The Badami region was the heartland of the Early Chalukya dynasty, which ruled the Deccan from the 6th to 8th centuries CE. The caves were excavated during the reigns of Kirtivarman I, his brother Mangalesha, and their successors. The Chalukya ruler Pulakeshin II (610-642 CE), the most famous of the dynasty, patronised the final cave.
The Chalukyas were contemporaries of the Pallavas in the south and the Gupta and Vakataka dynasties in the north, and their art reflects influences from both traditions. After the decline of the Chalukyas, the caves fell into disuse but were never entirely forgotten. They were documented by British archaeologists in the 19th century, including the pioneering work of John Marshall and James Burgess. The caves have been protected by the Archaeological Survey of India since the early 20th century.
In 2014, Badami was added to UNESCO's tentative list as part of the 'Evolution of Temple Architecture in the Chalukyan Heartland.' The local legend behind the naming of Badami (formerly Vatapi) is linked to the Ramayana: the demon brothers Vatapi and Ilvala lived in this region and were known for a deceptive practice where Vatapi would transform into a goat, be cooked and fed to guests, and then Ilvala would call him back, causing the guest to burst.
The sage Agastya foiled this scheme by digesting Vatapi before Ilvala could call him, and the region was named after the defeated demon. The Chalukya adoption of Vatapi as their capital symbolically represented their conquest of the region and their assertion of a mythological lineage.
