About the Book:
The ancient Vatapi, now known as Badami, in Bagalkot district (formerly Bijapur) of Karnataka, was the capital city of first Imperial Western Chalukyas of Badami, swayed whole of South India from 6th. to 8th. centuries A.D. The Chalukyan rulers were liberal patrons of religion, art and architecture, who immortalized the rock-cut cave temples architecture in Karnataka, for which they are famous. The erection of temples with both Nagari and Dravidian styles enjoys a unique position in the annuals of Indian temple architecture popularly known as Chalukyan style.

The caves and temples offer interesting details with study of sculptures, iconography, history of Karnataka in particular and India in general. The caves and temples embellished variety of sculptures and reliefs which are highly developed in plastic art of South India. The Chalukyan sculptures are mostly religious in nature and represent Siva in various forms, Vishnu and his several incarnations, Jain, Buddha, and Minor Divinities, etc. The panels depicting themes from Ramayana, Mahabharata and folklore anecdotes from Panchatanta are the earliest one in Karnataka.
Chapter I & II deals with Introduction and about the Site and Its Environs. Chapter III deals with Historical Perspective of Chalukyan dynasty. Chapter IV deals with Sculptures from Caves and Temples of Saivate Sculptures, Vaishnava Sculptures, Composite Sculptures, Jaina, Buddhist, Minor and Miscellaneous Sculptures and the Chapter V is Conclusion with sump of the subject.

This work aims at presenting a detailed and systematic study of sculptures and iconography of Saiva, Vaishnava, Jaina, Buddha, Minor Divinities and miscellaneous sculptures of Chalukyas of Badami based on Agamas, Puranas and ancient texts, from the sculptural and iconographic point of view.

About the Author:
Dr. K.M. Suresh (born 1952) former Registrar and retired Professor & Director (Museum) in the Kannada University, Hampi in Karnataka, obtained his M.A., from Karnataka University, Dharwad in 1974 and P.G. Diploma in Archaeology from Institute of Archaeology, Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi in 1986. He obtained Ph.D., Degree from Utkala University, Bhubaneswar, Orissa in 1992 on “Sculptural Art of Hampi”, under the guidance of Late Prof: K.S. Behera, Department of History.
After retirement from the Kannada University, Hampi, worked as Visiting Professor in the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Indian Institute of Science Campus, Bangalore, on The Indian Digital Heritage Research Project on Hampi.
Since his inception in the Archaeological Survey of India from 1976 to 1996, he served in various capacities in the Archaeological Museums at Bijapur, Hampi, Aihole and Badami in Karnataka and Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh. He has been active field worker and excavator in the Excavations Branch-IV of Archaeological Survey of India, Bhubaneswar in Orissa.
Dr. Suresh has published more than 20 books on sculptures and temples from Karnataka, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh. He is member of many academic societies and guide to Ph.D. and M.Phil, scholars in the Kannada University, Hampi and examiner for other Universities. He is UGC Expert Committee Member for Museology and Conservation and Archaeology and also Expert Committee Member for History and Archaeology.