124-879: The Lomas Rishi Cave , also called the Grotto of Lomas Rishi , is one of the man-made Barabar Caves in the Barabar and Nagarjuni hills of Jehanabad district in the Indian state of Bihar . This rock-cut cave was carved out as a sanctuary. It was built during the Ashokan period of the Maurya Empire in the 3rd century BC, as part of the sacred architecture of the Ajivikas , an ancient religious and philosophical group of India that competed with Jainism and became extinct over time. Ājīvikas were atheists and rejected ritualism of
248-561: A Brahmi script inscription, was discovered by colonial era archaeologists in Besnagar ( Vidisha , in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh ). Based on the internal evidence of the inscription, it has been dated to between 125 and 100 BCE and is now known after Heliodorus – an Indo-Greek who served as an ambassador of the Greek king Antialcidas to a regional Indian king, Kasiputra Bhagabhadra . The Heliodorus pillar inscription
372-399: A contemporary of Gautama Buddha , the founder of Buddhism, and of Mahavira , the last and 24th Tirthankara of Jainism . The Ajivikas had many similarities with Buddhism as well as Jainism. Also present at the site are several rock-cut Buddhist and Hindu sculptures and inscriptions from later periods. Most caves at Barabar consist of two chambers, carved entirely out of granite , with
496-517: A cumulative total of between 16,000 and 18,000 verses depending on the version. The tenth book of the text, which contains about 4,000 verses (~25%) and is dedicated to legends about Krishna, has been the most popular and widely studied part of this text. Krishna is represented in the Indian traditions in many ways, but with some common features. His iconography typically depicts him with black, dark, or blue skin, like Vishnu . However, ancient and medieval reliefs and stone-based arts depict him in
620-792: A dancing child, or an innocent-looking child playfully stealing or consuming butter ( Makkan Chor ), holding Laddu in his hand ( Laddu Gopal ) or as a cosmic infant sucking his toe while floating on a banyan leaf during the Pralaya (the cosmic dissolution) observed by sage Markandeya . Regional variations in the iconography of Krishna are seen in his different forms, such as Jaganatha in Odisha, Vithoba in Maharashtra, Shrinathji in Rajasthan and Guruvayoorappan in Kerala. Guidelines for
744-494: A high degree of precision craftsmanship. The Ashoka inscriptions of the Barabar Caves were engraved during the 12th year and the 19th year of Ashoka's reign (about 258 BCE and 251 BCE respectively, based on a coronation date of 269 BCE), for the dedication of several caves to the sect of the Ajivikas , a sect of ascetics, which flourished at the same time as Buddhism and Jainism. The words "Ajivikas" were later attacked by
868-509: A highly polished internal surface, the " Mauryan polish " also found on sculptures, and exciting echo effects. The caves were featured – located in a fictitious Marabar – in the book A Passage to India by English author E. M. Forster . Barabar Hill contains four caves: Karan Chaupar, Lomas Rishi, Sudama and Visvakarma. Sudama and Lomas Rishi are the earliest examples of rock-cut architecture in India, with architectural detailing made in
992-411: A little east of the main granite hill 25°00′22″N 85°03′53″E / 25.00611°N 85.06472°E / 25.00611; 85.06472 . 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 4.27x2.54m, and the circular room is 2.8m in diameter . One goes from the rectangular room to
1116-416: A metaphor where each of the eight wives signifies a different aspect of him. Vaishnava texts mention all Gopis as wives of Krishna, but this is understood as spiritual symbolism of devotional relationship and Krishna's complete loving devotion to each and everyone devoted to him. In Krishna-related Hindu traditions, he is most commonly seen with Radha . All of his wives and his lover Radha are considered in
1240-555: 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 Maurya statuary, particularly visible on the pillars and capitals of the Ashoka pillars . Commenting of Mauryan sculpture, John Marshall once wrote about the "extraordinary precision and accuracy which characterizes all Mauryan works, and which has never, we venture to say, been surpassed even by
1364-490: A model lover, a divine hero, and the universal supreme being. His iconography reflects these legends and shows him in different stages of his life, such as an infant eating butter, a young boy playing a flute , a young boy with Radha or surrounded by female devotees, or a friendly charioteer giving counsel to Arjuna . The name and synonyms of Krishna have been traced to 1st millennium BCE literature and cults. In some sub-traditions, like Krishnaism , Krishna
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#17327724045381488-687: A navigable river named the Jobares. According to Edwin Bryant , a professor of Indian religions known for his publications on Krishna, "there is little doubt that the Sourasenoi refers to the Shurasenas, a branch of the Yadu dynasty to which Krishna belonged". The word Herakles, states Bryant, is likely a Greek phonetic equivalent of Hari-Krishna, as is Methora of Mathura, Kleisobora of Krishnapura, and
1612-535: A poetic masterpiece, full of imagination and metaphors, with no relation to the realism of pastoral life found in the Harivamsa . Krishna's life is presented as a cosmic play ( Lila ), where his youth is set as a princely life with his foster father Nanda portrayed as a king. Krishna's life is closer to that of a human being in Harivamsa , but is a symbolic universe in the Bhagavata Purana , where Krishna
1736-476: A poor herder but weaves in poetic and allusive fantasy. It ends on a triumphal note, not with the death of Krishna. Differing in some details, the fifth book of the Vishnu Purana moves away from Harivamsa realism and embeds Krishna in mystical terms and eulogies. The Vishnu Purana manuscripts exist in many versions. The tenth and eleventh books of the Bhagavata Purana are widely considered to be
1860-401: A rectangular room measuring 9.86x5.18m, and a circular, semi-hemispherical room 5m in diameter, which is accessed from the rectangular room by a narrow rectangular passage. This cave has an arched facade that probably imitates contemporary wooden architecture. On the periphery of the door, along the curve of the architrave, a line of elephants advances in the direction of stupa emblems. This
1984-503: A refuge that will last as long as the sun and the moon, was dug by Devanampiya (beloved of the gods) Dasaratha during his elevation to the throne, to make it a hermitage for the most pious Ajivikas The cave also has a much later Hindu inscription, the Vadathika Cave Inscription . The caves were carved out of granite , an extremely hard rock, then finished with a very nice polishing of the inner surface, giving
2108-460: A saint from Gaudiya Vaishnava school , who described Krishna theology in terms of Bhakti yoga and Achintya Bheda Abheda . Krishna theology is presented in a pure monism ( Shuddhadvaita ) framework by Vallabha Acharya , the founder of Pushti sect of Vaishnavism. Madhusudana Sarasvati, an India philosopher, presented Krishna theology in nondualism-monism framework ( Advaita Vedanta ), while Adi Shankara , credited with unifying and establishing
2232-634: A student of the sage Ghora of the Angirasa family. Ghora is identified with Neminatha , the twenty-second tirthankara in Jainism , by some scholars. This phrase, which means "To Krishna the son of Devaki ", has been mentioned by scholars such as Max Müller as a potential source of fables and Vedic lore about Krishna in the Mahabharata and other ancient literature – only potential because this verse could have been interpolated into
2356-535: Is a major deity in Hinduism . He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is widely revered among Hindu divinities. Krishna's birthday is celebrated every year by Hindus on Krishna Janmashtami according to the lunisolar Hindu calendar , which falls in late August or early September of
2480-529: Is a private religious dedication of Heliodorus to " Vāsudeva ", an early deity and another name for Krishna in the Indian tradition. It states that the column was constructed by "the Bhagavata Heliodorus" and that it is a " Garuda pillar" (both are Vishnu-Krishna-related terms). Additionally, the inscription includes a Krishna-related verse from chapter 11.7 of the Mahabharata stating that
2604-555: Is celebrated as Krishna Janmashtami . The legends of Krishna's childhood and youth describe him as a cow-herder, a mischievous boy whose pranks earn him the nickname Makhan Chor (butter thief), and a protector who steals the hearts of the people in both Gokul and Vrindavana. The texts state, for example, that Krishna lifts the Govardhana hill to protect the inhabitants of Vrindavana from devastating rains and floods . Other legends describe him as an enchanter and playful lover of
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#17327724045382728-536: Is close to Lomas Rishi , and on its left. It consists of two rooms: a rectangular room measuring 9.98x5.94m, and a semi-hemispherical room 6m in diameter, which is accessed from the rectangular room by a narrow rectangular passage. This is probably the first cave in the group to have been dug. This cave was dedicated by Emperor Ashoka in 257 BCE (12th year of his reign) as evidenced by an inscription in Brahmi using his protocol name (Priyadarsin, "He who brings joy") found in
2852-474: Is distant from other major archaeological sites related to art and architecture; for example, it is about 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) from Mathura and about 2,200 kilometres (1,400 mi) from Gandhara . During the reign of Mauryan emperor Ashoka, Lomas Rishi Cave was excavated and gifted to the Ajivikas monks. It is dated to the 3rd century BC. Additional caves followed in the same granite hills, all in
2976-434: Is glorious through waging many battles; (and) who, charming the thoughts of lovely women, resembled (the god) Smara. (L. 5.) - On whatsoever enemy the illustrious king Sardula casts in anger his scowling eye, the expanded and tremulous and clear and beloved pupil of which is red at the comers between the uplifted brows,— on him there falls the death-dealing arrow, discharged from the bowstring drawn up to (his) ear, of his son,
3100-583: Is listed as the 57th name in the Vishnu Sahasranama . Based on his name, Krishna is often depicted in idols as black- or blue-skinned. Krishna is also known by various other names, epithets, and titles that reflect his many associations and attributes. Among the most common names are Mohan "enchanter"; Govinda "chief herdsman", Keev "prankster", and Gopala "Protector of the 'Go'", which means "soul" or "the cows". Some names for Krishna hold regional importance; Jagannatha , found in
3224-415: Is moved and says his heart will not allow him to fight and kill others. He would rather renounce the kingdom and put down his Gandiva (Arjuna's bow). Krishna then advises him about the nature of life, ethics, and morality when one is faced with a war between good and evil, the impermanence of matter, the permanence of the soul and the good, duties and responsibilities, the nature of true peace and bliss and
3348-430: Is suggested by the lack of finishing, even approximate, of the ground, with for example the abandonment in the state of some pikes of the rocks which would have required only a few minutes of chipping to be removed in order to obtain a fairly regular floor. Ashoka dedicated the caves of Sudama and Visvakarma to the ascetics called " Ajivikas " in the 12th year of his reign, when his religious evolution towards Buddhism
3472-561: Is the characteristic form of the " Chaitya arch" or chandrashala, to be an important feature of architecture and sculpture in the rock for many centuries. It is clearly a stone reproduction of wooden buildings and other plant materials. According to historian S. P. Gupta , Lomas Rishi's immediate successors are the Kondivite and Guntupalli caves. Lomas Rishi has no Ashoka inscription, perhaps because it has never been completed due to structural rock slide problems. According to Gupta,
3596-401: Is thrashing around, and at the other end a person seemingly holding a basket over his head. The earliest text containing detailed descriptions of Krishna as a personality is the epic Mahabharata , which depicts Krishna as an incarnation of Vishnu. Krishna is central to many of the main stories of the epic. The eighteen chapters of the sixth book ( Bhishma Parva ) of the epic that constitute
3720-439: Is undermined by the fact that the cave of Vivaskarma, another cave of Barabar, although it is not finished, was nevertheless consecrated by Ashoka. The consecration of a cave could therefore be done in the course of work. This could imply that Lomas Rishi, with its bas-reliefs, actually post-dates Ashoka's reign. Gupta actually believes that Lomas Rishi post-dates both Ashoka and his grandson Dasaratha, and would have been built at
3844-521: Is unrelated to the later Hindu god of the Bhagavad Gita fame. For example, Archer states that the coincidence of the two names appearing together in the same Upanishad verse cannot be dismissed easily. Yāska 's Nirukta , an etymological dictionary published around the 6th century BCE, contains a reference to the Shyamantaka jewel in the possession of Akrura , a motif from
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3968-577: Is within the universe and beyond it, as well as the universe itself, always. The Bhagavata Purana manuscripts also exist in many versions, in numerous Indian languages. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is considered as the incarnation of Krishna in Gaudiya Vaishnavism and by the ISKCON community. The date of Krishna's birth is celebrated every year as Janmashtami . According to Guy Beck, "most scholars of Hinduism and Indian history accept
4092-570: Is worshipped as the Supreme God and Svayam Bhagavan (God Himself). These sub-traditions arose in the context of the medieval era Bhakti movement . Krishna-related literature has inspired numerous performance arts such as Bharatanatyam , Kathakali , Kuchipudi , Odissi , and Manipuri dance . He is a pan-Hindu god, but is particularly revered in some locations, such as Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh, Dwarka and Junagadh in Gujarat;
4216-553: The Bhagavad Gita can be considered, according to Friedhelm Hardy , as the first Krishnaite system of theology. Ramanuja , a Hindu theologian and philosopher whose works were influential in Bhakti movement , presented him in terms of qualified monism , or nondualism (namely Vishishtadvaita school). Madhvacharya , a philosopher whose works led to the founding of Haridasa tradition of Vaishnavism, presented Krishna in
4340-445: The Bhagavad Gita contain the advice of Krishna to Arjuna on the battlefield. During the ancient times that the Bhagavad Gita was composed in, Krishna was widely seen as an avatar of Vishnu rather than an individual deity , yet he was immensely powerful and almost everything in the universe other than Vishnu was "somehow present in the body of Krishna". Krishna had "no beginning or end", "fill[ed] space", and every god but Vishnu
4464-601: The Bhagavad Gita . Around the 4th century CE, another tradition, the cult of Gopala-Krishna of the Ābhīras , the protector of cattle, was also absorbed into the Krishna tradition. Around 180 BCE, the Indo-Greek king Agathocles issued some coinage (discovered in Ai-Khanoum , Afghanistan) bearing images of deities that are now interpreted as being related to Vaisnava imagery in India. The deities displayed on
4588-724: The Mahābhārata , the Harivamsa , the Bhagavata Purana , and the Vishnu Purana . The scenes from the narrative are set in ancient India, mostly in the present states of Uttar Pradesh , Bihar, Rajasthan , Haryana, Delhi, and Gujarat . The legends about Krishna's life are called Krishna charitas ( IAST : Kṛṣṇacaritas). In the Krishna Charitas , Krishna is born to Devaki and her husband, Vasudeva , of
4712-513: The Edicts of Ashoka . It was initially thought that Karna Chopar may have been dedicated to the Buddhists, based on a former reading of the inscription at the entrance of the cave, corrected by Harry Falk in 2007: the new reading shows that Karna Chopar too had been dedicated to the Ajivikas. Since Lomas Rishi has no dedicatory inscription, it has been suggested that it may had been dedicated to
4836-597: The Gregorian calendar . The anecdotes and narratives of Krishna's life are generally titled as Krishna Līlā . He is a central figure in the Mahabharata , the Bhagavata Purana , the Brahma Vaivarta Purana , and the Bhagavad Gita , and is mentioned in many Hindu philosophical , theological , and mythological texts. They portray him in various perspectives: as a god-child, a prankster,
4960-922: The Jagannatha aspect in Odisha , Mayapur in West Bengal; in the form of Vithoba in Pandharpur , Maharashtra, Shrinathji at Nathdwara in Rajasthan, Udupi Krishna in Karnataka , Parthasarathy in Tamil Nadu and in Aranmula , Kerala, and Guruvayoorappan in Guruvayoor in Kerala. Since the 1960s, the worship of Krishna has also spread to the Western world and to Africa, largely due to
5084-618: The Maukhari ruler Anantavarma, when idols of Krishna and Shiva were installed in these caves, this term was erased, leading to a decline in the influence of the Aajivikas. Om! He, Anantavarman, who was the excellent son, captivating the heart of mankind, of the illustrious Sardaula, and who, possessed of very great virtues, adorned by his own (high) birth in the family of Maukhari kings, - him, of unsullied fame, with joy caused to be made, as if it were his own fame represented in bodily form in
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5208-604: The Mauryan period. Similar examples include the larger Buddhist Chaitya , found in Maharashtra , such as in Ajanta and Karla Caves . The Barabar caves greatly influenced the tradition of rock-cut architecture in the Indian subcontinent . The cave of Lomas Rishi has a carved entranceway. It is on the southern side of Barabar granite hill, and is adjacent to Sudama cave, which is on the left. Lomas Rishi consists of two rooms:
5332-578: The Puri Hindu temple, is a popular incarnation in Odisha state and nearby regions of eastern India . The tradition of Krishna appears to be an amalgamation of several independent deities of ancient India, the earliest to be attested being Vāsudeva . Vāsudeva was a hero-god of the tribe of the Vrishnis , belonging to the Vrishni heroes , whose worship is attested from the 5th–6th century BCE in
5456-639: The Yadava clan in Mathura . Devaki's brother is a tyrant named Kamsa . At Devaki's wedding, according to Puranic legends, Kamsa is told by fortune tellers that a child of Devaki would kill him. Sometimes, it is depicted as an akashvani announcing Kamsa's death. Kamsa arranges to kill all of Devaki's children. When Krishna is born, Vasudeva secretly carries the infant Krishna away across the Yamuna, and exchanges him with Yashoda 's daughter. When Kamsa tries to kill
5580-587: The "earliest example of the caitya arch", later to develop into the gavaska ( ogee arch in European Gothic architecture ), a feature that later became "the most ubiquitous of all Indian architectural motifs". According to Arthur Basham, the elephant and other motifs carved at the entrance caitya arch and the walls of the Lomas Rishi cave are those of Ajivika, and this taken with the inscription of Ashoka giving nearby caves to them, suggests they were
5704-414: The 12th year of his reign, but only seven years later, argues for the hypothesis of a gradual construction of the caves under Ashoka. Similarly, the fact that the caves on Nagarjuni Hill were not consecrated by Ashoka but by his successor Dasaratha, suggests that these caves were only built after the reign of Ashoka. Dasaratha Maurya , Ashoka's grandson and regnal successor, wrote dedicatory inscriptions in
5828-802: The 2nd century BCE with the coinage of Agathocles and the Heliodorus pillar, but the name of Krishna appears rather later in epigraphy. At the Chilas II archaeological site dated to the first half of the 1st-century CE in northwest Pakistan, near the Afghanistan border, are engraved two males, along with many Buddhist images nearby. The larger of the two males held a plough and club in his two hands. The artwork also has an inscription with it in Kharosthi script, which has been deciphered by scholars as Rama-Krsna , and interpreted as an ancient depiction of
5952-639: The 3rd century BC, based on the inscriptions found in the caves. The other six caves are (i) Karna Chaupar, (ii) Sudama Cave, (iii) Vishmitra Cave, (iv) Gopi Cave, (v) Vapiyaka Cave, and (vi) Vadathika Cave. The last three are on the Nagarjuni Hill east of the Barabar Hill. Burgess, in his cave temple survey of 19th-century, considered the Ajivika Lomas Rishi cave to an anchor milestone for cave chronology. According to Pia Brancaccio,
6076-409: The Ajivikas sect. They are 1.6 kilometers east of the Barabar Caves. The three caves are: Also called Gopi or Gopi-ka-Kubha or simply Nagarjuni, Gopika cave is the largest of all the caves of the Barabar complex ( 25°00′33″N 85°04′42″E / 25.009116°N 85.078427°E / 25.009116; 85.078427 ). It consists of a single large oblong room of 13.95x5.84m. The two ends of
6200-614: The Buddhists. The affiliation of Lomas Rishi to Buddhism, although unproven, would be coherent with the fact that the architecture of the gate of Lomas Rishi became a reference for the development of the Chaitya arch in Buddhist cave architecture for the following centuries, whereas the Hindus or the Jains caves essentially did not follow this architectural example. This would also mean that
6324-577: The Hindu tradition to be the avatars of the goddess Lakshmi , the consort of Vishnu. Gopis are considered as Lakshmi's or Radha's manifestations. According to the epic poem Mahabharata , Krishna becomes Arjuna's charioteer for the Kurukshetra War , but on the condition that he personally will not raise any weapon. Upon arrival at the battlefield and seeing that the enemies are his family, his grandfather, and his cousins and loved ones, Arjuna
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#17327724045386448-532: The Jobares of Jamuna . Later, when Alexander the Great launched his campaign in the northwest Indian subcontinent , his associates recalled that the soldiers of Porus were carrying an image of Herakles. The Buddhist Pali canon and the Ghata-Jâtaka (No. 454) polemically mention the devotees of Vâsudeva and Baladeva. These texts have many peculiarities and may be a garbled and confused version of
6572-600: The Krishna legends. The texts of Jainism mention these tales as well, also with many peculiarities and different versions, in their legends about Tirthankaras . This inclusion of Krishna-related legends in ancient Buddhist and Jaina literature suggests that Krishna theology was existent and important in the religious landscape observed by non-Hindu traditions of ancient India . The ancient Sanskrit grammarian Patanjali in his Mahabhashya makes several references to Krishna and his associates found in later Indian texts. In his commentary on Pāṇini's verse 3.1.26, he also uses
6696-506: The Lomas Rishi cave, along with nearby Sudama cave, is considered by many scholars to be "the prototype for the Buddhist caves of the western Deccan, particularly the chaitya hall type structure built between 2nd century BC and 2nd-century AD. According to Vidya Dehejia, the Kondvite chaitya hall is a direct descendant of the Lomas Rishi cave, and other Buddhist cave-based vihara monasteries followed. The Lomas Rishi doorway, states James Harle,
6820-587: The Maurya period, none of the later caves such as the Ajanta caves having this characteristic of polished surfaces. The very act of digging artificial caves in the rock, of which the Barabar caves represent the oldest case in India, was probably inspired by the caves dug in the rock of the Achaemenids, as is the case in Naqsh-e Rostam . It seems, however, that in India there had been an ancient tradition of ascetics using caves. According to Gupta,
6944-557: The Puranic karma Kāṇḍa as well as Buddhist ideas. They were ascetic communities and meditated in the Barabar caves. Still, the Lomas Rishi cave lacks an explicit epigraphical dedication to the Ajivikas, contrary to most other Barabar Caves, and may rather have been built by Ashoka for the Buddhists . The hut-style facade at the entrance to the cave is the earliest survival of the ogee shaped " chaitya arch" or chandrashala that
7068-477: The Sanskrit canon". Some scholars believe that, among others, the detailed description of Krishna's peace mission in the 5th Book of the Mahabharata (Udyogaparvan) is likely to be based on real events. The epic's translator J.A.B. van Buitenen in this context assumes “that there was some degree of verisimilitude in the Mahabharata’s depictions of life.” A wide range of theological and philosophical ideas are presented through Krishna in Hindu texts. The teachings of
7192-462: The Yadavas to the newly built city of Dwaraka . Thereafter Pandavas rise. Krishna befriends Arjuna and the other Pandava princes of the Kuru kingdom. Krishna plays a key role in the Mahabharata . The Bhagavata Purana describes eight wives of Krishna that appear in sequence as Rukmini , Satyabhama , Jambavati , Kalindi , Mitravinda , Nagnajiti (also called Satya), Bhadra and Lakshmana (also called Madra). This has been interpreted as
7316-422: The absence of a significant problem in the rock, whereas 7 years later Ashoka dedicated Karan Chaupar cave, perfectly finished, a short distance from there. Visvakarma is also the only cave that does not have "historical" inscriptions after Ashoka. The nearby caves of Nagarjuni hill were built few decades later than the Barabar caves, and consecrated by Dasaratha Maurya , Ashoka's grandson and successor, each for
7440-470: The air to "steal" butter or buttermilk, spilling it all over the group. Krishna legends then describe his return to Mathura. He overthrows and kills the tyrant king, his maternal uncle Kamsa/Kansa after quelling several assassination attempts by Kamsa. He reinstates Kamsa's father, Ugrasena , as the king of the Yadavas and becomes a leading prince at the court. In one version of the Krishna story, as narrated by Shanta Rao, Krishna after Kamsa's death leads
7564-405: The cave entrance of Lomas Rishi, and the Gopika Cave Inscription and the Vadathika Cave Inscription in the caves of the Nagarjuni group, in the same caves where the dedicatory inscriptions of the grandson of Ashoka, Dasaratha , are also located. The term Aajivikehi is often found erased in nearly all Mauryan cave inscriptions of Barabar and Nagarjuni Caves . It seems that during the reign of
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#17327724045387688-453: The chaitya hall type structure built between 2nd century BC and 2nd century AD. First is a large hall, entered at the side and rectangular in shape measuring 9.86x5.18m, which functioned as an assembly hall. Further inside is a second hall, smaller in size, which is a semi-hemispherical room, 5m in diameter, with a roof in the form of a dome, and which is accessed from the rectangular room by a narrow rectangular passage. The interior surfaces of
7812-420: The chambers are very finely finished. Lomas Rishi Cave is carved into the hard monolithic granite rock face of Barabar hills, flanked to its left by the smaller Sudama cave. The site is close to the Falgu River, and Barabar Caves Information Centre is close by. The Cave is 30 kilometres (19 mi) north of Gaya in Bihar, an eastern state in India and about 1,500 kilometres (930 mi) from Ajanta Caves . It
7936-471: The chisel, probably by religious rivals, at a time when the Brahmi script was still understood (probably before the 5th century CE). However, the original inscriptions being deep, they remain easily decipherable. The Ashoka inscriptions in the Barabar Caves are part of Ashoka's " Minor Rock Edicts ", and appear in the three caves named Sudama, Visvakarma and Karna Chopar. Lomas Rishi, meanwhile, has no Ashoka inscription (only an inscription of Anantavarman above
8060-401: The coins appear to be Saṃkarṣaṇa - Balarama with attributes consisting of the Gada mace and the plow , and Vāsudeva-Krishna with attributes of the Shankha (conch) and the Sudarshana Chakra wheel. According to Bopearachchi , the headdress of the deity is actually a misrepresentation of a shaft with a half-moon parasol on top ( chattra ). The Heliodorus Pillar , a stone pillar with
8184-440: The court of Chandragupta Maurya towards the end of 4th century BCE, made reference to Herakles in his famous work Indica . This text is now lost to history, but was quoted in secondary literature by later Greeks such as Arrian , Diodorus , and Strabo . According to these texts, Megasthenes mentioned that the Sourasenoi tribe of India, who worshipped Herakles, had two major cities named Methora and Kleisobora, and
8308-437: The decorated gate of Lomas Rishi was a Buddhist invention, which was emulated in Buddhist architecture in the following centuries. After the Barabar caves, the earliest known rock-cut Buddhist monasteries date to the 1st century BCE in the Western Ghats in western India, such as the Kondivite Caves and, in Eastern Ghats, such as Guntupalli Caves . The Sudama cave is located on the southern side of Barabar granite hill. It
8432-520: The different types of yoga to reach this state of bliss and inner liberation. This conversation between Krishna and Arjuna is presented as a discourse called the Bhagavad Gita . It is stated in the Indian texts that the legendary Kurukshetra War led to the death of all the hundred sons of Gandhari. After Duryodhana's death, Krishna visits Gandhari to offer his condolences when Gandhari and Dhritarashtra visited Kurukshetra, as stated in Stree Parva. Feeling that Krishna deliberately did not put an end to
8556-399: The end of the Maurya Empire, under the reign of its last Emperor Brihadratha , and abruptly halted in 185 BC with the assassination of Brihadratha and the coup d'état of Pushyamitra Sunga , founder of the Sunga dynasty . Pushyamitra Sunga is also known to have persecuted Buddhists and Ajivikas, which would explain the immediate cessation of work. According to Gupta, the abrupt interruption of
8680-404: The end of the Maurya Empire, under the reign of its last Emperor Brihadratha, and abruptly halted in 185 BC with the assassination of Brihadratha and the coup d'état of Pushyamitra Sunga, founder of the Sunga dynasty. Pushyamitra Sunga is also known to have persecuted Buddhists and Ajivikas, which would explain the immediate cessation of work. According to Gupta, the abrupt interruption of the works
8804-401: The entrance hall an inscription from the Gupta period mentions "Daridra Kantara" ("The Cave of the Beggars"). A mound decorated with later Buddhist sculptures is also near the entrance, another element which suggested the belonging of this cave to the Buddhists. The Visvakarma cave, also called Viswa Mitra, is accessible by the "steps of Ashoka" carved into the cliff. It is a hundred meters and
8928-467: The entrance of the cave, whereas the cave of Lomas Rishi did not receive a dedicatory inscription: The ceiling of the Sudama cave is 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. On the other hand,
9052-529: The entrance to the Lomas Rishi Cave is the earliest survival of the ogee shaped " chaitya arch" or chandrashala that was to be an important feature of Indian rock-cut architecture and sculptural decoration for centuries. The form was a reproduction in stone of buildings in wood and other plant materials. The caves were used by ascetics from the Ajivika sect, founded by Makkhali Gosala ,
9176-409: The entrance, 5-6th century CE), perhaps because she did not never been completed due to structural rock slide problems. In addition to the inscriptions indicating that they were made in the 12th year of Ashoka's reign (250 BC), it is generally considered that the construction of the Barabar caves itself also dates from his reign. The fact that the cave of Vivaskarma was not consecrated by Ashoka during
9300-433: The events that led to the Bhagavad Gita – a scripture of Hinduism. In these popular depictions, Krishna appears in the front as the charioteer, either as a counsel listening to Arjuna or as the driver of the chariot while Arjuna aims his arrows in the battlefield of Kurukshetra . Alternate icons of Krishna show him as a baby ( Bala Krishna , the child Krishna), a toddler crawling on his hands and knees,
9424-429: The fact that it is not finished, was nonetheless consecrated by Ashoka. This somewhat questions the theory that Lomas Rishi's cave would not have received Ashoka's inscription because it was in a state of incompletion. This could justify that Lomas Rishi, with his bas-reliefs, is actually posterior to Ashoka, as late as 185 BCE. This does not explain, however, why Visvakarma, consecrated in 260 BCE, has been interrupted, in
9548-406: The figural sculpture on 17th–19th century terracotta temples of Bengal. In many temples, the stories of Krishna are depicted on a long series of narrow panels along the base of the facade. In other temples, the important Krishnalila episodes are depicted on large brick panels above the entrance arches or on the walls surrounding the entrance. This summary is an account based on literary details from
9672-537: The finest workmanship on Athenian buildings". This remarkable and large-scale polishing technique, and in many ways without parallel, seems nevertheless to have been derived from polishing techniques in Achaemenid statuary, the stone-working techniques having spread in India after the destruction of the empire by Alexander the Great in 330 BC and the displacement of Persian and Perso-Greek artists and technicians. This know-how seems to have disappeared again after
9796-409: The finial is in the shape of a pot. The ornamentation on the "curved architrave" consists of carvings of elephants on their way to a stupa -like structure. Lomas Rishi has no Ashoka inscription, perhaps because it has never been completed due to structural rock slide problems. It is generally considered, however, that it was also created around 250 BC, like the other caves, because of the similarity of
9920-471: The framework of dualism ( Dvaita ). Bhedabheda – a group of schools, which teaches that the individual self is both different and not different from the ultimate reality – predates the positions of monism and dualism. Among medieval Bhedabheda thinkers are Nimbarkacharya , who founded the Kumara Sampradaya (Dvaitadvaita philosophical school), and Jiva Goswami ,
10044-694: The giver of endless pleasure, who has the name of Anantavarman. Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, Fleet p.223 [REDACTED] [REDACTED] In the Mumbai area: In the Junnar area: Barabar Caves The Barabar Hill Caves are the oldest surviving rock-cut caves in India , dating from the Maurya Empire (322–185 BCE), some with Ashokan inscriptions, located in the Makhdumpur region of Jehanabad district , Bihar, India, 24 km (15 mi) north of Gaya . These caves are situated in
10168-558: The gopis (milkmaids) of Vrindavana, especially Radha . These metaphor-filled love stories are known as the Rasa lila and were romanticized in the poetry of Jayadeva , author of the Gita Govinda . They are also central to the development of the Krishna bhakti traditions worshiping Radha Krishna . Krishna's childhood illustrates the Hindu concept of Lila , playing for fun and enjoyment and not for sport or gain. His interaction with
10292-475: The gopis at the rasa dance or Rasa-lila is an example. Krishna plays his flute and the gopis come immediately, from whatever they were doing, to the banks of the Yamuna River and join him in singing and dancing. Even those who could not physically be there join him through meditation. He is the spiritual essence and the love-eternal in existence, the gopis metaphorically represent the prakṛti matter and
10416-547: The granite walls inside, which again confirms that the technique of " Mauryan polish " did not die out with the reign of Ashoka. Inscription of Gopika cave: "The cave of Gopika, a refuge that will last as long as the sun and the moon, was dug by Devanampiya (beloved of the gods) Dasaratha at from his elevation to the throne, to make it a hermitage for the most pious Ajivikas ". [REDACTED] Krishna Traditional Krishna ( / ˈ k r ɪ ʃ n ə / ; Sanskrit : कृष्ण, IAST : Kṛṣṇa [ˈkr̩ʂɳɐ] )
10540-438: The half-hemispherical room by a narrow trapezoidal passage. On the floor of the porch, four holes were made, which are thought to allow the cave to be closed with a wooden picket fence. The cave of Visvakarma was offered by Ashoka to the Ajivikas in the year 12 of his reign, about 261 BCE: "By King Priyadarsin, in the 12th year of his reign, this cave of Khalatika Mountain was offered to the Ajivikas. " Visvakarma cave, despite
10664-401: The historicity of Krishna – that he was a real male person, whether human or divine, who lived on Indian soil by at least 1000 BCE and interacted with many other historical persons within the cycles of the epic and puranic histories." Yet, Beck also notes that there is an "enormous number of contradictions and discrepancies surrounding the chronology of Krishna's life as depicted in
10788-501: The impermanent body. This Lila is a constant theme in the legends of Krishna's childhood and youth. Even when he is battling with a serpent to protect others, he is described in Hindu texts as if he were playing a game. This quality of playfulness in Krishna is celebrated during festivals as Rasa-Lila and Janmashtami , where Hindus in some regions such as Maharashtra playfully mimic his legends, such as by making human gymnastic pyramids to break open handis (clay pots) hung high in
10912-470: The import of these techniques from another culture. Nor are there any known examples of stone architecture in India before the Maurya period. According to Gupta, the Son Bhandar Caves could be such an intermediate step, although relatively unique, and subject to questioning its chronology, since it is generally dated to the 2nd-4th centuries of our era. Laser scans carried out in 2022 revealed
11036-478: The important scene in the " Marabar Caves " in his novel A Passage to India (1924) on these caves, which he had visited. This cave has an arched facade that probably imitates contemporary wooden architecture. On the periphery of the door, along the curve of the architrave, a line of elephants advances in the direction of stupas emblems. This is the characteristic form of the " Chaitya arch" or chandrashala, to be an important feature of architecture and sculpture in
11160-419: The internal structure and the degree of finish of the rock, the walls being perfectly polished, with the exception of the vault whose digging was interrupted. On the other hand, it has a much later inscription of Anantavarman above the entrance, from the 5th century of our era. According to Gupta, the theory that Lomas Rishi would not have received Ashoka's inscription because it was in a state of incompleteness,
11284-459: The location where Krishna is believed to have died. It is also known as Dehotsarga , states Diana L. Eck , a term that literally means the place where Krishna "gave up his body". The Bhagavata Purana in Book 11, Chapter 31 states that after his death, Krishna returned to his transcendent abode directly because of his yogic concentration. Waiting gods such as Brahma and Indra were unable to trace
11408-496: The methods used in polishing the stone surfaces could have a local origin, citing the existence of various highly polished stone tools found in the area dating from much earlier times, in the Neolithic era. There is, however, no trace of evolution from these Neolithic objects to the polished stone architecture of many centuries later, and the Barabar caves are essentially a sudden technological break with no local history, suggesting
11532-400: The natural color of the material out of which he is formed, both in India and in southeast Asia. In some texts, his skin is poetically described as the color of Jambul ( Jamun , a purple-colored fruit). Krishna is often depicted wearing a peacock-feather wreath or crown, and playing the bansuri (Indian flute). In this form, he is usually shown standing with one leg bent in front of
11656-464: The newborn, the exchanged baby appears as the Hindu goddess Yogamaya , warning him that his death has arrived in his kingdom, and then disappears, according to the legends in the Puranas. Krishna grows up with Nanda and his wife, Yashoda , near modern-day Mathura . Two of Krishna's siblings also survive, namely Balarama and Subhadra , according to these legends. The day of the birth of Krishna
11780-527: The original inhabitants. They abandoned the caves at some point, then Buddhists used it because there are the Bodhimula and Klesa-kantara inscriptions in this cave's door jamb. Thereafter a Hindu king named Anantavarman, of Maukhari dynasty, dedicated a Krishna murti to the cave, states Basham, in the 5th or 6th century. This is evidenced by the Sanskrit inscription found on the arch. E. M. Forster based
11904-557: The other in the Tribhanga posture. He is sometimes accompanied by cows or a calf, which symbolise the divine herdsman Govinda . Alternatively, he is shown as a romantic young boy with the gopis (milkmaids), often making music or playing pranks. In other icons, he is a part of battlefield scenes of the epic Mahabharata . He is shown as a charioteer, notably when he is addressing the Pandava prince Arjuna , symbolically reflecting
12028-439: The path Krishna took to leave his human incarnation and return to his abode. There are numerous versions of Krishna's life story, of which three are most studied: the Harivamsa , the Bhagavata Purana , and the Vishnu Purana . They share the basic storyline but vary significantly in their specifics, details, and styles. The most original composition, the Harivamsa is told in a realistic style that describes Krishna's life as
12152-447: The path to immortality and heaven is to correctly live a life of three virtues: self- temperance ( damah ), generosity ( cagah or tyaga ), and vigilance ( apramadah ). The Heliodorus pillar site was fully excavated by archaeologists in the 1960s. The effort revealed the brick foundations of a much larger ancient elliptical temple complex with a sanctum, mandapas , and seven additional pillars. The Heliodorus pillar inscriptions and
12276-410: The plane surfaces reverberate the sound, creating a very pronounced echo phenomenon. This characteristic is common to all the caves of Barabar, and, by amplifying the vibrations and the harmonies, seems to be favorable to the songs of the monks. All of Barabar's caves share this interior polished appearance to a greater or lesser extent, with the exception of Lomas Rishi Cave, which, although designed on
12400-551: The preparation of Krishna icons in design and architecture are described in medieval-era Sanskrit texts on Hindu temple arts such as Vaikhanasa agama , Vishnu dharmottara , Brihat samhita , and Agni Purana . Similarly, early medieval-era Tamil texts also contain guidelines for sculpting Krishna and Rukmini. Several statues made according to these guidelines are in the collections of the Government Museum, Chennai . Krishna iconography forms an important element in
12524-405: The rock for many centuries. It is clearly a stone reproduction of wooden buildings and other plant materials. According to Gupta, Lomas Rishi's immediate successors are the Kondivite and Guntupalli caves. The facade of the rock-cut cave is in the form of a thatched hut supported by timber struts and has a doorway that is intricately carved to replicate timber architecture. Its eaves are curved and
12648-403: The room have the particularity of being circular, contrary to the other caves. The cave lies on the south bank of the hill, dug by King Dasharatha grandson of Emperor Ashoka, according to the inscription that was engraved above the front door: "The cave of Gopika, a refuge that will last as long as the sun and the moon, was dug by Devanampiya (beloved of the gods) Dasaratha during his elevation to
12772-411: The same model, is only half-finished for its interior. Karan Chaupar, also known as Karna Chaupar, is on the northern side of the Barabar granite hill. It consists of a single rectangular room with polished surfaces, 10.2x4.27m in dimensions. It contains an inscription of Ashoka dating from the 19th year of his reign, about 250 BCE, located outside, immediately to the right of the entrance. Initially, it
12896-438: The stone and inspecting it read: "When King Priyadarsin had been annointed 19 years, he went to Jalūṭha and then this cave (called) Supriyekṣā, was given to the Ajivikas." In particular, Falk reconstructs the last line as 𑀲𑀼𑀧𑀺𑀬𑁂𑀔𑀆𑀚𑀺𑀯𑀺𑀓𑁂𑀳𑀺𑀤𑀺𑀦𑀸 ( Su[p]i[y]ekha (Ajivikehi) dinā ), which means "Supriyekṣā was given to the Ājivikas". The cave has a rock-cut bench at one end, probably to sit or sleep. In
13020-693: The supreme deity Narayana . These four inscriptions are notable for being some of the oldest-known Sanskrit inscriptions. A Mora stone slab found at the Mathura-Vrindavan archaeological site in Uttar Pradesh , held now in the Mathura Museum , has a Brahmi inscription. It is dated to the 1st century CE and mentions the five Vrishni heroes , otherwise known as Saṃkarṣaṇa, Vāsudeva, Pradyumna , Aniruddha , and Samba . The inscriptional record for Vāsudeva starts in
13144-435: The temple are among the earliest known evidence of Krishna-Vasudeva devotion and Vaishnavism in ancient India. The Heliodorus inscription is not isolated evidence. The Hathibada Ghosundi Inscriptions , all located in the state of Rajasthan and dated by modern methodology to the 1st century BCE, mention Saṃkarṣaṇa and Vāsudeva, also mention that the structure was built for their worship in association with
13268-619: The text, or the Krishna Devakiputra, could be different from the deity Krishna. These doubts are supported by the fact that the much later age Sandilya Bhakti Sutras , a treatise on Krishna, cites later age compilations such as the Narayana Upanishad but never cites this verse of the Chandogya Upanishad. Other scholars disagree that the Krishna mentioned along with Devaki in the ancient Upanishad
13392-558: The theory that Lomas Rishi would not have received Ashoka's inscription because it was in a state of incompleteness, is undermined by the fact that the cave of Vivaskarma, another cave of Barabar, although it is not finished, was nevertheless consecrated by Ashoka. The consecration of a cave could therefore be done in the course of work. This could imply that Lomas Rishi, with its bas-reliefs, actually post-dates Ashoka's reign. Gupta actually believes that Lomas Rishi post-dates both Ashoka and his grandson Dasaratha, and would have been built at
13516-603: The three other caves, forming the Nagarjuni group (Gopika, Vadathi and Vapiya caves) of the Barabar hills. It is generally considered that their construction dates from his reign. The three caves were offered to the Ajivikas upon the accession to the throne of Dasaratha, confirming that these were still active around 230 BCE, and that Buddhism was not the exclusive religion of the Mauryas at that time. The three caves are also characterized by an extremely advanced finish of
13640-474: The throne, to make a hermitage for the most pious Ajivikas " The cave also has the " Gopika Cave Inscription " in the entrance corridor, dated to the 5-6th century CE. These two caves are a little higher on the north side of the hill, 300m as the crow flies ( 25°00′41″N 85°04′37″E / 25.011261°N 85.076963°E / 25.011261; 85.076963 ). Although small, they are very beautiful, perfectly carved, caves. The cave of Vadathika,
13764-611: The twin hills of Barabar (four caves) and Nagarjuni (three caves); caves of the 1.6 km (0.99 mi)-distant Nagarjuni Hill are sometimes singled out as the Nagarjuni Caves. These rock-cut chambers bear dedicatory inscriptions in the name of "King Piyadasi" for the Barabar group, and "Devanampiya Dasaratha" for the Nagarjuni group, thought to date back to the 3rd century BCE during the Maurya period, and to correspond respectively to Ashoka (reigned 273–232 BCE) and his grandson, Dasharatha Maurya . The sculptured surround to
13888-458: The two brothers, Balarama and Krishna. The first known depiction of the life of Krishna himself comes relatively late, with a relief found in Mathura , and dated to the 1st–2nd century CE. This fragment seems to show Vasudeva , Krishna's father, carrying baby Krishna in a basket across the Yamuna . The relief shows at one end a seven-hooded Naga crossing a river, where a makara crocodile
14012-707: The war, in a fit of rage and sorrow, Gandhari said, "Thou were indifferent to the Kurus and the Pandavas whilst they slew each other. Therefore, O Govinda, thou shalt be the slayer of thy own kinsmen!" According to the Mahabharata , a fight breaks out at a festival among the Yadavas, who end up killing each other. Mistaking the sleeping Krishna for a deer, a hunter named Jara shoots an arrow towards Krishna's foot that fatally injures him. Krishna forgives Jara and dies. The pilgrimage ( tirtha ) site of Bhalka in Gujarat marks
14136-443: The well-known Puranic story about Krishna. Shatapatha Brahmana and Aitareya-Aranyaka associate Krishna with his Vrishni origins. In Ashṭādhyāyī , authored by the ancient grammarian Pāṇini (probably belonged to the 5th or 6th century BCE), Vāsudeva and Arjuna , as recipients of worship, are referred to together in the same sutra . Megasthenes , a Greek ethnographer and an ambassador of Seleucus I to
14260-492: The word Kamsavadha or the "killing of Kamsa", an important part of the legends surrounding Krishna. Many Puranas tell Krishna's life story or some highlights from it. Two Puranas, the Bhagavata Purana and the Vishnu Purana , contain the most elaborate telling of Krishna's story, but the life stories of Krishna in these and other texts vary, and contain significant inconsistencies. The Bhagavata Purana consists of twelve books subdivided into 332 chapters, with
14384-492: The work of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). The name "Krishna" originates from the Sanskrit word kṛṣṇa , which means "black", "dark" or "dark blue". The waning moon is called Krishna Paksha , relating to the adjective meaning "darkening". Some Vaishnavas also translate the word as "All-Attractive", though it lacks that meaning in Sanskrit. As a name of Vishnu , Krishna
14508-503: The works is suggested by the lack of finishing, even approximate, of the ground, with for example the abandonment in the state of some bumps of rocks on the floor which would have required only a few minutes of chipping to be removed in order to obtain a fairly regular floor. Several Hindu inscriptions of the Maukhari king Anantavarman of the 5-6th century CE also appear in the Barabar Caves : an inscription of Anantavarman above
14632-476: The world, this beautiful image, placed in (this) cave of the mountain Pravaragiri, of the (god) Krishna . (Line 3.) - The illustrious Sardula, of firmly established fame, the best among chieftains, became the ruler of the earth, he who was a very death to hostile kings; who was a tree the fruits of which were the (fulfilled) wishes of his favourites; who was the torch of the family of the warrior caste, which
14756-575: The writings of Pāṇini , and from the 2nd century BCE in epigraphy with the Heliodorus pillar . At one point in time, it is thought that the tribe of the Vrishnis fused with the tribe of the Yadavas , whose own hero-god was named Krishna. Vāsudeva and Krishna fused to become a single deity, which appears in the Mahabharata , and they started to be identified with Vishnu in the Mahabharata and
14880-465: Was not yet fully completed. The precise identity of the Ajivikas is not well known, and it is even unclear if they were a divergent sect of the Buddhists or the Jains . Later, Ashoka built the caves of Lomas Rishi (without dated inscription, but posterior to Sudama on architectural grounds) and Karna Chopar (19th year of his reign), at a time when he had become a firm advocate of Buddhism, as known from
15004-449: Was planned for Buddhist monks. However, Harry Falk has recently shown with a new reading that the cave was indeed dedicated to the Ajivikas. Traditional reading of the inscription: "In my 19th year of reign, I, King Priyadarsin , offered this cave of the very pleasant mountain of Khalatika, to serve as shelter during the rainy season." This reading of the inscription has been corrected by Harry Falk in 2007, who after cleaning
15128-567: Was seen as ultimately him, including Brahma , "storm gods, sun gods, bright gods", light gods, "and gods of ritual." Other forces also existed in his body, such as "hordes of varied creatures" that included "celestial serpents." He is also "the essence of humanity." The Harivamsa , a later appendix to the Mahabharata, contains a detailed version of Krishna's childhood and youth. The Chandogya Upanishad (verse III.xvii.6) mentions Krishna in Krishnaya Devakiputraya as
15252-422: Was thought from E. Hultzsch's 1925 translation, that Ashoka's inscription from Karna Chopar Cave does not mention the Ajivikas, and seems rather to refer to the Buddhist practice of retirement (vassavasa) during the rainy season. In addition, the inverted swastika with upward arrow at the end of the inscription ( [REDACTED] [REDACTED] ) would be more of a Buddhist character. All this suggested that this cave
15376-399: 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 vegetable materials. According to Pia Brancaccio, the Lomas Rishi cave, along with nearby Sudama cave , is considered by many scholars to be "the prototype for the Buddhist caves of the western Deccan, particularly
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