinga have their own Nandi.

Closer look at the sculptures. Shivalingas are housed in Garbhagudi, complete with Shikhara.

Another view of the northern face. On the extreme left is an image of four-armed standing Vishnu.

As we go around the rock formation, a natural shelter is seen. The rock faces under the overhang are filled with sculptures of Hindu gods.

There are two rows; the lower row consists of ten male characters in seated position, mostly in meditative position. Most of the images have been damaged, seemingly an intentional act of vandalism. The upper row, left to right, has Boovaraha, Ganapati, Brahma, Maheshwara, Vishnu, Mahishamarshini and Ugranarasimha. To the extreme right is a Shivalinga inside a Garbhagudi. Each of the characters have an arch, probably incomplete arches. Just above the arches are inscriptions of signatures in Kannada. I guess those are sculptors' banes. Over the inscriptions are seven square holes, five small and two large. It's my guess those are meant for placing oil lamps.

On the other face under the overhang are three images; one complete and two incomplete. On the left is Shivalinga inside Garbhagudi; in the middle is standing Vishnu with incomplete housing; and to the right is an image in very early stages. For some reason work was abandoned. On the lower part of the face is a small Shivalinga. Further lower and to the left is a square outline. Looks like that's another incomplete Shivalinga.

As we go around the boulder to the opposite side. a small structural temple is present. The temple has been built in a very tight space. From here it looks as though a cube has been pushed into the boulder.

On the left of the footpath is a boulder with natural slits. The lower slit which is open to sky catches rainwater. The ancient sculptors made a narrow groove to funnel out water. The boulder isn't large enough to hold water to sustain a flow lasting more than an hour. Maybe it lasted more than what I ca imagine.

Caretakers have maintained a neat lawn and flowering plants here. The pink Oleanders and green leaves enhance the place's charm.

Another look at the squeezed in temple. The more I look at this temple, the more I admire the clever idea.

This seems to be another incomplete rock-cut shrine. Not sure is this was meant to be a rock-cut shrine or a combination of rock-cut and structural temple.

View of the spot from an elevated spot.

This is my friend Srini from Hyderabad. Srinu and I were on a two-day tour of Badami, Pattadakal and Aihole. Our tour had started from the four cave temples. Then we drove around to the North fort side. We had done quite a bit of walking under the blazing sunlight. We took a short break while it was partly cloudy. This waterbody is home to water fowls and other water birds.

At a distance was a flock of cormorants resting on rocks amidst the waters. Cormorants are good fliers and swimmers. With their webbed feet, they swim well on the surface and even underwater. The way they take from water is a sight to behold.

Turning back the sandstone formations, I noticed a unique feature here. On the surface were irregular lines which looked like dried sticky matter.

On the lower part of this picture, there are bands of lighter shades. Amazing how this texture came into being. Sandstone, a sedimentary rock, is formed when grains of quartz or feldspar are held together under pressure for millions of years. During the process other minerals too get trapped and remain embedded in sandstones.

A closer look at the dripping and sliding lines. Is it possible that some matter were squeezed out under pressure, like concrete escaping through gaps of centering plates.

Lastly, at the end of Bhootnath group enclosure is a rock-cut cave shrine known as Vishnu Gudi. Inside that cave temple are several images, the chief image being that of Anantashayana. We'll see Vishnu Gudi in detail in the following post.

In the above picture, on the left hand side are two incomplete images. Once is Ganapati for sure. The other image could be meant to be Vishnu. Having written this post, I feel I must visit Bhootnath group again and catch up with missed out sculptures.

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Bhootnath temple complex, Badami

Situated at one corner of Badami, Bhootnath group receives the least number of visitors. Of the tourists coming here, most are city folks or foreigners since the place is mostly free from hordes, most times it has a peaceful ambiance. The best part is the charm of the waterbody - Agastyatirtha. Then there are young couples looking for privacy find this place convenient. 

This group consists of 8 temples including the small ones. The largest structure of the group is Bhootnath Gudi and other would be dedicated to other deities. Then there are a dozen or so relief sculptures on the huge boulder a stone's throw away. On the boulder are two small structures as well. I'm not sure if those rock-cut shrines and smaller temples are part of Bhootnath group. Totally there are 12 structural temples and more than a dozen rock-cut shrines.

I've visited this group three or four times, the memorable ones being in Sept 2012 and Aug 2023. During my earlier visit there were information boards which describe this monument as below.

ಭೂತನಾಥ ಸಂಕೀರ್ಣ
ಶ್ರೀ ಪೈಗರ ಶ್ರೀಧರ ಭೂತೇಶ್ವರ' ಎಂದು ಎಂಟನೆಯ ಶತಮಾನದ ಶಾಸನದಲ್ಲಿ ಉಲ್ಲೇಖಿತವಾದ ಭೂತನಾಥ ದೇವಾಲಯವು ಮುಖ್ಯವಾಗಿರುವ ಈ ದೇವಾಲಯಗಳ ಸಂಕೀರಣದಲ್ಲಿನ ಈ ದೇವಾಲಯ ಹಲವು ಬಾರಿ ಜೀರ್ಣೋದ್ದಾರಗೊಂಡಿದೆ. ಇದರ ಮುಂದಣ ಒಂದು ಶಾಸನದಲ್ಲಿ "ಕರಿಯಮ್ಮ ಸ್ಥಾನದ ದೀವಿಗೆ" ಎಂದಿದೆ. ಈ ಸಂಕಿರಣದ ಈಶಾನ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ಒಂದು ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರಕೂಟರ ಕಾಲದ ಮಂದಿರವಿದ್ದು ಅದರಲ್ಲಿ ಲಕುಳೀಶನ 7 ಇಲ್ಲವೇ 8ನೆಯ ಶತಮಾನದ ಪೂಜಾ ಮೂರ್ತಿಯಿದೆ. ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕಲ್ಯಾಣ ಚಾಳುಕ್ಯರ ಕಾಲದ ಹಲವು ಗುಡಿಗಳಿದೆ.

The Bhutanatha Group
This group has the main temple called 'Sri Paigara Shridhara Bhuteshwara' in a record of the eighth century. The temple has undergone repairs many times, and is a simple structure. An inscription in front speaks of "Kariyamma Sthanada Divige." There is a Rashtrakuta temple to its north-east with Lakulisha image within and the image is assigned to the 7th or 8th Century. There are many shrines of Kalyana Chalukya times around this.

The temples in this group are either west-facing or south-facing except one north-facing temple. The temple seen here in the background is the second largest here. In the background is the boulder with two temples on its top.

A closer look at the boulder-top temples. The only access to these temples has been blocked out of concern for tourist safety, maybe there are other reasons. Ancient builders imagination and ability to build at unusual location is simply amazing.

Turning our attention to the main cluster. The temples ate packed together leaving ample space around the cluster. As you see, this group of temples have access to the waters of  Agstyatirtha. This waterbody is fed by the streams flowing down the sandstone hill. 

When there's a good rainfall, a waterfall appears on the cliff. It's a sight to behold. This is the entrance to Bhootnath group. On the left is a special pillar, unsure of its purpose.

The first temple as we enter the cluster. This could be the Rastrukuta temple with an image of Lakulisha. Lakulisha is said to be the 28th and the avatar of Shiva. He is depicted with a lakut (mace) hence the name. Lakulisha is considered as the founder of the Pashupata sect and propounder of Yoga system.

A smaller temple with a sloping canopy.

Rear view of the group. The well preserved Shikhara of Bhootnath temple seems to be a Vimananagari type. Shikhara of smaller temples are stepped pyramids. I feel these are experimental models like the temples of Galaganatha group at Aihole.

Rear diagonal view of Bhootnath Gudi. It's a beautiful structure with a wide pillared hall with two side entrances i.e. northern and southern sides.

At the southern entrance is a pillar similar to the one seen at the group entrance (fourth picture). At the first glance they look similar but with a small difference in the orientation of drilled holes . The pillar here seems to be a torch holder.

The side entrances are right next to the Antarala walls (vestibule). On the right hand side is a damaged sculpture. The reminder of the image is intriguing... what could that have been? Going by the looks of the interior, it seems this temple has been modified at least once. May be this hall was extended to accommodate more people.

Right opposite the Garbhagudi (sanctum) sits Nandi, and behind Nandi is a chamber which seems like a secondary sanctum. If it is another sanctum, we could call this temple a Dwikutachala.

A view of the packed space between the structures.

There goes Srinu my friend from Hyderabad. We were on a tour of the Chalukyan realm- Badami, Pattadakal and Aihole, Srinu's first visit here.

These small structures can be seen even at Pattadakal temple complex. In fact there are even smaller ones, 2" cubical temples. I feel these little structures were assignments or projects for apprentice sculptors.

Ancient builders planning was so careful, every little detail was looked into. Ancient temple sites rarely disrupted natural flow of rainwater around them. Same applies to Bhootnath group. The rainwater flows downhill forming a stream which joins Agstyatirtha right next to the group. On the left side of the picture is a small bridge, that's where the water flows in from. I really must visit here during a rainy season... wishing, hoping & praying for good rains this season.

Done with Bhootanath group of structural temples we move ahead to see the rock-cut shrines.

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