The nominated serial property ‘Temples of Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal’ comprises of three primary components from the 6th-8th centuries capitals of the Early Chalukyan dynasty at Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal, each strategically located within the valley along the Malaprabha river in Bagalkot district of the state of Karnataka in India.

Each of the components of this serial property is positioned in a distinct geographical setting along the Malaprabha valley and comprises of a group of highly significant excavated rock cut temples and free-standing structural temples built by the Early Chalukyas that are testimony to one of the most prolific building activity in the history of temple architecture of India.
The spread of the early Chalukya kingdom over the vast Deccan plateau located between northern and southern peninsular India judiciously utilized the Malaprabha river valley as a nucleus for establishing the political, cultural and spiritual centres in Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal respectively. These sites collectively served as one of the largest laboratory for experimentation and evolution of temple architecture from the excavated rock cut temples to freestanding structural temple forms between the mid-6th to the mid-8th centuries. The landscape of the valley itself had evidenced earlier experimentations as found in the past archaeological remains of pre proto historic and historic structures including dolmens, megaliths and Buddhist caves.

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