Udayagiri Caves

The Hindu cave temples of Udayagiri in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh are among the most impressive monuments of Indian cave architecture. They belong in the broadest sense to the group of so-called Gupta Temple.

Location

The Udayagiri Cave Temple are very close to the River Bes about 5 ½ miles ( driving distance ) north-west of Vidisha or about 13 kilometers north of Sanchi. The historically important Heliodorus pillar from the beginning of the 2nd century BC is only about 4 ½ miles in a northeasterly direction away.

History

The Udayagiri Caves come in its present form mainly from the late 4th and early 5th century, that is, the reign of the Gupta emperor Chandragupta II (r. about 375-415 ). However, there are both older tracks from the time of his father Samudragupta (reigned about 335-375 ) and inscriptions of his son and successor Kumaragupta I (r. about 415-455 ). In the Islamic period, the figurative works of art were destroyed in the caves in part; the whole complex fell into oblivion.

Cave Temple

The individual caves were numbered end of the 19th century by Alexander Cunningham, the founder of the Archaeological Survey of India. Most caves have neither wall nor ceiling decoration; originally present with certainty cult statues were probably made ​​of wood which has not retained.

Others

Some archaeologists suspect that the famous Iron pillar in the Qutb complex in Delhi is originally from here and spent in medieval times there.