Aihole

Aihole holds more than a hundred temples built between roughly the sixth and twelfth centuries, and it is usually described as a laboratory: the Chalukyas experimented here with plans, roof forms and pillar types, trying northern nagara and southern dravida idioms and hybrids of both, and what worked was carried to Pattadakal and beyond. The Durga temple, the best known, is apsidal in plan with a colonnade running round it and carved panels of deities between the pillars; the name has nothing to do with the goddess but refers to a fort. Lad Khan is a squat pillared hall, and Ravan Phadi is a rock-cut cave with a dancing Shiva.

History

Aihole is called Ayyavole and Aryapura in its inscriptions, and an axe-shaped rock on the Malaprabha is linked to the legend of Parashurama washing his axe here. Its documented history begins with the Early Chalukyas in the 6th century, who made it, with Badami and Pattadakal, a centre of experiment in temple building; the Rashtrakutas ruled the area in the 9th and 10th centuries, and the Late Chalukyas, who fortified it in the 11th and 12th, made it a hub of temple arts with a famous guild of artisans and merchants, the Ayyavole 500 (Wikipedia, Aihole).

Highlights

• The Durga temple - an apsidal plan ringed by a carved colonnade.
• Lad Khan - a low pillared hall, one of the earliest forms tried.
• Ravan Phadi - a rock-cut cave with a ten-armed dancing Shiva.
• The scattered temples - dozens more through the village and fields.

When to go

October to March; the region is severely hot from March. Mornings are best. Most visitors combine Aihole with Badami and Pattadakal in a single circuit.

Before you go

Many temples stand in the village among houses and fields, unlabelled and unguarded. The main enclosure charges entry; the rest is found by wandering. Facilities are minimal.

Nearby

Pattadakal lies southwest; Badami is west.

Key facts