The ancient city of Vatapi (modern Badami, in Bagalkot District of Karnataka) was founded by Polekeshi I in the year 543CE. As part of the fortification scheme of the city, a bund was constructed to contain stormwater and create a... more
The ancient city of Vatapi (modern Badami, in Bagalkot District of Karnataka) was founded by Polekeshi I in the year 543CE. As part of the fortification scheme of the city, a bund was constructed to contain stormwater and create a reservoir. A waterfall, which is basically the stormwater runoff from a cliff in the east, is the most obvious contributor to the reservoir. In this paper, I present the discovery that this is an artificially created waterfall, with a semi-circular basin cut out of the top of the cliff to the east of the reservoir, at a point where a large number of the stormwater streams converge. I also examine the possibility that this rock-cut feature was created by the Early Chalukyan builders.
