Badami Fort

Badami Fort is located in the district of Bagalkot in the northern part of the state of Indian state of Karnataka. The fort is sprawled over the hills the hills in two fractions, having Agastya Teertha in the midst of it. It is believed that the spot housed the treasure of Tipu Sultan. The place is all flanked by rich and beautiful nature and also has a great history behind it.

It is believed that in the pre-historic times, the fort of Badami was guarded by Nandi, Lord Shiva’s bull, who used to stand at the entrance of the fort. The structure has archeological splendor as it is just a replica of the structures in pre-historic times and convinces its visitors to go back to that time. As it is spread over the two hills and has been separated, thus it further assimilates into two forts the North Fort and the South Fort.

In the ancient times, the place had been under the rule of Chalukya’s and today it stands as a must visit tourist destination in the southern state of Karnataka. The fort shares its name with its city known as Badami and is popular as an archeological site that has marked a sign in the history of the Chalukayas and Pallavas.

In the 5th century, King Pulakeshi II constructed out two ‘Shivalayas’ with Upper Shivalaya dedicated to Lord Vishnu and Lower Shivalaya dedicated to Lord Ganesha. The walls of Shivalaya have imprints of the mythological tales and also have engraved sculptures of elephants and horses. There is a watchtower which is erected just next to the Lower Shivalaya. According to the legends, this watch tower was built in the 14th century. The fort also holds granaries and treasure sites, which makes another attraction of the fort and is an evident of the glorious days in the Indian history.

The best time to pay a visit to the fort is in the months of October till March as these months are cool and renders quite a comfortable journey. The fort is opened for the visitors from 9 AM to 6 PM.