Barabar Caves

✎ The Barabar hill caves in India, mostly dating from the Mauryan Empire (322-185 BCE), some with Ashokan inscriptions, located in the Makhdumpur region of Jehanabad district, Bihar, India,24 km north of Gaya.

✎ These caves are situated in the twin hills of Barabar (4 caves) and Nagarjuni (3 caves); caves of

the 1.6 km (0.99m) distant from Nagarjuni Hill are sometimes singled out as the Nagarjuni caves.

✎ These rock cut chambers date back to the 3 rd century BCE, Mauryan period of Ashoka (reigned 273-232 BCE) and his grandson, Dasharatha Maurya.

✎  The sculptured surround to the entrance to the Lomas Rishi cave is the earliest survival of the ogee shaped “chaitra arch” or chandrashala that was to be an important feature of Indian rock-cut architecture and sculptural decoration for centuries. The form was clearly a reproduction in stone of buildings in wood and other plant materials.

✎ The caves were used by ascetics from the Ajivika sect, founded by Makkali Gosala, a contemporary of Gautam Buddha, the founder of Buddhism and of Mahavira, the last and 24 th Tirthankara of Jainism.

✎ Most caves at Barabar consist of two chambers, carved entirely out of granite, with a highly polished internal surface and exciting echo effect.

✎ It contains four caves Karan Chaupar, Lomas Rishi, Sudama and Vishwakarma.

✎ Sudama and Lomas Rishi are the earliest examples of rock-cut architecture in India, with architectural detailing made in the Mauryan period. The Barabar caves greatly influenced the architecture of rock-cut architecture in the Indian subcontinent.

✎ Lomas Rishi cave has an arch-like shape façade that imitates contemporary timber architecture. On the doorway, a row of elephants proceed towards stupa emblems, along the curvedarchitrave. Sudama cave was dedicated by Mauryan Emperor, Ashoka in 261 BCE. The arches of Sudama cave have bow shape. The canvas consists of a circular vaulted chamber with a rectangular Mandapa. Karan Chaupar consists of single rectangular room with polished surfaces, contains inscription which could be dated to 245 BCE. Vishvakarma cave, reachable by Ashoka steps hewn in the cliff, consists of two rectangular rooms.

✎ Lomas Rishi Cave: It is most famous of the caves of Barabar, because of its beautifully carveddoor. It consists of two rooms: a rectangular rom measuring 9.86*5.18 m, and a circular, semi-hemispherical room 5m in diameter, which is accessed from the rectangular room by a narrow

rectangular passage.

✎ Sudama Cave: It is located on Southern side of Barabar granite hill. It consists of two rooms: a rectangular room measuring 9.98*5.94 m, and a semi-hemispherical room 6min diameter,which is accessed from rectangular room by a narrow rectangular passage. The ceilings of the Sudama cave are arched. The cave is composed of a circular vaulted chamber and a vaulted room with the rectangular form of Mandapa. The interior walls of the cave represent a technical feat; they are perfectly flat and polished granite surfaces, creating a mirror effect. The plane surfaces reverberated sound, creating a very pronounced echo phenomenon.

✎ Karan Chaupar Cave: Karan Chaupar, also known as karna Chaupar, is on the north side of the Barabar granite hill. It consists of a single rectangular room with polished surfaces, 10.2*4.27m in dimensions. It contains an inscription of Ashoka dating from the 19 th year of his reign, about 250 BCE, located outside, immediately to the right of the entrance. His cave was planned for

Buddhist monks. The cave has a rock-cut bench at one-end, probably to sit or sleep. In the entrance hall an inscription from the Gupta period mentions “Daridra Kantara” (“the caves of the beggars”). A mound decorated with Buddhist sculptures is also near the entrance, another of many elements accrediting the belonging of this cave to the Buddhist.

✎ Vishvakarma Cave: The Vishvakarma cave, also called Viswa Mitra, is accessible by the “steps of Ashoka” carved in to the cliff. It is a 100 meters and a little east of the main granite hill. It consists of a rectangular room entirely open to the outside, a sort of elongated porch, and an unfinished semi-hemispherical room: the rectangular space measures 4.27*2.54m, and the

circular room is 2.8m in diameter. One goes from the rectangular room to the half- hemispherical room by a narrow trapezoidal passage. On the floor of the porch, 4 holes were made, which are thought to allow the cave to be closed with a wooden picket fence.

✎ Nagarjuni Caves: They are 1.6kms east of the Barabar Caves. The 3 caves are:

1) Gopi Cave: Gopi also called Gopi-ka-kubha or simply, Nagarjuni, Gopika cave is the largest of all the caves of the Barabar complex and on the southside of the hill. It consists of a single large oblong room of 13.95*5.84m. It was dug by king Dashratha, grandson of Emperor

Ashoka, according to the inscription that was engraved above the front door.

2) Vadathika Cave: Vadathika cave or Vadithi-ka-kubha cave is located in a crevasse in the rock in the north side of the hill. It consists of single rectangular rom of dimensions

5.11*3.43m, with a porch at the entrance of 1.83*1.68m. This cave was consecrated by Dashratha Maurya, the grandson and successor of Asoka, for the sector of Ajivikas.

3) Vapiyaka Cave: Vapiyaka cave also called well cave or Vapiya-ka-kubha cave is located in north side of the hill. It consists of single rectangular room of dimensions 5.10*3.43m. This cave also has a beautiful vaulted hall, entirely made of perfectly polished granite.

✎ Technology: the caves were carved out of granite, an extremely hard rock, then finished with a very nice polishing of inner surface, giving a mirror effect of a great regularity, as well as an echo effect. This large scale polish is reminiscent of polishing on smaller surfaces of the Mauryan statuary, particularly visible on the pillars and capitals of the Ashoka pillars.