The Geographical Dictionary of Ancient and Mediaeval India c5.s2.79

c5.s2.79

Batapipura—Badami near the Malprabha river, a branch of the Krishnâ, in the Kaladgi district, now called the Bijapur district, in the province of Bombay, three miles from the Badami station of the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway. It was the capital of Pulakesi I, king of Mahârâshtra (Mo-ho-la cha of Hiuen Tsiang) in the middle of the sixth century A. D., he was the grandson of Jaya Simha, the founder of the Châlukya dynasty. He performed the Aśvamedha sacrifice. It was Pulakesi II, the grandson of Pulakesi I who defeated Harshavardhana or Silâditya II of Kanauj. There are three caves of Brahmanical excavation, one of which bears the date A D 579, and one Jaina cave temple, A D 650, at Badami. One of the caves contains a figure composed of a bull and an elephant in such a way that when the body of one is hid, the other is seen (Burgess's Belgam and Kaladgi Districts, p. 16). Bâtâpi is said to have been destroyed by the Pallava king Narasimhavarman I (Ep Ind., vol. III, p 277). The name of Bâtâpipura was evidently derived from Bâtâpi, the brother of Ilvala (of the city of Manimati—see Ind. Ant., XXV, p 163, note). Bâtâpi was killed by Rishi Agastya on his way to the south (Mbh, Vana ch. 96). See Ilvalapura.