Aihole Tourism

History 

The village of Aihole became prominent in the 4th century when it became the capital of the Chalukyan Empire that had power over most of southern India. This made it an important centre of commerce as the trade industry boomed. It also became a cultural and religious site for innovations in architechture and experiments. Structures during this time were built of a variety of items. Evidence found temples built of stone, intact where as the remanants of temples made of wood and bricks. Aihole became the cradle of new ideas as well as the fusion of many architechtural styles. 

After the decline of the Chalukyas, Aihole became a part of the Rashtrkuta empire in the 12th century BC. Despite it not being a capital, or an important centre for the Rashtrkutans, it still continued to develop. Numerous Buddhist monestaries, Hindu and Jain temples were built. Inscriptions and texts were still an essential part of the Jain and Buddhist culture. Aihole conitnued to flourish with lots of surplus wealth despite a substantially large population. 

In the 13th century, the wealth and prosperity of Aihole came before the eyes of the Delhi Sultante and thus, Aihole along with the other villages in Malaprabha valley and Deccan regions were raided and plundered. Aihole was devastated. In the 15th century, once again an ambitious empire, the Vijaynagar Empire took control of the region. It rose from the ashes of what was lost to the Delhi Sultanate and it seemed as though Aihole had hope again, but the Vijaynagar empire collapsed in the year 1565.

Now, Aihole was under the rule of Adil Shah, the ruler of Bijapur. The Muslim commanders of Adil Shah misused the temples by storing weaponry and army supplies. Furthermore, a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva was renamed as the Lad Khan Temple after a Muslim Commander who used it as his operational hub. Once again, in the 17th century, Aurangzeb, the emporor of the great Mughal Empire of  the northern India in his quest for territorial expansion came to the south and took over Aihole and the surrounding regions. But this did not last and Aihole fell into the hands of the Maratha Empire. 

In the 18th century CE, when Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan defeated the Marathas, Aihole was neglected and Tipu Sultan focused more on the region of Mysore and it's development. Soon, the British colonial rulers annexed the regions goverened by Tipu Sultan and Aihole joined a very large part of India that had been conquered by the Britishers. Due to this political instablity, Aihole lost it's importance as a pivotal town. The place that was once where new ideas were kindled was now where the glory, gore and ghosts of the past were recalled. 

Aihole gained independence and became a part of the Union of India in 1947. 

Hotels 

Hotels in Aihole are very minimal in number. The hotels in Aihole are average with modest prices. Most tourists prefer to stay in Badami which is just 34 km away. Badami has a good and comfortable range of hotels as it is a relatively larger city than Aihole. The ambience and cuisine in most of the reputed hotels of Badami is excellent. The hotels in Baami range from average to expensive. If tourists have planned a comfortable journey and want a weekend getaway then it is recommended they stay in Badami. If the main objective of the trip is spiritual and tourists want to spend time worshipping in the temples then, despite the absence of verygood facilities, stay in Aihole will be convinient as it will cut down travel time. 

Cuisine 

The best food to eat in Aihole is the traditional South Indian meal. Tourists can relish soft idlies with spicy and sweet sambar and numerous types of chutneys. The crispy vadas and dosas over here make one's mouth water! For lighter snacks, tourists can have yummy upma or the cute little button idlies! Appam is a savoury that is adored over here! The south Indian filter coffee is also a very hot option over here! (pun intended xD) Some of the top restaurants you can go to for a good meal include Hotel Mayuri Yatri Nivas and Savji hotel very well known among the locals for it's fish fry!

!Another amazing option you can try is the Sai Dhaba which has a unique concept of serving food in a bamboo enclosed traditional seating to make it a more authentic and enjoyable experience. The vegetarian and non-vegetarian sections are seperated here, which is a pro for Jains visiting thier heritage temples. The butter naan and chana dishes here are deemed the best in the village. The service is fast althougth ambience is not upto the mark. Average cost per person (as of April 2019) is 300 including soft drinks.