Badami, Karnataka · 15.9186°, 75.6847°
Four caves cut into red sandstone cliffs above the Agastya lake at the first Chalukya capital — among the earliest dated Hindu cave temples (Cave 3's 578 CE inscription is a fixed point of Indian art history), with the colossal Trivikrama and 18-armed dancing Shiva announcing the classical Deccan style.
The lake below is named for sage Agastya; local legend holds its waters once turned a crocodile-demon to stone — the red cliffs themselves are said to blush with the blood of the demon Vatapi, cooked and consumed by Agastya in the Puranic tale that gave Badami its old name.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-26 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Chalukya (Badami)