During the last week of September 2023, Sridhar mentioned his plan of visiting Dharwad, a two-day visit. Over a couple of more phone calls, it became a 5-day visit with a tour of Chalukyan realm in between. I was glad that Sridhar extended his trip, he had not seen any of the Chalukyan monuments and I was happy that he would be seeing them with me.
Oct 5, 2023. We left Dharwad early morning morning, reached Badami by 8-30, had breakfast at a Udupi restaurant and we started the tour of rock-cut caves around 9 AM. After the caves, we headed to the north hill and visited all the monuments- lower Shivalaya, kings' meeting place, Upper Shivalaya, the granaries and a massive turret & fortifications. Then back at the base of the rock formation, we saw the artifacts collection in the museum. Having done with Badami, we headed towards Shivayogi Mandira where we had lunch- Anna Prasada. It was a satisfying meal of uppit and anna-saru. We got a chance to see the Vibhuti making unit within the campus. Then we rested for a while and headed towards Mahakoota. We parked and cooled off with a refreshing nimbu-soda. As we entered the temple complex, I was shocked to see the metal grills around the pond, it was eyesore but it was needed to keep out unruly crowds. Sridhar was very happy here since he could touch many of the Shivalinga idols. We spent almost an hour seeing the temples in detail. We left Mahakoota around 3-30 pm, headed towards Pattadakal which would be the last place for the day.
As we entered Pattadakal temple complex, we covered the first half, and as we came to the middle of the complex, I got an idea- take a break from the temples and see Malaprabha. Pattadakal is situated on the left bank of river Malaprabha. The river flows in the general direction of west but here it takes a ninety degree turn, flows northward for a short distance and then turns west again. In Hindu traditions, the place where a river flows northwards is considered holy. Based on this belief, such places usually have temples and remains a place of significance. It is said that Chalukyan princes' Patthabhishekha (coronation ceremony) took place at this place hence the name Pattadakal.
During one of the earlier visits here, I had come to see the river however I can't recall much. On the eastern side of the temple complex is a gateway which leads to the river, barely a hundred meters away. Treading on wet cool sand on a warm day is so relaxing! Then stepping into the gracefully flowing clear water took me to another level.. felt rejuvenating. We waded across ankle deep water, crossed the stream and stepped on to a tiny island. That's Sridhar with his Nikon. A group of kids were within talking distance and a group of ladies were washing upstream.
Waters flowing into the northerly direction. That's the bridge across Malaprabha connecting Pattadakal and Aihole. Water was shallow where I stood. However, beyond the rocks, most of the water flowed on the left side of the bed, water was deep there. After a less than normal rainfall, Malaprabha's water level is low. In the past I've seen this stream flowing bank to bank. In fact, in 2010 a heavy rainfall caused to heavy flooding. Pattadakal village and temple complex were in 8 to 9 feet water. Most places on Malaprabha banks were flooded including Shivayogi Mandir and a few temple complexes at Aihole.
Looking in the southerly direction. If we go along the river we'll pass by Bachingudda, one of the historical places and then reach Shivayogi Mandira.
Insect tracks in the riverbed. I have no clue as to what insect created it beautiful maze. Possibly it could be more than two of the same type of insect.
While we moved around in the water and chatted with the kids, a group of boys had crossed over from the opposite bank. One of the boys approached me with this sword asking for a picture.
That encouraged the other boys to join that boy for a group shot. After taking a few shots, I asked the eldest of them to take the sword and middle position. This bodybuilder may not be the sword owner but he seems to be the group leader. The guy with saffron stole must be his righthand man. The group left after exchanging mobile numbers with me to share the pictures.
Meanwhile the kids kept away from the gang. Looks like the kids were scared of the boys. Local politics in play. The eldest of the kids was trying to make something out of sand, or was he trying to catch fish. I'm not sure.
These three must be really thick friends. One of them had left his slippers on the island and playing a distance away. One of the other kids smiled at each other, unspoken mischief in play. The kid gave a light push and one of the slippers started floating away. The slipper owner had to chase his slipper to retrieve it. We had a good laugh as the slipper owner hurled abuses.
This is the gateway which connects the temple group and Malaprabha. To my knowledge, this is probably the largest gateway in Chalukyan monuments. There's an inscription on one of the blocks in one of the pillars. This gateway is proportional to the temples of this complex.
Right next to the gateway is this badly eroded idol of Nandi and the Ficus with long curvy arms.
View of the gateway from inside the complex. It was meant to be a grand structure, a befitting accompaniment to the grand temples here.
We spent another hour seeing the temples, marvelous sculptures on their exteriors and interiors as well. For some reason I've never been able to photograph these temples satisfactorily. During my previous visits, I faced one or the other issue.. once my camera battery ran out, on another occasion dark clouds formed and it rained. I have to plan another visit and make sure to be present here early morning, would like to shoot these temples in morning light since all these temples are east-facing.
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