Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal

The town of Badami, the nearby villages of Aihole and Pattadakal, and the pilgrimage site of Mahakuta, in the Malprabha valley of central Karnataka, are celebrated for their magnificent rock-cut shrines and structural temples. These Hindu and Jain monuments are associated with the Early Chalukyas who reigned over this part of the Deccan during the 6th–8th centuries. Together with a profusion of magnificent sculptures, mostly found in situ, these shrines and temples may be considered among the earliest, best preserved vestiges of temple art in India.

This guidebook, the first ever for the Badami region, is authored by a scholar whose PhD was on Early Chalukya architecture. The text is illustrated with regional and town maps, building plans, and more than 130 splendid coloured photographs.

AUTHOR AND PHOTOGRAPHER

George Michell obtained his PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, for his dissertation on early-Chalukya temple architecture. Since then his research has ranged from surveys of town planning and Islamic buildings to studies of Hindu temple architecture and sculpture. During the 1980s and 1990s, he and Dr. John M. Fritz co-directed an extensive survey of Hampi-Vijayanagara.

Among his many publications are: The Royal Palaces of India, Hindu Art and Architecture, The Great Temple at Thanjavur, Mughal Architecture and Gardens, Late Temple Architecture of India, 15th to 19th Centuries and, together with Helen Philon, Islamic Architecture of Deccan India.

Surendra Kumar studied information technology in Bangalore, and now works partly as a photographer, specialising in panoramic topographic views. His work has been showcased in the recently published volume, Discovering the Deccan.