Part 1 - https://www.tripoto.com/karnataka/trips/solo-backpacking-trip-to-hampi-badami-pattadakkal-664db588b9d55
After the quick nap I woke up and took an auto to Hosapete railway station at 1 a.m. There were only very few autos available at night and they charged me 80rs for the 1.5km journey. I was taking Bangalore - Ajmer Garib Nawaz express to Gadag and from there Mangalore - Vijayapura express to Badami. I reached Gadag at 4 a.m. Vijayapura express reached at 6 a.m delayed by 1 hour. Since Gadag railway station was undergoing redevelopment, there were only very few benches to sit on and the presence of numerous mosquitoes made the wait for the train unforgettable. After a one and half hour journey I reached Badami railway station.
I had breakfast from Badami station and then went outside and took a shared auto to Badami bus stand located at 4 km distance and the auto charge was only 10rs. It was a small bus stand serving Badami town. Buses are available to Pattadakal & Aihole from platform 3. There was a bus at 8:15 a.m to Pattadakal & 8:45 a.m to Aihole. Aihole buses are very rare. Many buses are there to the railway station from here. I took the 8:15 a.m bus to Pattadakal. The ticket charge was 28rs.
It is located at a distance of 21 km from Badami. After a 45 minutes bus ride passing through small villages and farming lands I reached Pattadakal at 9 a.m. Pattadakal is a UNESCO world heritage site and is a must visit place if you are ever visiting Badami. The temple complex has numerous temples and each one is showcasing the architectural marvel of ancient India. The place was well maintained and clean washrooms were available. The entrance ticket charge was 40 rs.
After this I decided to visit Aihole. The bus stop was just outside the temple entrance. But even after waiting for 30 minutes no bus came. When enquired to nearby street vendors they said that the bus frequency was quite low. Luckily one of the women who was selling butter milk asked a person working in the Aihole monument site as security to drop me there as he was going to work. So I got a lift on his bike. The weather was becoming hot and the ride on the bike with hot winds made me tired. The whole way to Aihole was very dry land without much inhabitation.
Aihole is located at a distance of 14 km from Pattadakal and after a 30 mins ride we reached there. It was a typical village in Karnataka except that the Aihole temple complex which is UNESCO's world heritage site stood out from the rest of the village as the place was clean and well maintained. The temple complex has a different architecture from the ones in Pattadakal. The architectural beauty of the complex is astonishing. The main temple - Shri durga temple stood out from the rest of the monuments. The ticket charge was 30rs. It was 11 o'clock and after spending 30 minutes there I decided to go back to Badami.
If you are coming by bus the bus stop is at the nearby junction just outside the complex. The bus frequency between Aihole & Badami is very less and you may need to wait hours for getting a bus so plan accordingly. I waited for one and half hours to get a bus and even the local people were not aware of the bus timings. The bus charge from Aihole to Badami was 33 rs. After a 1 hour journey I reached Badami bus stand by 1:30 p.m.
I had lunch from the golden caves restaurant just opposite the bus stand. It was not good and the place was not clean. After that I took an auto to the famous Badami cave temples. It was only 1 km from the bus stand but because of the scorching heat I had to take an auto which cost me 50rs.
Badami formerly known as Vatapi was the capital of Chalukyas. Badami Cave temples was a magnificent craft and really fascinating to know that such a beautiful structure was built hundreds of years ago. There were a total of 4 cave temples and we had to climb up the side of a hill to reach each temple. The view of Badami town, Agastya theertha lake & Bhootnath temple from the top was captivating.
After that I walked down and visited the Bhootnath temple located near the Agastya theertha lake. The way there from the caves was passing along some streets with many small houses on both sides. The temple located with a lake on one side and mountains on the other side was magnificent.
After that I went to the nearby Badami museum on the foothill of Badami fort. It was a good place to know about the history of Badami. After this I walked up to the Badami fort which was located on a hill where lower & upper shivalaya temples were also located. A moderate trek is required to reach the top where the Upper Shivalaya temple is located. On the way we can see Lower Shivalaya temple & Fort. The view of Badami town from the top was beautiful & a sunset made it magical. There were only very few tourists there and it was so silent and peaceful. We need to get out of the place at around 6 p.m as security officers don't allow us to roam around after that. So if you are planning to visit enter the place before 5 p.m. If you are ever in Badami never miss this place as it is one of a kind.
After this I returned back to the bus stand. I couldn't find any autos there so some local person who was selling water and juices offered to drop me at the bus stand for 50rs. The way back was also through crowded street roads and within 10 minutes we reached the bus stand. I had my dinner from Udupi shree banashree restaurant opposite the bus stand and it was good. After this I took the bus to the railway station to catch the Vijayapura - Mangalore express. The train arrived at 9:30 p.m delayed by 45 minutes and I went to sleep Immediately as I was really tired because of the long walks and hot weather.
The next morning I woke up when the train reached Sakleshpur station. The main highlight of this journey was the stretch between Sakleshpur & Subrahmanya road stations known as Bisle ghat which passes through dense forest. This route has numerous bridges & tunnels & the views all the way are captivating. After a beautiful train journey I reached Mangalore junction station at around 12:30 p.m. From there I walked to Macchi's Restaurant and had a good fish curry meal and Pomfret fry from there.
From there I took a bus to Mangalore central railway station area. I made a quick visit to City Center Mall and then went to the railway station and took the Mangalore - Trivandrum express to Thrissur. Reached home at around 1 a.m. with full of fragrant memories 😉
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