Nasik Caves

Coordinates: 19°56′28″N 73°44′55″E / 19.9412°N 73.7486°E / 19.9412; 73.7486
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Trirashmi Caves
Buddhaleni Caves
Nasik Caves, Cave No. 17, built circa 120 CE.
Map showing the location of Trirashmi Caves Buddhaleni Caves
Map showing the location of Trirashmi Caves Buddhaleni Caves
Nasik
Caves
Map showing the location of Trirashmi Caves Buddhaleni Caves
Map showing the location of Trirashmi Caves Buddhaleni Caves
Nasik
Caves
LocationNashik, Maharashtra, India
Coordinates19°56′28″N 73°44′55″E / 19.9412°N 73.7486°E / 19.9412; 73.7486

The Trirashmi Caves,

Buddhist devotional practices.[2][3] The Buddhist sculptures are a significant group of early examples of Indian rock-cut architecture initially representing the Early Buddhist schools
tradition.

Most of the caves are

.

Caves

These are a group of twenty four Hinayana Buddhist caves whose excavation was financed by the local

Ambikā. The interiors of the caves were popular meeting places for the disciples, where sermons were delivered. There are water tanks that have been skilfully carved out of the solid rock.[5]

Panorama from the caves, during the monsoon season.

These caves are some of the oldest in Maharashtra. Some of them are large and contain numerous chambers - these rock-cut caves served as a viharas or monasteries for the monks to meet and hear sermons. They contain interesting sculptures. One of the vihara caves is older and finer in sculptural detail and is thought to be nearly as old as the Karla Cave near Lonavala. Another (cave No. 18) is a chaitya (type of cave used for chanting and meditation). It is similar in age to some of the Karla Caves and has a particularly elaborate facade.

The cave has images of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, sculptures representing the King, farmers, merchants and rich iconography depicting a beautiful amalgamation of Indo - Greek architecture[6][7]

The site has an excellent ancient water management system and skillfully chiseled out of solid rock are several attractive water tanks.[8]

History

Part of the caves (Caves No.6 to No.8) at Pandavleni.
Additional caves under the visitor's path at Pandavleni.

The caves can be traced back up to the 1st century BCE by inscriptions recording donations.[2] Out of the twenty-four caves, two caves are a major attraction - the main cave which is the Chaitya (prayer hall) has a beautiful Stupa; the second one is cave no. 10 which is complete in all structural as well inscriptions. Both the caves have pictures of Buddha over the rocks. The caves are facing eastwards. So it is recommended to visit the caves early morning as in sunlight the beauty of carvings is enhanced.

The caves were called Pundru which in Pali language means "yellow ochre color". This is because the caves were the residence of Buddhist monks who wore "the chivara or the yellow robes". Later on, the word Pundru changed to Pandu Caves (as per Ancient Monuments Act 26 May 1909). Decades later people started calling it Pandav Caves - a misnomer which is used for every cave in India.

The various inscriptions confirm that Nashik in that period was ruled by 3 dynasties – the

Abhiras
. It seems there was always a conflict between Satavahanas and the Kshatrapas over supremacy. However, all the 3 kings fully supported Buddhism. The inscriptions also confirm that apart from the kings, local merchants, landlords too supported and donated huge sums for the development of these caves.

Layout and content

The group of 24 caves was cut in a long line on the north face of a hill called Trirasmi. The main interest of this group lies not only in its bearing on its walls a number of inscriptions of great historical significance belonging to the reign of Satavahana & Kshaharatas or Kshatrapas. But also in its representing a brilliant phase in the Rock-Cut architecture of the second century CE. There are altogether 24 excavations though many of these are small & less important. Beginning at the east end they may conveniently be numbered westward. They are almost entirely of an early date and were excavated by the Hinayana sect. Mostly, the interior of the caves are starkly plain, in contrast to the heavily ornamented exterior.

The caves and their inscriptions

Inscriptions in caves 3, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19 and 20 are legible. Other inscriptions note the names Bhattapalika,

Indo-Greek
) Dhammadeva.

Since the caves were inhabited by the Mahayana as well as the Hinayana sects of Buddhism, one can see a nice confluence of structural and carvings.

Caves No. 1-2

Cave No.1
Cave No.1: except the ornamental frieze over the front, no part of this cave is finished; it has been planned for a
Vihara, with four columns between pilasters in front of a narrow verandah, but they are all left square masses. A cell has been begun at each end of the verandah. The front wall has been more recently partly blasted away. There are no inscriptions in this cave.[9]

  • Cave 1, exterior
    Cave 1, exterior
  • Cave 1, front
    Cave 1, front
  • Interior
    Interior
  • Interior
    Interior
Cave No.2
Cave No.2 is a small excavation that may have been originally a verandah, 11.5 feet by 4.25 feet, with two cells at the back; but the front wall and dividing partition have been cut away, and the walls nearly covered with sculpture, consisting of sitting and standing Buddhas with attendant
chauri-bearers, in some cases unfinished. These are the additions of Mahayana Buddhists of the sixth or seventh century.[9]

The verandah has apparently had two wooden pillars, and the projecting frieze is carved with the "rail pattern", much weather worn, and apparently very old. On the remaining fragment of the back wall of the verandah, close under the roof, is a fragment of an inscription of

Sri Pulumavi
(2nd century CE):

"Success! On the ..... day of the fifth -5th- fortnight of summer
in the sixth -6th- year of king

Siri-Pulumayi, son of Vasithi...."

— Cave No.2, inscription No.1[10]

Between this and the next cave are a tank with two openings above it, a large scarped out place, and two decayed recesses, one of them a tank, and all along this space are blocks of rock blasted out, or fallen down from above.[9]

  • Cave 2, exterior
    Cave 2, exterior
  • Cave 2, front
    Cave 2, front
  • Interior
    Interior
  • Interior
    Interior

Cave No.3, "Gautamiputra vihara" (circa 150 CE)

Cave No.3 "Gautamiputra vihara" (circa 150 CE). 3D Tour.

Cave No.3 at

Satavahana king Gautamiputra Satakarni
, and contains numerous important inscriptions.

The cave

The cave is a

vihara type of cave, meant to provide shelter to Buddhist monks. It is, with cave No10, the largest Vihara cave in the Pandavleni Caves complex. The hall is 41 feet wide and 46 deep, with a bench round three sides. The cave has six pillars on the front porch, roughly similar to those of the early cave No10 built by the viceroy of Nahapana circa 120 CE. Inside, 18 monk cells are laid out according to a square plan, seven on the right side, six in the back, and five in the left.[9]

Entrance

The central door into this vihara is rudely sculptured in a style that reminds the Sanchi gateways; the side pilasters are divided into six compartments, each filled mostly with two men and a woman, in different stages of some story which seems to end in the woman being carried off by one of the men.[9]
Over the door are the three symbols, the

Kanheri, and in the paintings in Cave X at Ajanta, which probably belong to about the same age.[9]

Cave No.3, Entrance gate details
Pillars
Pillars of cave No.3
  • Comparison of the pillar capitals of Nahapana's Cave 10 (left) and Gautamiputra's Cave 3 (right). The capitals of Cave No.3 are "much poorer in proportion", with a "shorter and less elegant form of the bell-shaped portion, and the corners of the frame that encloses the torus having small figures attached", pointing to a later period imitation.[9]
    Comparison of the pillar capitals of Nahapana's Cave 10 (left) and Gautamiputra's Cave 3 (right). The capitals of Cave No.3 are "much poorer in proportion", with a "shorter and less elegant form of the bell-shaped portion, and the corners of the frame that encloses the torus having small figures attached", pointing to a later period imitation.[9]
  • Cave No.3 pillars (back view). They have no base, and "stand on a bench in the veranda, and in front of them is a carved screen".[9]
    Cave No.3 pillars (back view). They have no base, and "stand on a bench in the veranda, and in front of them is a carved screen".[9]

The veranda has six octagonal columns without bases between highly sculptured pilasters. The capitals of these pillars are distinguished from those in the Nahapana Cave No.10 by the shorter and less elegant form of the bell-shaped portion of them, and by the corners of the frame that encloses the torus having small figures attached; both alike have a series of five thin members, overlapping one another and supporting four animals on each capital, bullocks, elephants, horses, sphinxes, etc..., between the front and back pairs of which runs the architrave, supporting a projecting frieze, with all the details of a wooden framing copied in it. The upper part of the frieze in this case is richly carved with a string course of animals under a richly carved rail, resembling in its design and elaborateness the rails at Amravati, with which this vihara must be nearly, if not quite contemporary. The pillars stand on a bench in the veranda, and in front of them is a carved screen, supported by three dwarfs on each side the steps to the entrance.[9]
The details of this cave and No.10 are so alike that the one must be regarded as a copy of the other, but the capitals in No.10 are so like those of the Karla Caves Chaitya, while those in the veranda of this cave are so much poorer in proportion, that one is tempted to suppose this belongs to a later period, when art had begun to decay.[9]

Comparison with other sites

The architecture of the Nahapana cave (Cave No.10) is very similar to that of the

Kanheri Chaitya. This suggest that the two viharas cannot be very distant in date from the two Chaityas.[9]

Cave No.3, "Gautamiputra Vihara" (reign of
Sri Pulumavi
)
  • Cave 3, exterior
    Cave 3, exterior
  • Cave 3, pillars
    Cave 3, pillars
  • Interior
    Interior
  • Dvarapala
  • Chaitya relief
    Chaitya relief
  • Decoration
    Decoration
  • Interior panorama
    Interior panorama
  • Plan of the vihara
    Plan of the
    vihara

Inscriptions

Cave No.3 was completed and dedicated to the Samgha during the reign of Satavahana king Vasishthiputra Pulumavi (130–159 CE).

One long inscription (inscription No.2) in the 19th year of

Samgha.[11] There is also another long inscription (inscription No.3) by Sri Pulumavi himself, also in the 22nd year of his reign.[11] There are also inscriptions (inscriptions No.4 and No.5) at the entrance of the cave by Gautamiputra Satakarni (2nd century), in the 18th year of his reign, who claims a great victory.[12]

One of the most important Nasik Caves inscription was made by Gautamiputra's mother the great queen Gotami Balasiri, during the reign of her grandson Vasishthiputra Pulumavi, in order to record the gift of Cave No3. The full inscription consists in a long eulogy of Gautamiputra Satakarni, mentioning his valour, his military victories, and then her gift of a cave in the Nasik Caves complex.

The most important passages on this inscription related to the military victories of Gautamiputra Satakarni, in particular:

  • the claim that Gautamiputra Satakarni "destroyed the
    Indo-Parthians
  • the claim that Gautamitra Satakarni "rooted out the Khakharata race" and "restored the glory of the Satavahana family". The Khakharata refers to the Kshaharata dynasty, the family branch of Nahapana, the important Western Satraps ruler.

The full inscription, located on the back wall of the veranda above the entrance, reads:

Inscription of Queen Gotami Balasiri
Nasik Cave No.3, inscription No.2, 19th year of the reign of
Sri Pulumavi

(back wall of the veranda, above the left window of the entrance)
Full inscription of Queen Gotami Balasiri (rubbing).[13]
Palhava" (Brahmi script: 𑀲𑀓 𑀬𑀯𑀦 𑀧𑀮𑁆𑀳𑀯) mentioned in the Nasik cave 3 inscription of Queen Gotami Balasiri (end of line 5 of the inscription).[13]

"Success! In the nineteenth -19th- year of king Siri-Pulumayi Vasithiputra, in the second -2nd- fortnight of summer, on the thirteenth -13th- day, the great queen Gotami Balasiri, delighting in truth, charity, patience and respect for life; bent on penance, self-control, restraint and abstinence; fully working out the type of a royal Rishi's wife; the mother of the king of kings, Siri-Satakani Gotamiputa,

caused, as a pious gift, on the top of the Tiranhu mountain similar to the top of the

Kailasa, (this) cave to be made quite equal to the divine mansions (there). And that cave the great queen, mother of a Maharaja
and grandmother of a Maharaja, gives to the Sangha of monks in the person of the fraternity of the Bhadavaniyas; and for the sake of the embellishment of that cave, with a view to honour and please the great queen his grandmother, her grandson lord of [Dakshina]patha, making over the merit of the gift to his father, grants to this meritorious donation (vis. the cave) the village Pisajipadaka on the south-west side of mount Tiranhu.
Renunciation to the enjoyments of every kind."

The next inscription is located right under the inscription of the Queen, only separated by a

Sri Pulumavi himself, in the 22nd year of his reign, and records the gift of a village for the welfare of the monks dwelling in the cave built by his grandmother.[11]

Inscription of Sri-Pulumavi
Nasik Cave No.3, inscription No.3 (reign of
Sri Pulumavi
)
Inscription of Sri-Pulumavi, Nasik cave No.3.

" Success ! The lord of Navanara,

Bhikshus
of that fraternity, the Bhadayaniyas dwelling in the Queen's Cave, to produce a perpetual rent for the care of the cave meritoriously excavated, - in exchange for this gift, -the village of Sudasana,- we give the village of Samalipada, here in the Govadhana district on the Eastern road; and this village of Samalipada, .......by the Maha-Aryaka, you must deliver to be owned by the Bhikshus of the school of the Bhadayaniyas dwelling in the Queen's Cave, to produce a perpetual rent for the care of the cave meritoriously excavated; and to this village of Samalipada we grant the immunity belonging to monk's land, (making it) not to be entered (by royal officers), not to be touched (by any of them), not to be dug for salt, not to be interfered with by the district police, (in short) to enjoy all kinds of immunities. With all these immunities you must invest it; and this donation of the village of Samalipada and the immunities take care to have registered here at Sudasana. And by the (officers) entrusted with the abrogation of the (previous) donation of the Sudasana village it has been ordered. Written by the Mahdsendpati Medhnna ....., kept (?) by the ....... of deeds (?). The deed was delivered in the year 22, the 7th day of the . . fortnight of summer; executed by .... . (?). With a view for the well-being of the inhabitants of Govadhana, Vinhupala proclaims the praise of the Lord: Obeisance to the Being exalted in perfection and majesty, the excellent Jina, the Buddha."

— Nasik Caves inscription of Sri-Pulumavi, Cave No.3[15]

The next inscription of the cave is very important in that it seems to record the appropriation by king

Usubhadata, builder of Cave No.10, thereby confirming the capture of territory by the Satavahanas over the Western Satraps.[16][17] Since his mother made the final dedication of the cave during the reign of his son (inscription No.2 above), Gautamiputra Satakarni may have started the cave, but not finished it.[18]
The inscription is on the east wall of the veranda in Cave No. 3, under the ceiling.

Inscription of Gautamiputra Satakarni, year 18
Nasik Cave No.3, inscription No.4
Inscription of Gautamiputra Satakarni, Cave No.3, Inscription No.4.
The two inscriptions of Gautamiputra Satakarni, written one after another. Cave No.3, Inscription No.4.


" Success! From the camp of victory of the Vejayanti army, Siri-

Usabhadata
, - two hundred - 200 - nivartanas, - that our field - two hundred - 200 - nivartanas - we confer on those Tekirasi ascetics; and to that field we grant immunity, (making it) not to be entered (by royal officers), not to be touched (by any of them), not to be dug for salt, not to be interfered with by the district police, and (in short) to enjoy all kinds of immunities; with those immunities invest it; and this field and these immunities take care to have registered here. Verbally ordered; written down by the officer Sivaguta; kept by the Mahasamiyas. The deed was delivered in the 18th year, on the 1st day of the 2nd fortnight of the rainy season; executed by Tapasa."

— Nasik Caves inscription of Gautamiputra Satakarni, Cave No.3[19]

A final inscription, written as a continuation of the previous one, and only separated by a swastika, describes a correction to the previous inscription, as the donated lands and villages turned to be inappropriate. The inscription reads:

Inscription of Gautamiputra Satakarni, year 24
Nasik Cave No.3, inscription No.5
Inscription of Gautamiputra Satakarni, Cave No.3, Inscription No.5.

" Success ! Order of the king, to be made over to Samaka, the officer at Govadhana, In the name of the king Satakani Gotamiputa and of the king's queen mother whose son is living, Samaka, the officer at Govadhana, shall be addressed with the usual civility and then shall be told thus: " We have here on mount Tiranhu formerly given to the mendicant ascetics dwelling in the cave which is a pious gift of ours, a field in the village of Kakhadi; but this field is not tilled, nor is the village inhabited. Matters being so, that royal village of ours, which is now here on the limit of the town, from that field we give to the mendicant ascetics of Tiranhu one hundred -100 - nivartanas of land, and to that field we grant immunity, (making it) not to be entered (by royal officers), not to be touched (by any of them), not to be dug for salt, not to be interfered with by the district police, and (in short) to enjoy ail kinds of immunities; invest it with those immunities, and take care that the donation of the field and the immunities are duly registered." Verbally ordered ; the deed written down by Lota, the door-keeper; (the charter) executed by Sujivin in the year 24, in the 4th fortnight of the rainy season, on the fifth -5th- day. The donation had been made in the year 24, in the 2nd fortnight of summer, on the 10th day."

— Nasik Caves inscription of Gautamiputra Satakarni, Cave No.3[19]

Caves No.4-9

Cave No.4
Cave No.4 is much destroyed and full of water to a considerable depth. The frieze is at a very considerable height, and is carved with the "rail pattern". The veranda has had two octagonal pillars between antae, with bell-shaped capitals, surmounted by elephants with small drivers and female riders. There has also been a plain doorway and two grated windows leading into the cave, but only the heads of them remain. From the unusual height and the chisel marks in the lower part, apparently recent, it seems as if the floor of this cave had been cut away into a cistern below it. Indeed, when the cave ceased to be used as a monastery, from the breaking through of the floor into the water cistern below, the floor seems to have been quite hewn out to form a cistern. This seems to have been done in many cases here.[9]

There are no inscriptions in this cave.

  • Cave 4, exterior
    Cave 4, exterior
  • Cave 4, pillar capital
    Cave 4, pillar capital
  • Cave 4, pillar capital
    Cave 4, pillar capital
  • Cave 4, view from the inside.
    Cave 4, view from the inside.
Cave No.5
There are no inscriptions in this cave.
Caves No.6-7-8
Cave No.6 has an inscription, mentioning its dedication by a merchant to the
Samgha.[20] An inscription at Cave No.7 explains it is a gift by a female ascetic named Tapasini to the Samgha.[20] Two inscriptions at Cave No.8 explain the cave is a gift by a fisherman name Mugudasa.[20]

  • From right to left, cave No.6, cave no.7, cave No.8, cave No.9
    From right to left, cave No.6, cave no.7, cave No.8, cave No.9
  • Cave 6, exterior
    Cave 6, exterior
  • Caves 9 and 8.
    Caves 9 and 8.
Cave No.9
There are no inscriptions in this cave.
  • Cave 9, exterior
    Cave 9, exterior
  • Cave 9, interior
    Cave 9, interior
  • Cave 9, looking outward
    Cave 9, looking outward
  • Cave 9, pillars
    Cave 9, pillars

Cave No.10 "Nahapana Vihara" (circa 120 CE)

Cave No.10 "Nahapana Vihara" (circa 120 CE). 3D tour.
Indo-Scythian Western Satraps ruler Nahapana
built Cave No.10 circa 120 CE.

The cave

Cave No. 10 is the second largest Vihara, and contains six inscriptions of the family of Nahapana. The six pillars (two of them attached) have more elegant bell-shaped capitals than those in Cave No. 3, and their bases are in the style of those in the Karla Caves Chaitya, and in that next to the Granesa Lena at Junnar; the frieze also, like those that remain on the other small caves between Nos.4 and 9, is carved with the simple rail pattern. At each end of the verandah is a cell, donated by "Dakhamitra, the daughter of King Kshaharata Kshatrapa Nahapana, and wife of Ushavadata, son of Dinika."[9]

Inside hall

The inside hall is about 43 feet wide by 45 feet deep, and is entered by three plain doors, and lighted by two windows. It has five benched cells on each side and six in the back; it wants, however, the bench round the inner sides that can be found in Cave No.3; but, as shown by the capital and ornaments still left, it has had a precisely similar dagoba in low relief on the back wall, which has been long afterwards hewn into a figure of Bhairava. Outside the veranda, too, on the left-hand side, have been two reliefs of this same god, evidently the later insertions of some Hindu devotee.[9]

Comparisons

Since Nahapana was a contemporary of

Yavana
".

Nahapana is also known for his association with the Great Chaitya in Karla Caves, the largest Chaitya building of Southern Asia.[21][22][23] Cave No. 10 and the Karla Caves Chaitya are extremely similar in style, and thought to be essentially contemporary.[9]

Cave No.10 "Nahapana Vihara", circa 120 CE
Several inscriptions from the reign of
Sri Pulumavi
, who is posterior to him by a generation.
  • Front
    Front
  • Veranda
    Veranda
  • Interior
    Interior
  • Chaitya and Umbrellas
    Chaitya and Umbrellas
  • Plan of the vihara
    Plan of the
    vihara

Inscriptions

Inscription No.11 by Dakhamitra, wife of Ushavadata, in Cave No.10
Karla Caves Chaitya pillars (left) compared to Pandavleni Caves Cave No10 pillars (right), all built by Ushavadata, son-in-law of Nahapana, circa 120 CE.

The inscriptions of cave no.10 reveal that in 105-106 CE, Western Satraps defeated the Satavahanas after which Kshatrapa Nahapana’s son-in-law and Dinika’s son- Ushavadata donated 3000 gold coins for this cave as well as for the food and clothing of the monks. The main inscription on the doorfront (inscription No.10) is the earliest known instance of the usage of Sanskrit, although a rather hybrid form, in western India.[24]

Usabhdatta’s wife (Nahapana’s daughter), Dakshmitra also donated one cave for the Buddhist monks. Cave 10 - 'Nahapana Vihara' is spacious with 16 rooms.

Over the doorway of the left cell appears the following inscription:

" Success ! This cell, the gift of Dakhamitra, wife of Ushavadata, son of Dinika, and daughter of king Nahapana, the Khshaharata Kshatrapa."

— Inscription No.11, Cave 10, Nasik[25]

Two inscriptions in Cave 10 mentions the building and the gift of the whole cave to the

Samgha by Ushavadata
, the son-in-law and viceroy of Nahapana:

"Success ! Ushavadata, son of Dinika, son-in- law of king Nahapana, the Kshaharata Kshatrapa, (...) inspired by (true) religion, in the Trirasmi hills at Govardhana, has caused this cave to be made and these cisterns."

— Part of inscription No.10 of Ushavadata, Cave No.10, Nasik[26]

"Success ! In the year 42, in the month Vesakha,

Samgha generally...."

— Part of inscription No.12 of Ushavadata, Cave No.10, Nasik[27]
Inscription of Ushavadata, son-in-law of Nahapana
Nasik Cave No.10, inscription No.10
  • Inscription No.10. of Ushavadata runs the length of the entrance wall, over the doors, and is here visible in parts between the pillars. The imprint was cut in 3 portions for convenience. Cave No.10, Nasik Caves.
    Inscription No.10. of Ushavadata runs the length of the entrance wall, over the doors, and is here visible in parts between the pillars. The imprint was cut in 3 portions for convenience. Cave No.10, Nasik Caves.

Full text of inscription No.10 (hybrid Sanskrit, Brahmi script):[24]

"Success! Ushavadata, Dinika's son, son-in-law of king Nahapana, the Kshaharata Kshatrapa,

— Inscription of Ushavadata, Nasik Cave No.10, inscription No.10.[28]

Caves No.11, "Jain cave"

Cave No.11 is close to Cave No.10, but at a somewhat higher level. In the left end of the veranda is the fragment of a seat; the room inside is 11 feet 7 inches by 7 feet 10 inches, having a cell, 6 feet 8 inches square, at the left end, and another, not quite so large, at the back, with a bench at the side and back. In the front room is carved, on the back wall, in low relief, a sitting figure and attendants on a lion throne, and on the right-end wall a fat figure of Amba on a tiger with attendants, and an Indra on an elephant: all are small, clumsily carved, and evidently of late Jaina workmanship.[9]

Cave No.11 has one inscription mentioning it is the gift of the son of a writer: " the benefaction of Ramanaka, the son of Sivamitra, the writer."[29]

Cave No.11
  • Caves 11 (forefront with stairs) to 14, exterior
    Caves 11 (forefront with stairs) to 14, exterior
  • Cave 11, Jain reliefs
    Cave 11, Jain reliefs
  • Cave 11, Jain reliefs
    Cave 11, Jain reliefs
  • Cave 11, Relief of Ambika
    Cave 11, Relief of Ambika
  • Cave 11, Relief of Indra
    Cave 11, Relief of Indra

Caves No.12-16

Cave No.12 has one inscription mentioning it is the gift of a merchant named Ramanaka.[29] Cave No.13 has no inscriptions.[29]

Caves No.12-13-14
This is a group of chambers, probably the remains of three
bhikshugrihas or hermitages, with one, two, and three cells respectively. The first has an inscription of a certain Hamanaka, mentioning an endowment of 100 karshapanas for "a garment to the ascetic residing in it during the rains". To the left is a tank, and then for thirty yards everything has been blasted and quarried away.[9]

There are no inscriptions in the other two caves.

  • Caves 12, 13 and Cave 14 (extreme left)
    Caves 12, 13 and Cave 14 (extreme left)
  • Caves 14, exterior
    Caves 14, exterior
  • Cave 14, Buddha sitting
    Cave 14, Buddha sitting
  • Cave 14, Bodhisattvas
    Cave 14, Bodhisattvas
  • Cave 14, Bodhisattvas
    Cave 14, Bodhisattvas
  • Cave 14, interior panorama
    Cave 14, interior panorama
Cave No.15
Cave No.15 seems to be only the inner shrines of a two-storeyed cave, the whole front of which has disappeared, and the upper is only accessible by a ladder. Both have on each of their three walls a sitting
Buddha with the usual standing attendants, similar to what we find in Caves No.2 and 23, and in the later Ajanta Caves. These are, apparently, Mahayana works. Beyond them, another fifty feet has been quarried away by blasting, which has been continued along the outer portion of the terrace of Cave No.17.[9]

There are no inscriptions in this cave.[9]

  • Interior panorama
    Interior panorama
  • Front
    Front
  • Buddha
    Buddha
  • Seated and Teaching Buddha
    Seated and Teaching Buddha
Cave No.16
There are no inscriptions in this cave.

Cave No.17, "Yavana vihara" (circa 120 CE)

Cave No.17, "Yavana vihara" (circa 120 CE). 3D tour.

Cave No.17 was built by a devotee of Greek descent, who presents his father as being a

Yavana from the northern city of Demetriapolis.[30][31]
The cave is dated to around 120 CE.

The cave

Inside hall

Cave 17 is the third large Vihara, though smaller than Nos.3, 10, 20, and has been executed close to the upper portion of the

linga
. The shrine has never been finished. On the wall of the back aisle is a standing figure of Buddha, 3.5 feet high; in the left side of the hall, 2 feet 3 inches from the floor, is a recess, 18.5 feet long and 4 feet 3 inches high by 2 feet deep, intended for a seat or perhaps for a row of metallic images; a cell has been attempted at each end of this, but one of them has entered the aisle of the Chaitya-cave just below, and the work has then been stopped. On the right side are four cells without benches.
[32]

Veranda

The veranda is somewhat peculiar, and it would seem that, at first, a much smaller cave was projected, or else by some mistake it was begun too far to the left. It is ascended by half a-dozen steps in front between the two central octagonal pillars with very short shafts, and large bases and capitals, the latter surmounted by elephants and their riders, and the frieze above carved with the plain "rail pattern". They stand on a paneled base; but the landing between the central pair is opposite the left window in the back wall of the veranda, to the right of which is the principal door, but to the left of the window is also a narrower one. The veranda has then been prolonged to the west, and another door broken out to the outside beyond the right attached pillar; at this end of the veranda also is an unfinished cell.[32]

Comparisons

The cave is later than the Chaitya next it, and the veranda a little later in style than the Nahapana Cave No.10. The interior with an image of the Buddha, was probably executed at a later date, around the 6th century CE.[32] Fergusson states later in his book that, from an architectural standpoint, Cave No.17 is contemporary with the Great Chatya at the Karla Caves, but is actually a bit earlier in style than Cave No.10 of Nahapana at Nasik, but at no great interval of time.[33]

Cave No.17, "Yavana Vihara", circa 120 CE
  • Exterior
    Exterior
  • Entrance. The inscription is visible, in part, over the entrance.
    Entrance. The inscription is visible, in part, over the entrance.
  • Pillar capital
    Pillar capital
  • Standing Buddha (a later addition).[34]
    Standing Buddha (a later addition).[34]

  • Interior
    Interior
  • Interior panorama
    Interior panorama

Inscription

Brahmi ), with Nasik/Karla-period Brahmi script
for reference.

Cave No.17 has one inscription, mentioning the gift of the cave by Indragnidatta the son of the

Indo-Greek
) Dharmadeva. It is located on the back wall of the veranda, over the main entrance, and is inscribed in large letters:

"Success! (The gift) of Indragnidatta, son of Dhammadeva, the

Samgha by monks together with his son Dhammarakhita."

— Inscription No.18, in Cave No,17[29]

The city of "Dattamittri" may be the city of

, circa 120 CE.
The word "

The Yavanas are also known for their donations with inscriptions at the Great
Chaitya at the Karla Caves, and at the Manmodi Caves in Junnar.

Cave No. 18: the Chaitya

The cave

Cave No.18, the corner of cave No.17 is visible on the right. 3D tour.
Cave No.18 doorway.

Cave No.18 is a

Bedsa and Karla, tend to suggest an early date for this cave.[32]

Chronology

Chaitya No. 18 participates to a chronology of several other Chaitya caves which were built in Western India under royal sponsorship.[36] It is thought that the chronology of these early Chaitya Caves is as follows: first Cave 9 at Kondivite Caves, then Cave 12 at the Bhaja Caves and Cave 10 of Ajanta Caves, around the 1st century BCE.[37] Then, in chronological order: Cave 3 at Pitalkhora, Cave 1 at Kondana Caves, Cave 9 at Ajanta Caves, which, with its more ornate designs, may have been built about a century later,[36] Only then appears Cave 18 at Nasik Caves, to be followed by Cave 7 at Bedse Caves, and finally by the "final perfection" of the Great Chaitya at Karla Caves (circa 120 CE).[37]

Doorway

The doorway is evidently of an early date, and the ornament up the left side is almost identical with that found on the pillars of the northern gateway at

Manmodi cave at Junnar, which is probably of about the same age as this Chaitya.[32]

Hall

The interior measures 38 feet 10 inches by 21 feet 7 inches, and the nave, from the door up to the dagoba, 25 feet 4 inches by 10 feet, and 23 feet 3 inches high. The cylinder of the dagoba is 5.5 feet in diameter and 6 feet 3 inches high, surmounted by a small dome and very heavy capital. The gallery under the great arch of the window is supported by two pillars, which in all cases in the Chaitya caves are in such a form as strongly to suggest that a wooden frame was fastened between them, probably to hold a screen, which would effectually shut in the nave from observation from outside. Five octagonal pillars, with high bases of the Karle pattern but without capitals, on each side the nave, and five without bases round the dagoba, divide off the side aisles.[32]

The woodwork that once occupied the front arch, and the roof of the nave has long ago disappeared. Whether there ever were pillars in advance of the present facade as at

Bedsa, or a screen as at Karle, cannot be determined with certainty, unless by excavating largely among the debris in front. There was probably something of the kind, but the Viharas, inserted so close to it on either side, must have hastened the ruin of the side walls of it.[32]

Cave No.18, Chaitya
  • Exterior of cave No.18. Cave No.17 is visible on the right, cave No.20 on the left, and a corner of cave No,19 bottom left.
    Exterior of cave No.18. Cave No.17 is visible on the right, cave No.20 on the left, and a corner of cave No,19 bottom left.
  • Entrance of cave 18
    Entrance of cave 18
  • Interior
    Interior
  • The central stupa.
    The central stupa.
  • Pillars with inscription No.19
    Pillars with inscription No.19
  • Panorama, looking towards the outside
    Panorama, looking towards the outside
  • Section and plan
    Section and plan

Inscriptions

The cave has several inscriptions. Inscription No.19 appears on the 5th and 6th pillars on the right aisle of the Chaitya, and explains that the cave received some perfecting by the wife of a government official, but the government in question remains unnamed:

"By Bhatapalika, the grand-daughter of Mahahakusiri and daughter of the royal officer Arahalaya from Chalisilana, wife of the royal officer Agiyatanaka, of the treasure office, mother of Kapananaka, this Chaityagriha has been caused to be perfected on this mount Tiranhu."

— Inscription No.19, Cave No.18[38]

This inscription is slightly less ancient than the inscription on the doorway, suggesting that it was inscribed some time in the later phases of the construction of the cave.[38]

Inscription No.20 explains that the decoration above the doorway was a donation of the people of nearby Nashik ("The gift of the village of Dhambhika, of the Nasik people"). Inscription No.21 records the donation of the rail pattern.[38]

Cave No.19 "Krishna vihara" (100-70 BCE)

Nasik".[41]

Cave 19 is at a rather lower level even than the Chaitya cave, and some distance in advance of it, but the front and interior have been so filled up with earth as to conceal it from general view. It is a small

Vihara, 14 feet 3 inches square, with six cells, two on each side; their doors are surmounted by the Chaitya-arch ornament connected by a frieze of "rail pattern" in some places wavy. In the front wall are two lattice windows, and in the veranda two slender square pillars, the middle portion of the shaft being chamfered to an octagonal shape.[42]

The cave is exceedingly plain style, and the remarkable rectangularity of all its parts, agree perfectly with what might be expected in a Vihara of the first or second century BCE. Its close family likeness to Cave No.12 at

Kondane, all of the earliest age, suggest about the same date.[42]

The cave has one inscription of king

Satavahanas, which is the oldest known Satavahana inscription, dated to 100-70 BCE:[43][39]

𑀲𑀸𑀤𑀯𑀸𑀳𑀦𑀓𑀼𑀮𑁂 𑀓𑀦𑁆𑀳𑁂 𑀭𑀸𑀚𑀺𑀦𑀺 𑀦𑀸𑀲𑀺𑀓𑁂𑀦 𑀲𑀫𑀡𑁂𑀦 𑀫𑀳𑀸𑀫𑀸𑀢𑁂𑀡 𑀮𑁂𑀡 𑀓𑀸𑀭𑀺𑀢
Sādavāhanakule Kanhe rājini Nāsikakena Samaṇena mahāmāteṇa leṇa kārita
"Under King Kanha of the

Sramanas
at Nasik."

Cave No.19, "Krishna vihara", circa 100-70 BCE[44]
Cave No19 is located on the ground floor, to the left of the entrance of Cave No.18, and right under cave No.20. Cave No.19 has one inscription mentioning the dedication by a government officer during the rule of king
Satavahanas. King Krishna, also called Kanha, is said to have ruled in the 1st century BCE (100-70 BCE), which makes Cave No.19 one of the earliest to be excavated.[34]
  • Cave No.19
    Cave No.19
  • Cave No.19 is located right under Cave No.20
    Cave No.19 is located right under Cave No.20
  • A halk-flower medallions design on a pillar of Cave No.19, typical of early designs such as those of Sanchi.
    A halk-flower medallions design on a pillar of Cave No.19, typical of early designs such as those of Sanchi.
  • Plan and inside elevation of cave No.19, "Krishna vihara" (100-70 BCE).
    Plan and inside elevation of cave No.19, "Krishna vihara" (100-70 BCE).

Cave No.20: "Sri Yajna vihara" (circa 180 CE)

Exterior. 3D tour.
Cave 20 plan.
Coin of Yajna Sri Satakarni (170-199 CE), in the 7th year of the reign of which the cave was completed. British Museum.

Cave No.20 is another large Vihara, its hall varying in width from 37.5 feet at the front to 44 feet at the back and 61.5 feet deep. Originally it was little over 40 feet deep, but at a much later date it was altered and extended back by one "Marma, a worshipper," as recorded on the wall. It has eight cells on each side, one on the right rather a recess than a cell, two on the left with stone beds, while in the back are two cells to the left of the antechamber and one to the right, with one more on each side of the antechamber and entered from it.[45]

The hall is surrounded by a low bench as in Cave 3, and in the middle of the floor is a low platform, about 9 feet square, apparently intended for an asana or seat; but whether to place an image upon for worship, or as a "seat of the law", where the Thera or high priest might sit when teaching and discussing, is impossible to say. On the right-hand side, and nearer the front, are three small circular elevations in the floor much like ordinary millstones. They may be seats also for members of the clergy, or bases on which to set small moveable dagobas. But when the cave was altered and extended backward, the floor seems also to have been lowered a few inches to form the low dais and these bases.[45]

The antechamber is slightly raised above the level of the hall, from which it is divided by two richly carved columns between antae. On either side the shrine door is a gigantic dvarapala, 9.5 feet high, with an attendant female, but so besmeared with soot for the cave has been long occupied by Bhairagis, that minor details are scarcely recognisable. These dvarapalas, however, hold lotus stalks, have the same elaborate head-dresses, with a small dagoba in the front of one, and a figure of Buddha in the other, and have the same attendants and vidyaharas flying over head as we find in the later Buddhist caves at Aurangabad.[45]

In the shrine, too, is the colossal image of Buddha, 10 feet high, seated with his feet on a lotus flower and holding the little finger of his left hand between the thumb and forefinger of his right. He is attended by two gigantic chauri-bearer with the same distinguishing features as the dvarapala. All this points to about the 7th century CE or later, as the age of alteration of this cave.[45]

Fortunately there is an inscription of the 7th year of

Kanheri caves, that the Satavahanas had reclaimed the area of Kanheri and Nasik from the Western Satraps
during the reign of Sri Yajna Satakarni.

The pillars of the veranda have the water-pot bases, and the bell-shaped capitals of those in Karle Chaitya. Those of the sanctuary are represented, and belong to a widely distant age. Like No.17, it has a side door near the left end of the veranda, and a cell in that end.[45]

The façade has four octagonal pillars between antae, the shafts more slender than in any of the other caves, but the bases of the same pattern disproportionately large, as if the shafts had been reduced in thickness at a later date. They stand on a paneled base, with five low steps up to it between the middle pair. A low screen wall in front is nearly quite destroyed, except at the east end, where a passage led to a large irregular and apparently unfinished apartment with two plain octagonal pillars with square bases between pilasters in front, and having a water-cistern at the entrance.[45]

Cave No.20 "Sri Yajna vihara" (circa 180 CE)

Cave No.20 has one large inscription, claiming that the unfinished cave was completed by the wife of a great general named Bhavagopa, during the 7th year of the rule of king

Kanheri
. This means probably that the cave was carved during the beginning of the end of the 2nd century CE. It also shows that the Satavahanas reclaimed the area of Nasik under Sri Yajna Satakarni.
One more inscription over one of the small cellars mentions its gift by a lay devotee named Mamma.[39]

  • Exterior
    Exterior
  • Interior reliefs with Buddha and Bodhisattvas
    Interior reliefs with Buddha and Bodhisattvas
  • Interior
    Interior
  • Interior cells
    Interior cells

Caves No.21-24

Caves No.21 and No. 22
These two small caves do not have inscriptions
  • Exterior of caves No.21 and 22 (with pillars of Cave N.20 in the forefront).
    Exterior of caves No.21 and 22 (with pillars of Cave N.20 in the forefront).
  • Cave No. 21
    Cave No. 21
  • Entrance of Cave No. 22
    Entrance of Cave No. 22
Cave No.23
Cave No.23 is a large, nondescript, irregular cave, about 30 feet deep, with three shrines. To judge from the holes in the floor and roof it might be supposed that the front and partitions in it had been of wood; the whole façade, however, is destroyed. In front are several cisterns; on the floor is a raised stone bench and a circular base as if for a small structural dagoba; and all the shrines as well as many compartments on the walls are filled with sculptures of the Buddha attended by
Padmapani and Vajrapani such as has only been seen in the two shrines high up on the scarp at Caves No.14 and 15, but so like what is found at Aurangabad, Ellora, and Ajanta, that there can be no hesitation in ascribing it to a late age.[47]

Among the many repetitions of Buddha and attendants is a small figure on the wall that cuts off the third shrine from the larger portion of the cave, of Buddha reclining on his right side as represented entering nirvana, much as he is found in Sri Lanka temples, and of which larger representations are found at Ajanta, Kholvi, and Aurangabad. All these, and the female figures of Tara, Lochana, and Mamukhi found in the shrines, clearly show that this was a Mahayana temple. The pillars in front of the entrance to the first shrine are also of a much more modern type than in any of the other caves in Nasik.[47]

Cave No.23 has one inscription recording the building of the cave in year 2 of the reign of

Sri Pulumavi.[39]

  • Interior
    Interior
  • Pillars and Bodhisattvas
    Pillars and Bodhisattvas
  • Buddha inside shrine
    Buddha inside shrine
  • Buddhas and Bodhisattvas
    Buddhas and Bodhisattvas
  • Interior reliefs
    Interior reliefs
  • Meditating Buddha
    Meditating Buddha
  • Reclining Buddha and other reliefs
    Reclining Buddha and other reliefs
Cave No.24
Cave No.24 is a small
trisula or symbol of dharma, the prongs in one case being changed into cats or some similar animals; seated on the lower beam under the rock at the west end is carved an owl, and at each end of the ornamented "rail pattern" is a rider on a sort of female centaur.[48]

Cave No.24 has one inscription recording the gift of the cave by a writer named Vudhika.[39]

  • Exterior
    Exterior
  • Sculpted ledge
    Sculpted ledge
  • Buddhas and Bodhisattvas
    Buddhas and Bodhisattvas
  • Buddhas and Bodhisattvas
    Buddhas and Bodhisattvas

Routes

The caves are located high in the mountains of Trirashmi. Some caves are intricately connected by stone-cut ladders that join them to the other caves. Steps lead to the caves from the bottom of the hill. The peak of the Trirashmi Caves is also accessible by trekking of about 20 mins but the path is treacherous and dangerous.[49]

See also

References

  1. ^ Michell, 383
  2. ^ a b c Michell, 384
  3. ^ "In Nashik's Buddhist caves complex, a chance new find". 3 June 2021.
  4. ^ Harle, 55-56
  5. ^ "Pandavleni Caves". showcaves.com. Retrieved 16 September 2006.
  6. ^ "Pandavleni Caves Tour,Pandavleni Caves Tour in India,Pandavleni Caves in India,Pandavleni Cave Temples in India,Buddhist Caves of Pandavleni,Pandavleni Caves Travel in India". Archived from the original on 31 July 2017. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  7. ^ "Pandavleni Caves - Pandavleni Caves Nashik, Pandu Lena Caves, Pandu Lena Maharashtra India".
  8. ^ "Pandavleni Caves". india9. Retrieved 16 September 2006.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t The cave temples of India, Fergusson, James, W.H. Allen &Co p.267ff (Public domain text)
  10. ^ Epigraphia Indica p.59
  11. ^ a b c Epigraphia Indica p.60ff
  12. ^ Epigraphia Indica p.71ff
  13. ^ a b Hultzsch, E. (1906). Epigraphia Indica Vol.8. p. 60.
  14. ^ Epigraphia Indica p.61-62
  15. ^ Epigraphia Indica p.66-67
  16. ^ Singh 2008, p. 383.
  17. ^ A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India Upinder Singh p.384
  18. ^ Sudhakar Chattopadhyaya 1974, p. 92.
  19. ^ a b Epigraphia Indica p.71-72
  20. ^ a b c Epigraphia Indica p.75ff
  21. ^ World Heritage Monuments and Related Edifices in India, Volume 1 ʻAlī Jāvīd, Tabassum Javeed, Algora Publishing, 2008 p.42
  22. ^ Southern India: A Guide to Monuments Sites & Museums, by George Michell, Roli Books Private Limited, 1 mai 2013 p.72
  23. Kshatrapas
    rule in the western Deccan during the 1st century." in Guide to Monuments of India 1: Buddhist, Jain, Hindu - by George Michell, Philip H. Davies, Viking - 1989 Page 374
  24. ^ .
  25. ^ Epigraphia Indica p.81-82
  26. ^ Epigraphia Indica p.78-79
  27. ^ Epigraphia Indica p.82-83
  28. ^ Epigraphia Indica Vol.2 p.78-79
  29. ^ a b c d e Epigraphia Indica p.90ff
  30. .
  31. .
  32. ^ a b c d e f g The cave temples of India, Fergusson, James, W.H. Allen &Co p.271ff (Public domain text)
  33. ^ Fergusson, James; Burgess, James (1880). The cave temples of India. London : Allen. pp. 348–360.
  34. ^ a b Archaeological survey of India [1] Archived 26 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  35. ^ The Greeks in Bactria and India by William Woodthorpe Tarn p.257
  36. ^ .
  37. ^ .
  38. ^ a b c Epigraphia Indica p.91ff
  39. ^ a b c d e f g Epigraphia Indica p.93 Inscription No.22
  40. ^ Carla M. Sinopoli 2001, p. 168.
  41. ^ Burgess. Epigraphia Indica Vol 8. p. 93.
  42. ^ a b The cave temples of India, Fergusson, James, W.H. Allen &Co p.274ff (Public domain text)
  43. .
  44. ^ Empires: Perspectives from Archaeology and History by Susan E. Alcock p.168
  45. ^ a b c d e f g The cave temples of India, Fergusson, James, W.H. Allen &Co p.275ff (Public domain text)
  46. ^ Burgess, Jas (1883). Archaeological Survey Of Western India. p. 114.
  47. ^ a b The cave temples of India, Fergusson, James, W.H. Allen &Co p.277ff (Public domain text)
  48. ^ The cave temples of India, Fergusson, James, W.H. Allen &Co p.278ff (Public domain text)
  49. ^ "Pandavleni Caves". Archived from the original on 7 January 2009. Retrieved 16 March 2008.

Sources

External links