The town of Badami, the nearby villages of Aihole and Pattadakal, and the pilgrimage site of Mahakuta, in the Malprabha valley of central Karnataka, are celebrated for their magnificent rock-cut shrines and structural temples. These Hindu and Jain monuments are associated with the Early Chalukyas who reigned over this part of the Deccan during the 6th–8th centuries. Together with a profusion of magnificent sculptures, mostly found in situ, these shrines and temples may be considered among the earliest, best preserved vestiges of temple art in India.

This guidebook, the first ever for the Badami region, is authored by a scholar whose PhD was on Early Chalukya architecture. The text is illustrated with regional and town maps, building plans, and more than 130 splendid coloured photographs.