Khambhalida Caves
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Khambhalida Caves, are three Buddhist caves located in Jetpur in
Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...
,
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 ...
.


Architecture

Archeologist P. P. Pandya discovered these Buddhist caves in 1958. These caves are maintained by the Archaeology Department of Gujarat state. The caves are situated at the foot of small hillocks on the banks of a spring. They are carved out of
limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
rocks. There are three caves, the central one contains the ''
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 ...
'' which is known as ''chaitya'' cave. There are two sculptures of
Bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a person who has attained, or is striving towards, '' bodhi'' ('awakening', 'enlightenment') or Buddhahood. Often, the term specifically refers to a person who forgoes or delays personal nirvana or ''bodhi'' in ...
on the either sides of the gate of the ''chaitya'' cave. On the left, the figure is probably Padmapani under
Ashoka Ashoka, also known as Asoka or Aśoka ( ; , ; – 232 BCE), and popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was List of Mauryan emperors, Emperor of Magadha from until #Death, his death in 232 BCE, and the third ruler from the Mauryan dynast ...
-like tree with a female companion and five attendants. There is a
yaksha The Yakshas (, , ) in Mythology are a broad class of nature spirits, usually benevolent, but sometimes mischievous or capricious, connected with water, fertility, trees, the forest, treasure and wilderness. They appear in Hindu, Jain and Bud ...
-like dwarf on the left of it holding a basket. The figure on the right is probably
Vajrapani (Sanskrit; Pali: Vajirapāṇi, 'holder of the thunderbolt', lit. meaning, "Vajra in ishand") is one of the earliest-appearing bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism. The personification of Indra, the King of the Devas in the Hindu order, he is t ...
under Ashoka-like tree with similar attendants. The broad belts of female are similar to that of figures at
Uparkot Caves Uparkot caves, also Uperkot caves, are ancient man-made caverns. The caves are a part of the Junagadh Buddhist Cave Groups situated in the eastern part of Junagadh of the Indian state of Gujarat. Caves These caves located at Uperkot beyond the ...
of Junagadh. They are comparable to late
Kushana The Kushan Empire (– CE) was a syncretic empire formed by the Yuezhi in the Bactrian territories in the early 1st century. It spread to encompass much of what is now Afghanistan, Eastern Iran, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Kush ...
- Kshatapa period sculptures elsewhere as well as features some late Andhra mannerism. The caves are believed to have come into existence in the 4th or 5th century AD. Another cave on the left is deep and huge and is open in the front. It may have been used for meditation by the monks. There are 15 small caves situated near the Khambhalida caves. They are probably carved by the Lesser Vehicle branch of Buddhism. Buddha Caves in Rajkot District.jpg, The caves Khambhalida Buddhist Caves.jpg, The caves


Other information

A modern large Buddhist temple complex is coming up near by. It is said that for centuries Gir Forest extended till Khambhalida Village.


Further reading

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References

Buddhist caves in Gujarat Caves of Gujarat Rock-cut architecture of India Former populated places in India Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India Buddhist monasteries in India Architecture in India Tourist attractions in Rajkot district {{Buddhism-stub