on temples...

Well...snaps of temples in Badami and Aihole picked from different websites.Leading my students from TVS School, Tumkur in 1999 (where my romance with history and history teaching really began) into this grand rift in the sandstone hillock of Badami, with the (slimy looking as you can see in the second picture, run in by a temple ) Agastayar lake providing a visually appealing setting, my interest in temples were aroused (no, I did not come across any erotic sculpture) which continues to ignite my passions... These stately temples, spread across Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal, are all distinguished by different shapes, sizes, designs, and in my opinion defied canonical traditions of temple building. The Chalukyas were no doubt experimenting with form here before evolving their distinctne style as evidenced in the temples in Pattadakkal. Want to say something more on how temples can be taught meaningfully in classrooms. Comments invited...

The first snap on the top is one of the four cave temples in Badami depicting Vishnu in a setaed posture...note the monolithic pillars bearing a teak like quality...The snap below gives a birds eye view of the Aihole temple complex...the temple in the background called the Durga temple evidences Buddhist influence...