Bhaja Caves are a group of 22 rock-cut caves dating back to the 2nd century BC located off the Mumbai - Pune expressway near the city of

Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...

, India. The caves are 400 feet above the village of Bhaja, on an important ancient trade route running from the

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea () is a region of sea in the northern Indian Ocean, bounded on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, Gulf of Aden and Guardafui Channel, on the northwest by Gulf of Oman and Iran, on the north by Pakistan, on the east by India, and ...

eastward into the

Deccan Plateau The Deccan is a plateau extending over an area of and occupies the majority of the Indian peninsula. It stretches from the Satpura Range, Satpura and Vindhya Ranges in the north to the northern fringes of Tamil Nadu in the south. It is bound ...

(the division between North India and South India). The inscriptions and the cave temple are protected as a

Monument of National Importance A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

, by the Archaeological Survey of India per Notification No. 2407-A. It belongs to the

Early Buddhist schools The early Buddhist schools refers to the History of Buddhism in India, Indian Buddhist "doctrinal schools" or "schools of thought" (Sanskrit: ''vāda'') which arose out of the early unified Buddhist monasticism, Buddhist monastic community (San ...

in Maharashtra. The caves have a number of

stupa In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...

s, one of their significant features. The most prominent excavation is its chaitya (or ''chaityagrha'' – Cave XII), a good example of the early development of this form from wooden architecture, with a vaulted horseshoe ceiling. Its vihara (Cave XVIII) has a pillared verandah in front and is adorned with unique reliefs. These caves are notable for their indications of the awareness of wooden architecture. The carvings prove that tabla – a percussion instrument – was used in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

for at least 2300 years,Mark Hijleh, 2019
Towards a Global Music History: Intercultural Convergence, Fusion, and Transformation in the Human Musical Story
Routledge, NY, USA. disproving the centuries-held belief that the tabla was introduced to India by outsiders or from Turko-Arab.1999, Parsiana, volume 22, p. 49. The carving shows a woman playing tabla and another woman, performing

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

. They are some 9 km west from the Bedse Caves. Other caves in the area are Karla Caves, Patan Buddhist Cave and Nasik Caves.

Architecture

The Bhaja Caves share architectural design with the Karla Caves. The most impressive monument is the large shrine — chaityagriha — with an open, horseshoe-arched entrance; according to the Archaeological Survey of India, the chaityagrha is the most prominent aspect of the caves, and one of the earliest of the type. The chaitya has unique reliefs from Indian mythology. Other caves have a nave and aisle, with an apse containing a solid tupa and the aisle circling round the apse, providing the

circumambulation Circumambulation (from Latin ''circum'' around and ''ambulātus ''to walk) is the act of moving around a sacred object or idol. Circumambulation of temples or deity images is an integral part of Hindu and Buddhist devotional practice (known in ...

path.

Guardians Surya and Indra at the Bhaja Caves

Chaitygraha has some

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

images. A cistern inscription shows the name of a donor, ''Maharathi Kosikiputa Vihnudata'', from the 2nd century AD. A wooden beam records two more inscriptions datable to the 2nd century B.C., which indicates caves have been there for at least 2200 years. Eight inscriptions are found in the caves, some giving the name of the donors. The sculptures feature elaborate headdress, garlands, and jewellery; they might have originally been painted in bright colors but later covered with plaster. Characteristic for early Buddhism, initially the caves had symbolic Buddha representation. After 4 A.D. Buddha was painted in physical form as well. Near the last cave is a waterfall that, during the monsoon season, flows water into a small pool at the bottom.

Musical Instruments

These caves also provide important proof regarding the history of the Tabla, or Pushkara then called; an Indian percussion instrument, since carvings from 200 BCE show a woman playing tabla and another performing a dance. Stone carvings at Bhaje caves

Stupas

A notable part of the monument is a group of 14

s, five inside and nine outside an irregular excavation. The stupas are relics of resident monks, who died at Bhaja, and display an inscription with the names of three monks, Ampinika, Dhammagiri and Sanghdina. One of the stupas has inscribed upon it ''Stavirana Bhadanta'', which means the venerable reverend. The stupa particulars show the name of the monks and their respective titles. The stupas have been carved very elaborately and two of them have a relic box on their upper side. Names of monks have been titled with ''Theras''.

Caves

;*Cave VI It is irregular vihara, 14 feet square, has two cells on each side and three on back side. The chaitya window is ornamental all over cell doors. Ploughman's wife, ''Bodhi'', gifted this Vihara as her name is inscribed on cell door. ;*Cave IX Rail pattern ornament, broken animal figures, verandah is on frontal side. It is similar to Cave VIII at

Pandavleni Caves The Trirashmi Caves, or Nashik Caves or Pandavleni is a holy Buddhist and Jain site and is located about 8 km south of the centre of Nashik (or Nasik), Maharashtra, India. Most of the caves are Viharas except for Cave 18 which is a Chaity ...

. ;*Cave XII The chaitya at Bhaja Caves is perhaps the earliest surviving chaitya hall, constructed in the second century BCE. It consists of an apsidal hall with stupa. The columns slope inwards in the imitation of wooden columns that would have been structurally necessary to keep a roof up. The ceiling is barrel vaulted with ancient wooden ribs set into them. The walls are polished in the

Mauryan The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in South Asia with its power base in Magadha. Founded by Chandragupta Maurya around c. 320 BCE, it existed in loose-knit fashion until 185 BCE. The primary sourc ...

style. It was faced by a substantial wooden facade, now entirely lost. A large horseshoe-shaped window, the chaitya-window, was set above the arched doorway and the whole portico-area was carved to imitate a multi-storeyed building with balconies and windows and sculptured men and women who observed the scene below. This created the appearance of an ancient Indian mansion.ASI, "Bhaja Caves"
; Michell, 352;Dehejia Chaitya is 26 feet 8 inches wide and 59 feet long, with semi-circular apse at back, and having aisle 3 feet 5 inches wide, separated from the nave by 27 octagonal shafts which are 11 feet 4 inches height. The dagoba is 11 feet diameter at the floor. This resembles the Kondana Caves. The pillar has 7 different symbols of Buddha shown in floral form, buds, leaves, fan. Bhaja caves plan

;*Cave XIII This seems to be destroyed. It may have been of wood construction in ancient times. It is 30 feet long and 14.5 feet deep. It is in a rail pattern, with a few cells at the back and a bolt door system. ;*Cave XIV This cave is facing towards northern side 6 feet 8 inches wide and 25.5 feet deep, with 7 cells. Stone benches, square windows, stone beds—are observed in the cells. ;*Cave XV It can be reached by stairs to the south of Cave XIV. It is a small vihara 12.5 wide and 10 feet deep. It has two semi-circular niches and a bench on right side. ;*Cave XVI This façade has 3 Chaitya arches and the rail pattern. ;*Cave XVII It is a small vihara 18.5 feet long and 12.5 deep, with 5 cells, one of the cell has a bench in it. It has two inscriptions, one of which is damaged. Cell door inscription describes "the gift of cell from ''Nadasava'', a ''Naya'' of ''Bhogwati''." One more inscription over two wells in one recess describes "a religious gift of cistern by ''Vinhudata'', son of ''Kosiki'', a great warrior." ;*Cave XIX It is a monastery with a verandah. The door has guardian figures on both sides. This cave has

Surya Surya ( ; , ) is the Sun#Dalal, Dalal, p. 399 as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchaya ...

riding a chariot and

Indra Indra (; ) is the Hindu god of weather, considered the king of the Deva (Hinduism), Devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes Indra is the m ...

riding on an elephant. File:Close view of sculpture round doorway at rightside of verandah of the small Buddhist Vihara, Bhaja Caves, a photo by Henry Cousens.jpg,

and

protecting the entrance of a cave. Bhaja Caves. File:Bhaja Caves Amit R Mahadik 02.jpg, Stairways to Bhaja Caves File:Bhaja Caves Amit R Mahadik 08.jpg, Carvings at Bhaja Caves File:Bhaja Caves Amit R Mahadik 10.jpg, Bhaja Caves File:Bhaja Caves Amit R Mahadik 11.jpg, Carvings at Bhaja Caves File:Bhaja Caves Amit R Mahadik 12.jpg, Carvings at Bhaja Caves File:Bhaja Caves Amit R Mahadik 14.jpg, Waterfall at Bhaja Caves File:Bhaja Caves Amit R Mahadik 01.jpg, Stairways to Bhaja Caves File:Panorama Bhaja Caves.jpg, Panorama Bhaja Caves

Notes

References

* Dehejia, V. (1997). ''Indian Art''. Phaidon: London. * Michell, George, ''The Penguin Guide to the Monuments of India, Volume 1: Buddhist, Jain, Hindu'', 1989, Penguin Books,

External links

Archaeological Survey of India, "Bhaja Caves, Bhaja"

"Indian Tourist sites – In the footsteps of the Buddha"
{{Indian Buddhist Caves , state=expanded Lonavala-Khandala Caves of Maharashtra Buddhist caves in Maharashtra Buddhist monasteries in India Rock-cut architecture of India Former populated places in India Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India Monuments of National Importance in Maharashtra