GIRL TRAVELS LESS

The sole reason behind my yearning to visit Badami was to see this temple.I had seen countless photos of this beautiful temple for over a year now and I knew I had to be there someday. I had the first glance of it from the rock-cut caves of Badami and was awestruck at first glance. No sooner I came out of the temple complex, I walked around the Agastya lake to reach the Bhutanath Temple. You see the lake being used by locals for fishing, washing, bathing and other daily chores.

The temple and its reflections with rock-cut mountain backdrop with humming birds as music, this place took my breath away. With travel I have realized that with one glance you fall in love with the place. The temple was exactly like how it looked in pictures; beautiful and divine.

The temple has plain walls and has a combination of South Indian and North Indian style as seen in the Shikharas (temple top structure).The temple walls are surprisingly plain without any carvings.I walked towards the lawn and at the back there were lot of wall carvings related to Shiva, Vishnu and his avatars and Ganapati. The Bhutanath Temple had me captivated and nothing, just nothing could distract me from it and I kept clicking pictures from all possible angles.

Drunk in temple’s beauty as I turned back, I found myself just staring at a beautiful sunset across the Agastya Lake and a quote from one of my favorite authors randomly popped on my mind – ” I suppose, Hinduism comes closest to being a nature religion. Rivers,rocks,trees,plants,animals and birds,both in mythology and in everyday worship.This harmony is most evident in these remote places, where gods and nature co-exist .” – Ruskin Bond.

INFO:

• Badami is best visited during October- March when you can escape the scroching heat.I personally think monsoons will also be good.You can stay in Badami where there are hotels to suit every budget located in and around the Badami Bus Stand.

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