ROCK-CUT CAVES OF WESTERN DECCAN

Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures, 2016

Caves Q3 in ancient India were places of special relevance. Aside from offering natural shelter, they 5 were regarded as loci of supernatural powers and spiritual enhancement. Located at the nexi of 6 sacred geographies and often associated with local deities, caves were favored abodes by hermits 7 and renouncers. Elaborate rock-cut architectural structures were created for ascetics to use during the 8 Maurya period (322-185 BCE) with King Ashoka (304-232 BCE) being the first to endow 9 man-made caves to the Ajivika ascetics at Barabar Hill. The four Barabar caves located in a rocky 10 outcrop in the Gaya district of Bihar preserve distinctive plans with rectangular spaces attached to 11 a circular, hut-shaped room at one end. The cave interiors are plain and flawlessly polished in 12 a manner that alters light and sound. The only decoration appears at the entrance of the so-called 13 Lomas Rishi cave where a portal motif with an architrave embellished by elephants and stupas is 14 engraved in the living rock Q5 .

A History of Hindu Architecture in India, 2022

Proceedings-Rock-cut Caves of Maharashtra , 2020

Advent of Brahmanism in India is a complex process. The religion itself went through many transitions in the early centuries of Common Era. It faced great competition from other established religious traditions, such as Buddhism. Its arrival on the western coast of India was hitherto attributed to the late 5 th /6 th centuries CE on the basis of some cave temples and isolated images. This article presents the discovery of some early Brahmanical caves in coastal Maharashtra, India, and looks at the course of the journey of Brahmanism in a new light. It appears that the beginning of Brahmanical sects was earlier than what was thought before. The architecture as well as sculptural elements and narrative panels including their iconographic and art historical analysis are discussed in detail. It also talks about the geo-political settings of the early historic coastal Maharashtra.

This paper is motivated by the author's interest in history and ancient architecture of Goa. The need to spread awareness about caves and the need for their conservation drove the major part of the study to be converted into a dissertation.

Maharashtra Unlimited, 2014

Brill's Encyclopedia of Jainism, 2019

Ancient Asia, 2024

Jainism in Vidarbha, especially of the medieval period, has been through a lot of continuity and transformations, in terms of rituals, sacred space, monastic order, and even architecture. The rise of pilgrimage centers, which the people of Vidarbha can fulfill their religious needs from, is yet another important feature. The landscape of the region was well explored and utilized to best suit the requirements for claiming the sacred nature for such tīrthas. Muktagiri, an important tīrthakṣetra, mentioned in the lines of Nirvāṇakāṇḍa, grew on to become a very famous pilgrimage center not just for Vidarbha, but for Jains coming from all parts of the country. The landscape and scenic beauty were very well used to make the best place for religious and spiritual endeavors. This article describes the unique partially rock-cut and partially structural cave temple no. 10 at Muktagiri, which is supposed to be the starting point of architectural activity at this place. Such early experiments at the site were still well-thought-out and planned before execution, and this has been further substantiated by the description of this cave temple in this article by the present author.

This article places the expansion of Buddhist monasteries in the Western Deccan in its wider context, examining how social, political and economic forces might have impacted on the tempo of Buddhist cave cutting. A framework for dating the caves is outlined and a hiatus in their construction during the first century AD noted. Epigraphic evidence is then used to link this hiatus to the conflict between the Western Ksatrapas and the Satavahanas that also occurred during the period of study. Inscriptions often mention the social groups, which donated to monasteries, and the article evaluates how the conflict would have affected their ability to donate. Finally, a case study of the cave complex at Pandu Lena, Nasik is used to illustrate the nature of interaction between Buddhism and society.