An Indian travel photography blog
Perched high on a rocky hill overlooking the ancient settlement of Aihole, the Meguti Jain Temple occupies a unique place in the history of Indian architecture. Unlike the richly ornamented shrines that surround it, Meguti is a monument of quiet dignity. Its plain sandstone walls and restrained decoration [ ]
Hidden away on the slopes of Meguti Hill is one of Aihole s least visited yet most remarkable monuments. While the village is celebrated for its Early Chalukyan Hindu and Jain temples, it also preserves the only known Buddhist monument at the site—a two-storeyed monastery and shrine carved partly [ ]
The Jyotirlinga Temple Complex comprises a group of sixteen Hindu monuments arranged around a large stepped water tank, an essential ritual and civic feature of the site. It lies to the east of the Durga Temple complex, across the road, and 250m south of the Ravana Phadi Cave. [ ]
Hidden away among the more celebrated monuments of Aihole is one of the village s finest yet least appreciated temples. The Chikki Temple (often called Chikkigudi) lacks the imposing silhouette of the Durga Temple or the fame of Lad Khan, and its plain exterior gives little indication of the [ ]
Tucked away among the numerous monuments of Aihole is a temple that is easily overlooked by visitors hurrying between the better-known Durga Temple and Lad Khan Temple. Yet Hucchimalli Gudi is one of the most important buildings in the evolution of Hindu temple architecture. Although modest in size [ ]
For over four centuries the Jami Masjid has served as the principal congregational mosque of Vijayapura (formerly Bijapur), where the city s Muslim community assembled each Friday for communal prayers. It was here that the Adil Shahi sultans demonstrated both their political authority and religious legitimacy in the symbolic [ ]
There are few buildings in India that possess the sheer visual impact of Gol Gumbaz. Rising above the skyline of Vijayapura (formerly Bijapur), its immense dark dome dominates the city from almost every direction. Even today, nearly four centuries after its completion, it remains one of the greatest [ ]
Among the many monuments that define the skyline of Vijayapura (formerly Bijapur), none is quite as unexpected as the colossal bronze cannon known as Malik-i-Maidan. Comparatively few visitors venture to the western ramparts of Bijapur Fort, where one of the greatest achievements of medieval military engineering has remained [ ]
The Malaprabha River, which rises at Kanakumbi on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats, flows through an arid valley hemmed in by dramatic sandstone cliffs for around 25 kilometres before joining the Krishna River. Roughly midway along this valley, on the left bank of the river where [ ]
Barely two kilometres west of the celebrated UNESCO monuments at Pattadakal, a low rocky hill known as Bachinagudda hides one of the area s least-visited sacred sites. While thousands of visitors follow the well-trodden path between Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal, few take the short detour to Shri Bachalingeshwara Temple, [ ]