Aihole Tour Guide - Know about Aihole town in Karnataka and discover its historical tourist attractions.

About Aihole

Aihole is also in the Bagalkot district. Early inscriptions call this town "Ayyavole" and "Aryapura". Aihole has its own historical significance and is called as cradle of Hindu rock architecture. Many temples and caves of historical importance can be found at Aihole. It is a very popular tourist spot in north Karnataka, along with its neighbors - Badami and Pattadkal.

How to reach Aihole

It is located 128 kilometers from Bijapur (Vijapura), 132 kilometers from Hubli, 46 kilometers from Aihole, another ancient town, and 500 kilometers from Bangalore (Bengaluru), the State capital.
Rail: The nearest railway station is Bagalkot and Hubli.
Road: Aihole is connected by road to Pattadakal, Badami, Hubli and Bangalore

Climate in Aihole

• Summer - March to June
• Spring - January to March
• Monsoons - July to October
• Winter - November to January

The temperature ranges from minimum 23 degrees to 45 degrees during summer and from 15 to 29 degrees in winter. The rainfall of the area is moderate. Best time to visit is between low humid season from November and March.

Aihole History

Aihole was the first capital of the early Chalukyas. Here they built over 125 temples in various styles and is said to be a laboratory of experiments in rock cut architecture. Aihole is to the west of Badami, along the Malaprabha River, while Pattadakal is to the east.

It is from these temples that the Chalukyas gained their experience and went on to build the great temples of Pattadakal. The first phase of temple building in Aihole dates back to the 6th century A.D, the second phase up to the 12th century A.D.

Some temples were even said to have been built as early as the 5th century A.D.  The early Chalukyas inherited architectural styles largely from their neighbours to the north and south of their kingdom.

Main Tourist Attractions in Aihole

The riverbank village of Aihole is scattered with many number of abandoned temples, built between 450 and 650 A.D. They appear as architectural workshop site during the rule of early Chalukyan kings.   The kings had a guild of architects, artists, and artisans working for them.  The construction style is a combination of Gupta (north India), Dravidian and Buddhist architecture.

The chief attraction among these, built along the lines of a Buddhist chaitya (prayer hall), is Durga Temple, with its magnificent circular colonnaded veranda studded with stunning sculptures and intricate carving. In contrast to this there is the Jain Meguti Temple situated atop a nearby hill. This perhaps was the last temple to be built in Aihole in the year 634 A.D. as per inscriptions.
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Travel Plan for visiting Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal

Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal, Kudala Sangama and  Almatti Dam can be visited by basing yourself at Bijapur (Vijapura) town. There are State Government buses as well as private tourists plying between Bijapur (Vijapura) and these towns and also connecting the nearby town of Bagalkot. Alternatively, you can prefer a conducted tour of the Karnataka State Tourism Devpt. Corpn (KSTDC).

Also visit the famous Badami Cave temples in this region and the beautiful Chalukya-style temples in Pattadakal