Since we only had a 60 k ride to our next stop, we were encouraged to visit a couple of temple sites. What a treat!
The cave temples at Badami were spectacularly situated on cliffs overlooking a small lake. There were four caves carved into the cliffs 15 centuries ago. The carvings were on a par with Elephanta island: many dancing idols, and many animals, such as lions and elephants in the decorative trim. There were also some bulls featured. The combination of the location and the carvings was stunning.
A few kilometers down the road we stopped at another World Heritage temple site. A cluster of ancient temples in a flat desert location, and well maintained. The were built in a distinctive style, and were ornamented with many statues and friezes. Shiva's bull was represented in several places, and in one small temple, a huge black stone bull filled the inner sanctuary were offerings were being made.
By the time I had explored the two temple sites, the temperature had climbed to 40, and we were riding into a head wind. We traversed a dry region with a certain amount of agricultural activity. There was a winnowing operation taking advantage of the highway traffic on a bridge: the grain was spread across the roadway on the bridge so that the combination of passing traffic and cross wind was gradually moving the chaff to the side.
Tonight we are staying in a very basic hotel beside a big road. Pretty rough, but manageable for a night.
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