Experiences at the Wada
- Tea Time: Treat yourself to Hi Tea at the Meghuti Hills which are a short trek from the hotel. Enjoy the spectacular vista with a specially curated menu for an unforgettable experience.
- Sunset Celebration: The magical sunset from the Meghuti Hills is a highlight for all visitors to Aihole. Celebrate nature’s brilliant bounty with a personalized Sundowners menu to create memories to last a lifetime.
- Relax and Unwind: Go swimming in the Mallaprabha river and enjoy a customized Picnic basket for a rejuvenating time on the banks of the Mallaprabha river.
- Around the potters wheel: Take a pottery class with a local potter in his domain to create your own masterpiece. You can also opt to take a ready piece and unleash your creativity by painting it.
- Best of Aihole: Take a short-guided walking tour of the landmark temples of Aihole.
- Tayi’s Kitchen: For the gastronomically inclined, take a cooking class with the local Tayi’s (mothers) and learn some simple dishes of North Karnataka’s cuisine for you to add to your culinary repertoire.
* – Prior Booking required.
Aihole
Cradle of Hindu Architecture: Tour the temples of Aihole
There are more than a hundred temples in Aihole dotted across the villages and fields nearby. The most popular temples are the Durga Temple and Lad Khan temple.
- The Durga Temple complex also houses an archaeological museum and art gallery.
- The Lad khan temple showcases iconography from Shaiva, Vaishnava and Shakti traditions of Hinduism.
- Ravana Phadi cave: Ravanaphadi Cave is a 6th-century rock-cut cave Temple housing Shiva and Parvathi. Ravanaphadi is about a km from the Durga Temple complex. Extensive artwork featuring Lord Shiva, Parvathi, Ganesha and Vishnu can be seen inside the cave.
- Other attractions are the Huchimalli Temple with a sculpture of Lord Vishnu sitting atop a cobra, the Konti Temple Complex, the Umamaheswari Temple, the Jain Meguti Temple, and the two-storied Buddhist temple.
- The climb to the Jain Meguti Temple (via approximately 100 steps) is a popular place to visit to enjoy the spectacular sunset from the hilltop.
- Other ancient temples of interest are Garudagudi, Chakragudi, Ambigaragudi, Rachigudi, Kuntigudi, Hallibasappa Gudi, Badigargudi, Trimbakeshwar temple, Mallikarjuna Temple and Jyotirlinga.
Popular temples in Aihole are:
Durga Temple.
Lad Khan Temple.
Ravana Phadi Temple.
Hucchimalli Gudi.
Jain Meguthi Temple.
Pattadakal
Pattadakal “place of coronation” was considered a holy place. It was used during the Chalukya Dynasty for coronation ceremonies. Pattadakal along with Aihole and Badami was a major cultural centre and religious site for innovations in architecture and experimentation of ideas between the 6th and 12th century.
Popular temples in Pattadakal are:
Ardhanarishvara Temple.
Jambulingeshwara Temple.
Galaganatha Temple.
Chandrashekhara Temple.
Mahabharata Frieze.
Badami
Badami occupies an important place in the heritage and history of Karnataka. Four rock-cut caves adorned with ancient carved pillars and bracket figures cut out of red sandstone.The caves overlook the Agastya Theertha Lake, its banks dotted with a group of Bhutanatha Temples. Dedicated to Shiva’s form as the god of souls, spirits and ghosts, the Bhutanatha Temple dates back to the 7th century with the outer mantapa added in 11th century during the late Kalyani Chalukyan age. The caves are best seen at sunset when the evening sun captures the rust-red tint of the sandstone.
Do not miss visiting the archaeological museum and granary in the premises of Badami caves.
Popular temples in Badami are:
Bhutanatha Temple.
Cave Temples 1.
Cave Temples 2.
Cave Temples 3.
Banashankari Temple.
Excursions
Hampi
Distance – 139 kms
Hampi was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire in the 14th century. By 1500 CE, Hampi-Vijayanagara was the world’s second-largest medieval-era city after Beijing, and probably India’s richest at that time, attracting traders from Persia and Portugal. The Vijayanagara Empire was defeated by a coalition of Muslim sultanates; its capital was conquered, pillaged and destroyed by sultanate armies in 1565, after which Hampi remained in ruins.
Located in Karnataka, Hampi’s ruins are spread over 4,100 hectares (16 sq mi) and it has been described by UNESCO as an “austere, grandiose site” of more than 1,600 surviving remains of the last great Hindu kingdom in South India that includes “forts, riverside features, royal and sacred complexes, temples, shrines, pillared halls, mandapas, memorial structures, water structures and others”.
Popular temples to visit are:
Malyavasanta Raghunath Swamy Temple, Hazara Rama Temple Complex, Krishna Temple, Vittala Temple and Virupaksha Temple.
Bijapur
Distance from Aihole – 108.8 kms
Bijapur was established in the 10th–11th centuries by the Kalyani Chalukyas and was known as Vijayapura (City of victory).
The foundations of this historic city were laid during the reign of the Chalukyan Dynasty. They called it ‘Vijayapura’ or the ‘City of Victory’ from where comes its present name Vijaypura (Bijapur). This one-time capital of the Adil Shahi kings (1489-1686) is dotted with mosques, mausoleums, palaces, fortifications, watchtowers, and strong gateways, with the massive Gol Gumbaz, India’s largest dome, dominating the landscape for miles around. Vijaypura (Bijapur) experienced a great burst of architectural activity under the Adil Shahi rulers. It is also famous for the hand-made sarees of llkal. Places of interest include the Bijapur Fort, Bara Kaman, Jamia Masjid and Gol Gumbaz.
Bagalkot
Distance – 34 kms
Legend states that Bagalkot (previously known as Bagadige) was gifted to the Bhajantries (musicians) by Ravana, King of Lanka who was the ruler at the time. This town also has a rich history and many temples to visit which take between 1-2 hours. Temples are open for visitors between 6.30 am to 5.30 pm and entry fees are applicable.
