BADAMI, PATTADAKAL AND AIHOLE
When you read books on history and mythology, do the main characters usually come alive in front of your eyes and haunt you in your dreams? If yes, then you cannot leave Southern India without having spent a day at the cave and stone temples of Badami, Pattadakal and Aihole. 1,500 years ago, the Chalukyas experimented and improved the concept of towering Gopuras (pyramid tower over the entrance gate to a temple), to be found later in almost all temples in Southern India. To this day, many temples survive which tell the tale of a magnificent empire that dominated the Deccan Plateau for over 200 years. There are only 2 things to do in Badami, Pattadakal and Aihole; one is to carry your camera and go trigger happy at the hundreds of sandstone temples that dot the landscape. The other is to go gorge on the wonderful Corn Rotis (bread) accompanied with spicy curries. Bliss and pain combined.