A favourite of the locals, Mahakuta is a group of temples with a lovely water tank amidst them called Vishnu Pushkarni. Located near Badami, Aihole and Patadakal which have many wonderful heritage ruins – it is nice to spend time in this temple space that has heritage ruins and live traditions. (my Badami blog post is here)

Two of the biggest temples are Mahakuteshwar and Mallikaarjuna, both are Shiva forms.

Maha means great and kuta means group. So, Mahakuta means a ‘great group’ referring to the many shrines and temples in the space.

If you prefer to watch a video, here is my vlog on Mahakuta:

Mahakuta Pillar Inscription

There is an interesting ancient pillar (dated 595–602 CE) with inscription on it that calls the main deity as “Makuteshwaranatha” and mentions another 10 villages being given to this temple. I don’t know what “giving villages to a temple” means. Is it about expanding the temple land? Eitherways, it does confirm the name of the main deity in this area.

There are differing views about where this pillar might have been located. As there are other older but dilapidated temple structures in the vicinity of this current Mahakuta group. This pillar is now at the Bijapur Archealogical Musuem.

Vinapoti Inscription

There is another inscription that should still be visible in the porch of Mahakuteshwar temple… it is by the concubine of the then King Vijayaditya talking about a grant of silver umbrella and rubies. I find it interesting that a concubine can add an inscription on a prominent temple of those times.

Is there an Entry Fee or rules & regulations at Mahakuta?

Entry to this temple is completely free. Apart from the usual rules pertaining to removing the footwear there didn’t seem to be any rules in this place. In fact, because there is water kund and a lot of visitors are bathing / swimming / playing /praying in it – there is a distinct feeling of fun and frolic. Joyful (sometimes rowdy) shouts and screams are quite commonplace. Moreover, we see scantily clad men drying themselves or putting on their clothes in any random corner of the temple. Women are better covered, though even they would have to change after taking a dip.

Thus, there are no stringent rules here about attire or anything else as far as I know.

Vishnu Pushkarni

The photographs of this Vishnu Pushkarni with devotees playing, praying or even bathing (with soap and shampoo) become very popular on social media.

This water tank in the middle of the Mahakuta temple complex is fed by natural spring, suggest online sources. There is a Shiva panchalinga at the side of this Pushkarni. There is also an underwater linga here.

Why the water body is named after Vishnu with Shiva lingas in it is a bit of a mystery.

A lot about this place is a mystery I feel. Online sources hardly provide any detailed information about this space. Maybe in Kannada language some deeper content exists. But I haven’t perused that (even if I could through translation tools).

Have you been to Mahakuta? Share your experience.

Travelling to Mahakuta

Mahakuta is located 14km from Badami. Since Badami is a larger town, it would be best to use that as your base.

Stay: There are are many stay options in Badami. Check booking.com or Google maps or TripAdvisor to see what works for you. I stayed at Krishna Heritage Resort, it was really good with helpful staff.

Transport: Self drive to Mahakuta from Badami would be a relaxed 20 minutes. Autos would be available at Badami, though they will charge a high amount (naturally as this is outside town limits and all). Public buses are most likely available considering how popular Mahakuta is for locals. You can find out about the exact timings are the Badami bus stand. You can also do a private tour, as lot of tour volvos make their way to Mahakuta.

Food: There are limited food options at Mahakuta itself. Local groups that arrive their seem to be carrying their cooking tools and cook for their group. So, as a lone visitor, best you can eat at Badami.

Other places to explore there are Pattadakal and Aihole.