Aihole Archaeological Museum

The Aihole Archaeological Museum is an Archaeological Survey of India museum located in Aihole village, Bagalkot district, Karnataka, adjacent to the Durga Temple complex. It preserves sculptures, inscriptions, architectural fragments and antiquities excavated from Aihole and surrounding Early Chalukya sites dating from the 6th to 12th centuries. Notable for its collection of Hindu, Jain and Buddhist artefacts, the museum provides context for Aihole's role as an early temple architecture laboratory.

Visitors can expect a compact ASI museum with two main galleries and an open-air sculpture shed displaying stone sculptures, temple fragments, inscriptions and architectural members from the Early Chalukya period. Exhibits include images of Shiva, Vishnu, Durga, Jain Tirthankaras and decorative panels recovered from Aihole and nearby sites. The museum is set within the Aihole temple cluster, allowing visitors to combine the museum visit with exploration of surrounding temples.

Aihole was the early capital and experimental centre of the Chalukyas of Badami (6th-8th century CE) and later ruled by Rashtrakutas and Chalukyas of Kalyana. Over 120 temples were built here, marking the transition from rock-cut to structural temple architecture. The museum, maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India, houses antiquities excavated from Aihole and surrounding sites, preserving evidence of Hindu, Jain and Buddhist traditions from the 6th to 12th centuries.

The museum showcases the artistic and architectural heritage of the Early Chalukya period, often described as the cradle of temple architecture in Karnataka. Its sculptures and inscriptions illustrate the development of Dravida and Nagara styles and the coexistence of Hindu, Jain and Buddhist faiths in the region.