Agasthya Lake & Bhutanatha Group of Temples in Badami

Agastya lake is an artificial reservoir, developed in a way that the rain waters from the adjacent cave temples shall be collected here. Located on the banks of Agastya lake, Bhutanatha group of temples were built from local sandstone. These temples are dedicated to Bhoothanatha, an incarnation of Lord Shiva. In the backside of the temples, there are huge boulders that have sculptures of different incarnations of Lord Vishnu and Jain figures. Bhutanatha group has 2 major temples.

One (Bhutanantha) is on the East bank and the other (Mallikarjuna) on the Northeast bank of the lake. These two temples belong to two different kingdoms. The main Bhutanatha temple is a masterpiece of Badami Chalukyas whereas the Mallikarjuna temple belongs to Kalyani Chalukyas. Bhutanantha temple seems to have been built in two stages. of the west. The inner hall, which reflects the style of the Eastern Badami Chalukyas, has massive pillars and the bays are decorated with lotus designs. On one side of the doorway of the shrine stands Goddess Ganga, riding the makara, while on the other side is river Yamuna. Yamuna is depicted as riding the tortoise.

The outer hall represents the style of the Kalyani Chalukyas. The Mallikarjuna group is just behind the Bhutanatha temple and this shrine is also dedicated to Lord Shiva. The pyramidal type of Shikaras (super structures), open mantapas and plain walls depict the features of Kalyani Chalukyas. Plain walls and angled eaves over the open hall are the features of Western Chalukya Architecture. The temples also feature pyramid shaped superstructures made of closely spaced horizontal tiers. It is not just the history but the lush green landscapes of the region makes it worthwhile to visit.