Spiritual PlaceTemple complex

Mahakuta Group of Temples

Chalukyan Shiva temples near Badami, called Dakshin Kashi, around a spring-fed holy tank

Photo: Dineshkannambadi (talk) 03:16, 13 August 2008 (UTC) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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01 — The story

The Mahakuta Group of Temples stands in the village of Mahakuta, a short distance from Badami. The early Chalukya kings built them in the 6th and 7th centuries, in a style close to that of the Aihole temples. Revered as Dakshin Kashi, the Kashi of the south, Mahakuta is held to be where Shiva did penance after killing the demon Andhakasura, and it is an important Shaiva pilgrimage site.

The chief shrine is the Mahakuteshwara Temple, built in the Dravidian manner, with carved pillars and towers; the Mallikarjuna Temple is among the other shrines in the complex. Between them lies a tank fed by a natural spring, called Vishnu Pushkarini or Papavinasha Tirth, whose water is believed to heal and wash away sins. Old inscriptions are found around the site. Agastya Lake, the Bhutanatha temple and the Badami caves are nearby, and the cliffs of Badami are a popular rock-climbing area.

Unmapia

02 — About

Coming soon

We’re still writing about Mahakuta Group of Temples: its history, what’s there and why it’s worth the trip.

03 — Plan your visit