Barabar Caves
The Barabar Caves are the oldest caves made of people of India. Since the four caves have a total of seven rooms, they are also called the seven hostels (on Bihari / Hindi Satgharva ( सातघर ) or Urdu / Persian prison Khan ( هفت خانه ) ). The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI ), the Barabar Caves on its proposed list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
History
The caves date from the time of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka, ie from the 3rd century BC A rock inscription refers to the place with Gorathagiri - a place that exists in the Mahabharata epic. According to an inscription in one of the caves ( Sudama Cave) was dug for the ascetic community of Ajivika this in the 12th year of the reign of Ashoka (252 BC). Another inscription dates from the time of the later Gupta. The writer EM Forster, who had visited the caves in the early 20th century, they made a " Marabar Caves " in his novel A Passage to India to a central site of action.
Location
The Barabar Caves are 25 km in a straight line north of Gaya, capital of the district in the state of Bihar, at the foot of Mount Siddheshwar (300m), on which a Shiva temple, various rock reliefs and traces of fortifications are located. Since 1986, the area belongs to the newly created district of Jehanabad. It can currently only be achieved with off-road vehicles.
An elongated, almost 200 meters long, black granite hump carries on its north side, a first cavity, Karan Chaupar, and west briefly next - hewn out of a spur of rock hump - two human figures and a Linga. In the southern front of moutonée the inputs to two other caves, Sudana and Lomas Rishi lie. A fourth cave, Visva Zopri these three caves located, about 500 to 1000 meters northeast on a rocky hill, which on striking rock kicks ( " Ashoka Steps" ) can be achieved.
Description
The carved into the granite granite caves are quite simple chambers, some of which are not completed. Impressive are the most carefully ground smooth, shiny natural stone surfaces of walls and ceilings. Only the entrance of the Lomas Rishi cave is decorated with elaborate stone carvings.
The base of the Karan - Chaupar cave measures approximately 10 by 4 1/4 meters. The barrel vault is on pages 2 and 3 in the middle 1/4 feet high. Right of the entrance are the remains of a five-line inscription from the 19th year of the reign of Ashoka are (245 BC).
The Chamber of Sudama cave is about 10 meters long, 6 meters wide and 3.5 meters high barrel vault her. At the western end it is connected by a door -like opening with a circular room with 6 meters in diameter and dome ceiling. It contains the Ashoka dedicatory inscription in Brahmi.
The Lomas Rishi Cave has almost the same dimensions and design as the Sudana Cave. Your portal has a horseshoe-shaped gable canopy with 13 bar ends and two pilasters as roof supports and is about 30 inches from the vertical rock wall worked out. The area between the arch and the gable roof is a semi-circular relief band, strive on both sides of the elephants to a stupa at the apex of the band. From the pointed lower ends of the tape urges each one Makara behind the elephant. A above the first band disposed second band shows regular lattice and in its lower pointed ends a tuft of leaves. The circular segment between the arch and the horizontal lintel of the actual door breakthrough to the cave chamber bears two inscriptions from the later Gupta period (7th - 8th century AD).
The very simple, not polished Visva - Zapri Cave ( also Vishwajhopri written ) is carved into the south side of a large boulder. It consists of a nearly cubic first chamber, the rear wall contains a passage in a second cubic chamber. The edge length of the cubes is slightly more than 2 meters. Noteworthy is a multi-line Brahmi inscription.
Art -historical classification
The monolithic rock constructions of Barabar represent an essential starting point for a typical Indian Cave and temple architecture, the wide- spread in the Asian region into it.
The round chambers of Sudama and Lomas Rishi Caves prove, considered by them upstream from areas as recreation of traditional reed-covered round huts, the ascetics or sanctuaries offered protection. Similarly, at the entrance of the Lomas Rishi Cave, the typical rock - and stone tradition of converting the familiar wood construction ( roof, bottom splayed roof support beams and doorways ) to observe in stone.
The ornate polished surfaces of walls and ceilings point to a common tradition of craftsmanship with the Ashoka pillar frequently found in India. Also remember Egyptian stone carving. The presumption, however, the Indian architecture of this early period was influenced by Egyptian, Hittite or role models in the Lycian rock engineering is not used.
Nagarjuna caves
About two miles to the north of the caves of Barabar Caves are the Nagarjuna: Gopi ( milkmaid ), and Vahiyaka Vedathika. Prove their inscriptions that they were also donated by Dasaratha, the successor of Ashoka the Ajivikas.