Barabar Caves

Barabar Caves

Barābār, Satgharva, Satgharwa

—  protected resources  —
Barabar Caves
Location of Barabar Caves
in Bihar and India
Coordinates
Country India
State Bihar
District(s) Gaya
Time zone IST (UTC+05:30)

The Barabar Caves are the oldest surviving rock-cut caves in India,[1] mostly dating from the Mauryan period (322–185 BCE), and some with Ashokan inscriptions, located in the Jehanabad District of Bihar, India, 24 km north of Gaya.

These caves are situated in the twin hills of Barabar (four caves) and Nagarjuni (three caves) - caves of the 1.6 km distant Nagarjuni Hill sometimes are singled out as Nagarjuni Caves. These rock-cut chambers date back to the 3rd century BC, Maurya period[2], of Ashoka (r. 273 BC to 232 BC.) and his son, Dasaratha. Though Buddhists themselves, they [1] allowed various Jain sects to flourish under a policy of religious tolerance. These caves were used by ascetics from the Ajivika sect [3], founded by Makkhali Gosala, a contemporary of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, and of Mahavira, the last and 24th Tirthankara of Jainism [4]. Also found at the site were several rock-cut Buddhist and Hindu sculptures [5].

The area was also the setting for the opening of E.M. Forster's book, A Passage to India, while the caves themselves are the site of a crucial, though ambiguous, scene at the book's symbolic core. The author visited the site, and later used it, as the Marabar caves in his book [3][6][7].

Most caves at Barabar consist of two chambers, carved entirely out of granite, with a highly polished internal surface and exciting echo effect. The first chamber was meant for worshippers to congregate in a large rectangular hall, and the second, a small, circular, domed chamber for worship, this inner chamber probably had a small stupa like structure, at some point, though they are now empty.

Contents

Caves at Barabar Hill

Barabar Hill contains four caves - Karan Chaupar, Lomas Rishi, Sudama and Visva Zopri. Sudama and Lomas Rishi Caves are the earliest examples of rock-cut architecture in India [2][8], with architectural detailing, made in the Mauryan period, and became a trend the subsequent centuries [9], like the larger Buddhist Chaitya, that were found in Maharashtra, such as in Ajanta and Karla Caves, and greatly influenced the tradition of South Asian rock-cut architecture [3].

Nagarjuni Caves

Nearby caves of Nagarjuna are smaller and younger than Barabar caves [13] The three caves are:

Gallery

See also

Further reading

References

  1. ^ a b Culture of peace Frontline, Volume 25 - Issue 18 :: Aug. 30-Sep. 12, 2008.
  2. ^ a b Sculptured doorway, Lomas Rishi cave, Barabar, Gaya British Library.
  3. ^ a b c Entrance to one of the Barabar Hill caves British Library.
  4. ^ Barabar Hills: Where the Buddhist Emperor Asoka built caves for the Ajivakas www.buddhanet.net.
  5. ^ Rock sculptures at Barabar British Library.
  6. ^ Barabar caves Times of India, 16 June 2007.
  7. ^ The Structure of E. M. Forster's "A Passage to India" "he visited India beforehand in 1912 and in 1921."
  8. ^ Architectural history www.indian-architecture.info.
  9. ^ An overview of archaeological importance of Bihar Directorate of Archaeology, Govt. of Bihar.
  10. ^ Part of the elephant frieze over the doorway at the Barabar caves. 1790 British Library.
  11. ^ Sudama and Lomas Rishi Caves at Barabar Hills, Gaya British Library.
  12. ^ Karna Chowpar cave, Barabar Hills. British Library.
  13. ^ Barabar and Nagarjuna Caves.
  14. ^ Gopi & Kalpi caves, Barabar, Gaya. British Library.

External links