The Ghatotkach Caves are located 18 km to the west of Ajantha, near Jinjala,

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 ...

. The caves include three

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

caves Caves or caverns are natural voids under the Earth's surface. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. Exogene caves are smaller openings that extend a relatively short distance underground (such as rock ...

, one is a

chaitya A chaitya, chaitya hall, chaitya-griha, (Sanskrit:''Caitya''; Pāli: ''Cetiya'') refers to a shrine, sanctuary, temple or prayer hall in Indian religions. The term is most common in Buddhism, where it refers to a space with a stupa and a rounded ...

and two are viharas. The caves were excavated in the 6th century AD, and were influenced by

Mahayana Buddhism Mahāyāna ( ; , , ; ) is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, texts, philosophies, and practices developed in ancient India ( onwards). It is considered one of the three main existing branches of Buddhism, the others being Thera ...

. The caves have an inscription by Varahadeva, a minister of the Vakataka dynasty under King Harishena (r. c. 475 – c. 500 CE). Varahadeva is also known for a decatory inscription in Cave 16 at

Ajanta caves The Ajanta Caves are 30 rock-cut architecture, rock-cut Buddhist caves in India, Buddhist cave monuments dating from the second century Common Era, BCE to about 480 CE in Aurangabad district, Maharashtra, Aurangabad district of Maharashtra sta ...

in which he affirms his devotion to the Buddhist faith: "regarding the sacred law as his only companion, (he was) extremely devoted to the Buddha, the teacher of the world". The inscription at Ghatotkacha Cave is about the

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 ...

, the

Dhamma Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold'' or ''to support' ...

and the

Sangha Sangha or saṃgha () is a term meaning "association", "assembly", "company" or "community". In a political context, it was historically used to denote a governing assembly in a republic or a kingdom, and for a long time, it has been used b ...

. At the same time, Varahadeva proudly affirms his Hindu heritage. The inscription gives a long genealogy of the donor's family. It includes mention of a person named Soma, who had Kshatriya as well as Brahmana wives. The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation advises that the caves are only for the adventurous traveller as access is difficult.

References

External links

Video of the caves
Buddhist caves in Maharashtra Caves of Maharashtra Rock-cut architecture of India Former populated places in India Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India Buddhist monasteries in India Architecture in India Caves containing pictograms in India {{Buddhism-stub