A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar c21.47

c21.47

A group of four pillared rock-cut halls at Bādāmi, three of them Hindu and one Jaina, are all of the same type, each comprising ‘a pillared verandah, a columned hall, and a small square cella cut deep into the rock’. One of these (No. 3) is a Vaishnava cave exactly dated 578, and contains fine reliefs of Vishnu seated on Ananta and a Narasimha, both in the verandah. The workmanship in these caves is marked by a high degree of technical excellence. One noteworthy feature is the running frieze of gaṇas in various amusing postures carved in relief on each plinth. The front of these caves is otherwise unassuming but the interior is treated with great skill and care in every detail.