Mauryan Rock-cut Architecture: Barabar Caves

India has more than 1,500 rock cut structures most of which are religious. They belong to the ancient and medieval era, and are considered to be the amazing achievements of structural engineering and craftsmanship of Indian sculptors, monks and general public. Between second century BC and first millennium AD, Rock-cut architecture had become the key feature of Indian architecture. The roots of this architecture are found in Maurya era. The Mauryan caves were made for Ajivika, Buddhists, Jains as well as the Hindu religions.

The first example of rock-cut architecture seems to be a small cave called Son Bhandar at Rajgir. This is considered to be the site of first Buddhist council and therefore may be from Pre-Mauryan times. This cave has an oblong chamber with a crudely vaulted roof and square undecorated doorway.

Barabar Caves

The oldest examples of Mauryan rock-cut architecture in India are the Barabar caves, located in the Barabar hills, in Jehanabad District of Bihar.  There are four caves in Barabar dating back to reign of Asoka (273-232 BC) and his grandson Dasaratha, initially for the Ajeevika sect.

Four Caves at Barabar are as follows:

Lomas Rishi cave

This is the most popular Barabar cave. The decorative arch above the entrance (facade) of Lomas Rishi Cave was made in imitation of the wooden architecture of the time. This became a constant feature in the later Chaityas and is known as the Chaitya Arch. It also continued as a decorative motif in later temples.

Sudama cave

This cave known for the bow shaped arches and has Asokan inscriptions.

Karan Chaupar

It has a single rectangular room with polished surfaces, contains inscription dating back to Maurya era.

Visva Zopri

There are two rectangular caves over there.

Another group of caves is in the nearby Nagarjuni hills, and these bear inscriptions of king Dasaratha, the grandson of Asoka. Like the Barabar caves these appear to have been dedicated to the Ajivika sect.

Various forms of Barabar Caves

The Barabar caves have several forms. While the Lomas Rishi Cave has an oblong vaulted room, others contain circular domed shrines, with elements of timber structure represented in stone. The interiors of several of the caves bear the high polish generally called the ‘Mauryan polish’.

Importance of Barabar Caves

No other rock-cut caves in any part of India can claim equal antiquity, and those of the succeeding centuries witness to the steady growth of technical skill and design on the part of their craftsmen. For this reason it can be concluded that Barabar caves represent the beginnings of the tradition of rock-cut architecture in India.