Badami
Badami sits at the heart of a UNESCO-listed triangle of Chalukya monuments that includes Pattadakal (15 km away) and Aihole (35 km away). Pattadakal's group of temples is a UNESCO World Heritage Site where you can see the experimental development of South Indian temple styles side by side. Aihole, the 'cradle of Indian temple architecture', has over 120 temples spread across the village — many still in active daily use. Hiring a local auto-driver for the full circuit is the easiest way to cover all three in one day.
Start with Badami caves at 7 AM, reach Pattadakal by 10 AM, and Aihole by 1 PM — this gives you golden morning light at both main sites.