![]() Many believe it to be the site in which Buddha spent some time before his death, and where the first Buddhist council was held after the Buddha died ( paranirvana). 483/400 BCE), Buddhist monks were also in the habit of using natural caves, such as the Saptaparni Cave, southwest from Rajgir, Bihar. The area's many caves and grottos have yielded primitive tools and decorative rock paintings. The Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka, a World Heritage Site, are located on the edge of the Deccan Plateau, where dramatic erosion has left massive sandstone outcrops. Early examples included overhanging rock decorated with rock-cut designs. Evidence suggests that the caves were first occupied and slightly altered during the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods, up to about 6000 BC, though the changes do not really amount to architecture. The earliest caves employed by humans were natural caves used by local inhabitants for a variety of purposes, such as shrines and shelters. See also: Architecture of Indic religions, Buddhist architecture, Ancient Indian architecture, Vastu shastra, and Shilpa ShastrasĪrchitectural elements are borrowed from:Įarly natural caves Saptaparni Cave, a retreat of the Buddha The last Buddhist caves were built around the 6th century CE. Later rock-cut cave architecture became more sophisticated as in the Ajanta Caves, belonging to a second, and last, wave of Buddhist cave building. ![]() Īlthough free standing structural temples were also being built, such as the Bairat Temple (3rd century BCE) and the various free-standing apsidal temples in Sanchi, Taxila or Ter, rock-cut cave temples continued to be built in parallel. Some of the more sumptuous cave temples, commissioned by wealthy traders, included pillars, arches, and elaborate facades during the time maritime trade boomed between the Roman Empire and south-east Asia. Relics found in these caves suggest a connection between the religious and the commercial, as Buddhist missionaries often accompanied traders on the busy international trading routes through India. ![]() ![]() The earliest cave temples include the Bhaja Caves, the Karla Caves, the Bedse Caves, the Kanheri Caves, and some of the Ajanta Caves. Historically, rock-cut temples have retained a wood-like theme in adornment skilled craftsmen learned to mimic timber texture, grain, and structure. Originally, they were probably accompanied by wooden structures, which would have deteriorated over time. Most other Buddhist caves are then found in the western Deccan, consisting in shrines and monasteries, dating between 100 BCE and 170 CE. Of these caves, mostly build by Emperor Ashoka and his grandson Dasaratha for the ascetic sect of the Ajivikas, two caves are thought to have been dedicated to the Buddhist: Karan Chaupar cave, and possibly the Lomas Rishi cave. The oldest rock-cut architecture in India is found in the Barabar caves, Bihar built around the 3rd century BCE. In fact, the sanctuary in all Indian religious structures, even free-standing ones, retains the same cave-like feeling of sacredness, being small and dark without natural light. Caves that were enlarged or entirely man-made were felt to hold the same sanctity as natural caves. In India, caves have long been regarded as places of sanctity. These ancient and medieval structures represent significant achievements of structural engineering and craftsmanship. ![]() Many of these structures contain works of art of global importance, and many later caves from the Mahayana period are adorned with exquisite stone carvings. There are more than 1,500 known rock cut structures in India, out of which about 1000 were made by Buddhists (mainly between 200 BCE and 600 CE), 300 by Hindus (from 600 CE to 1200 CE), and 200 by Jains (from 800 CE to 1200 CE). Ellora caves form an important part of Indian rock-cut architecture, and are among the most prolific examples of rock-cut architecture around the world. Class=notpageimage| Caves of the time of the Buddha (5th century BCE)Ĭaves of the time of Ashoka (3rd century BCE). ![]()
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