Badami
The sacred Agastya Lake sitting at the foot of Badami's sandstone cliffs reflects the ancient temples in its still morning waters like a painting. A quiet walk around the lakeside ghats just after dawn — when the sky turns orange and temple bells begin to ring — is one of those simple travel moments you carry with you for years. The 5th-century Bhutanatha temples on the eastern bank add a wonderful sense of timelessness to the scene.
The reflection of the cliffs and cave temples in the lake is best captured in the 30 minutes immediately after sunrise — tripods welcome.