Banashankari Amma Temple
Temple of Banashankari, the forest form of Goddess Parvati and tutelary deity of the Chalukyas, whose large stepped tank and January jatre draw pilgrims from across north Karnataka.
Banashankari — “goddess of the forest” — is worshipped here as a form of Parvati/Shakambari believed to have manifested from a nearby forest to protect the region, and the deity was closely associated with the ruling Chalukyas of Badami, whose capital lay just a few kilometres away. The current temple structure reflects later Vijayanagara-era rebuilding and subsequent renovations, layered over what was originally a much older shrine site tied to the Chalukyan sacred landscape around Badami.
The temple’s most striking feature is its large rectangular stepped tank, Haridra Tirtha, ringed by stone colonnades and mandapas where pilgrims gather especially during the annual Banashankari Jatre held in the Hindu month of Pausha (December-January) — one of the largest temple fairs in this part of Karnataka, drawing traders, folk performers, and devotees for nearly two weeks.
Sitting within the same cluster of sacred sites as Badami’s cave temples, Mahakuta, and Pattadakal, Banashankari rounds out the Chalukyan-era sacred geography of the region.
Getting there: The temple is about 5 km from Badami on the Badami-Katageri road. The post office adjoins the temple complex.
The site itself
Where to get your stamp cancelled
This may not be next to the site itself — some post offices serve several nearby landmarks.
- Post office
- Banashankari Post Office
- Pincode
- 587201
- Address
- Banashankari Post Office, Banashankari Village, Badami Taluk, Bagalkot District, Karnataka
Sources
- Project maintainer transcription of the physical Philately Passport booklet (district/landmark/post office list)
- Banashankari, Badami pincode record — Codepin.in