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Badami,
formerly known as Vatapi, is a town and headquarters of a
taluk by the same name, in the Bagalkot district of
Karnataka, India. It was the regal capital of the Badami
Chalukyas from 540 to 757 AD. It is famous for rock cut and
other structural temples. It is located in a ravine at the
foot of a rugged, red sandstone outcrop that surrounds
Agastya lake. The name Vatapi has origin in the Vatapi
legend of Ramayana relating to Sage Agastya. There were two
demon siblings Vatapi and Ilvala. They used to kill all
mendicants by tricking them in a peculiar way. The elder
Ilvala would turn Vatapi into a ram and would offer its meat
to the guest. As soon as the person ate the meat, Ilvala
would call out the name of Vatapi. As he had a boon that
whomsoever Ilvala calls would return from even the
netherland, Vatapi would emerge ripping through the body of
the person, thus killing him. Their trick worked until Sage
Agastya countered them by digesting Vatapi before Ilvala
could call for him, thus ending the life of Vatapi at the
hands of Ilvala. Two of the hills in Badami represent the
demons Vatapi and Ilvala.
It is also believed that name Badami has come from colour of
its stone(badam -Almond). |
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