India: Cave Sites

JAMMU KASHMIR
Saspol Caves

• 13^th -15^th – Buddhist
• Walls though are plastered with clay and covered with bright colored paintings.

 
HIMACHAL PRADESH
Tabo Caves

• Buddhism

 
BIHAR
Baraber Caves:

• Ajivika monks -261 BC
• Pupun River + Pahlgu River
• monolithic granite cliff during the reign of Ashoka
• 4 caves here , 3 at Nagarjuni Hills
• mentioned in “Mahabharatha” under name “Gorathgiri”
• Caves: Lomas Rishi, Sudama, Visva Zopri, Karan Chaupar

 
Nagarjuni Caves

• Nagarjuni Hills – 230 BC
• Ajivika Monks
• By son of Ashoka – Dasaratha
• Caves: Gopi, Mirz Mandi, Vedathika Kubha

 
 
MADHYA PRADESH
Bhimbetka Caves:r

• Raisen District inside Ratapani WS
• Period:
  • Upper Paleolithic: linear representations, in green and dark red, of huge figures of animals, such as bisons and boar beside stick like human figures.
  • Mesolithic: Smaller size, animal+ human+ weapons
  • Chalcolithic: Reveal the association, contact, and mutual exchange of requirements of the cave dwellers of this area with the agricultural communities of the Malwa plains.
  • Early Historic: schematic and decorative style and are painted mainly in red, white and rarely green depicting riders, religious symbols, tunic-like dresses, and the scripts of different periods
  • Medieval: geometric, linear and more schematic, paintings of Brahmanical gods like Ganesh and Natraja appear
• Popular: Zoo Rock”, depicts elephants, sambar, bison and deer(Meso)
• Raw material source: Barkheda

Bagh Caves:

• 9 rock-cut monuments, – southern slopes of the Vindhyas in Bagh town of Dhar district in MP
• 4^th – 6^th CE
• Out of 9, 5 survive – all viharas
• Sandstone rock, near stream Baghani
• Murals- executed in Tempera
• Cave 4: rang mahal – includes painting of Bodhisattva Padmapani, Mushroom paintings
• Dono confuse with (Bhaja-maharshtra)

Udayagiri Caves- Vidisha MP

• Chandragupta II
• Hindu

 
PACHMARHI CAVES

• Buddhism

 
 
CHATTISGARH
Jogimara Cave

• Pre-Buddha
• Located at Sarguja CG
• Reach through natural tunnel – elephant can pass wide –
• Roof – human figures, fish and elephants.
• There are two layers of paintings in it. The Original paintings are of expert artists but the upper layer has been done by incompetent artists
• Also has the first documented messages of love in the world – written in Brahmi Script.
• Nearby has Sita Bengra Cave – ancient Theatre (may be oldest)

Kutumsar Caves

• Located inside Kanger Valley NP –CG -Jagdalpur
• Known for Stalactite & Stalagmite formations
• Other similar Caves: Kailash Gufa, Dandak Caves

 
ODISHA
Udayagiri and Khandagiri near Bhubaneswar

• Udaigiri -18 Caves, Khandagiri – 15
• Carved by Jain monks during the reign of King Kharavela, belong to earliest Jain rock-cut temples
• Contains Hathigumpha inscription
  • Kharavela, king of Kalinga (circa 209 – after 170 BC)
  • consists of 17 lines of deep incised Brahmi script

 
Ravana Chayya- Sitabinji

• Hindu
• circa 4 – 6 c. AD, painting circa 7th c. AD

 
 
MAHARASHTRA
Ajanta:
 
Ellora:
 
Elephanta Caves:

• 5^th -8^th AD – 5- Hindu, 2 -Buddhism
• Elephanta Island –Thane Creek
• solid basalt
• The great Cave – Shiva
  • Sculpture: Trimurti in madapa
  • Flanked by culptural groups called Ardhanarisvara on its left and Gangadhara on Right
• Also has Stupa –made of bricks + 2 buddhist caves

 
Kanheri Caves

• Inside Sanjay Gandhi NP
• Buddhist – 1^st BC -9^th AD
• 109 Caves
• Cave3:Large Chaitya – adorned with mithunas– love pairs characteristic for the art of Kushan period
• Depiction of Avalokitesvara from Kanheri is especially famed – in Cave 41this Bodhisattva is shown with eleven heads. This weird sculpture symbolically shows that 10 Bodhisattva heads lead to the final one – Buddha head thus symbolising gradual ascent to enlightement.
• numerous inscriptions – 51 legible and 26 epigraphs – Brahmi Script
• One inscription is significant historically as it tells about the marriage of Satavahana ruler Vashishtiputra Satakarni with the daughter of ruler Rudradaman I.

 
Karle Caves:

• 2BC – Buddhism

 
Bhaja

• 22 Caves – 200 BC
• Buddhist – Cahitya, Viaharas, & Rock-Cut Stupa
• valley of Indrayani River

 
Kuda Caves:

• Jhanjeri Creek
• 1st century BC – 3rd century(Hinayana) AD, 6th – 7th c. AD (Mahayana)
• Buddhist
• 26 rock-cut caves and 11 rock-cut cisterns

 
Thanale Caves

• 3rd – 1st century BC
• Buddhism

 
Pandav Leni Caves:

• Initially Jain, later Buddhism
• 1st century BC – 3rd century AD, 8th – 12th century AD
• Located midway – Trirashmi Hill
• Sculptures of Jain Thirthankaras – Vrishabhdeo, Veer Manibhadraji and Ambikadevi.

 
Bedse
 
Pital Kora Caves

• Buddhism
• 250 BC -4^th AD

 
Junnar: Pune, Maharshtra

• Trade center In 1st AD – this town was located on a trade route leading from Satavahana capital Paithan to the rich ports at Arabian Sea
• Sivaji Birthplace
• Rock Cut Temples around Junnar:
  • East:
  • North: Lenyadri Caves
  • West: Tuljalena Caves
  • South: Shivneri Caves
  • South-East: Manmod

 
Tuljabai Hill Caves:

• 11 – Caves
• Buddhist monks (viharas) with unusual round shrine – chaitya.
• 1-3^rd AD
• Cave 3: Hindu goddess Tulja.

 
Shivneri Caves:

• 50 rock-cut Buddhist monasteries of Hinayana school
• 1-3^rd AD

 
LENYADRI CAVES

• Also called as Ganesh Lena
• 40 Rock-Cut Caves
• 1-3^rd AD
• Later, 1 cave Buddhist — > Hindu, Ganesh
• 2 Large Chaitya+1 small Chaitya rest viahars

 
Manmod Caves:
Buddhist, Jain, Godess Ambika
 
 
KARNATAKA:
Ravana Phadi Caves – Aihole

• Hindu- Shiva
• 550 AD- Chalukya
• Ardhanari
• Vishnu in his Varaha incarnation. On his arm is sitting goddess-Earth – his wife Bhūmī. Ceiling of this chamber has three large circles carved with Vishnu and Garuda, a lotus and Indra on his mount. Beams are carved with flying apsaras.

 
Badami Caves:

• Early Chalukya dynasty, Pulakesi I –est. capital Vatapi now Badami
• Ravine badami- artificial lake Agastya tirtha reservoir
• Hindu, Jain
• 4 Cave temples
  • 1^st Shiva: Shiva Parvati, Natraja

 

• 2^nd Vishnu: Trivikrama – with one foot on Earth and another – directed to the north, Varaha, Krishna
• 3^rd Vishnu: mural of Brahma there is a lotus medallion, standing Vishnu, Vishnu with a serpent, Vishnu as Narasimha, Varaha, Harihara and Trivikrama avatars

 

• 4^th Jaina: Tirthankara Parshavnatha with a serpent at his feet, culpture of Jain saint Mahavira in seated pose (often mistaken for Buddha) and standing Gomatesvara with creepers twisted around his legs.

• Simple exterior but their interiors – Ornate finishing
• Also has Inscriptions – in Kannada writing and in Kannada and Sanskrit languages
• 1 particular
  • 700 AD
  • 10 lines in Kannada writing, both in Kannada and Sanskrit languages.
  • About Kappe Arahatta, local saint and heroe

ANDHRA PRADESH
UNDAVALLI CAVES, near Vijayawada

• Vishnukundina kings – 420 – 620 CE
• Initially Buddhist later converted to Hindus
• 4 Storied caves
• Ground floor- Monastery like
• 2^nd floor: a huge, 5 m long statue of Lord Vishnu in his Padmanabha aspect shown in reclining posture.

 
TAMIL NADU:
Armamalai Cave

• Jain
• Three shrines – trikūta.

 
Sittanavasal Cave

• Jain
• 1st c. BC – Eladipattam, 7th – 10th c. AD – Arivar-Koil
• Eladipattam served as a site of very severe penance – kayotsarga(meditation in standing posture until salvation) and sallekhana (fasting until death).
• Arivar-Koil – Frescos – made in Pandyan period – 9th century AD.
• Samava-sarana–

 
Thirunandikkarai Caves
Jain, Hindu
7^th -8^th AD
 
Murugan Temple in Thiruparankundram.
 
Malayadipatti – Vishnu Temple
 
Heliodorus pillar

• 113 BC
• Vidisha, near Sanchi Stupa
• By Heliodorus, a Greek ambassador of the Indo-Greek king Antialcidas to the court of the Shunga king Bhagabhadra.
• Two Inscipritions:
  • The first inscription describes in Brahmi script the situation of Heliodorus and his relationship to the Shunga Empire and the Indo-Greek Kingdom.
  • Second inscription describes in more detail the spiritual content of the faith supported by Heliodorus: