Thursday, October 25, 2007
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
ANDAMAN TRIP
Andaman was literally beckoning us after the Tsunami tragedy, well in Nov 2005 we decided to take trip from Mumbai. We booked tickets in advance luckily and got a cheap package from Jet Airlines. The central govt. too withdrew freeze on LTC travel and were encouraging employees to visit andaman for aiding recovery of tourism. Hotel and other accomodation naturally had dropped their rates.
It was real bad luck news that in chennai it was pouring cats and dogs, we were supposed to stay at my friends place in Chennai. We called him and told him that we won't make it to his place since we have to catch earlier morning flight to Port Blair. Indian Airlines offered us free dinner at Mumbai airport, and it took off around 12.15 am and landed at 2 am at chennai. We looked around for accomodation at airport, luckily we got the same by paying RS 600/- incl. tip. It is worth rather spending to and fro charges to city and hotel accomodation which would have costed more than Rs 1000/- for 5 hours. Luckily this intitutive decision paid off since there was no incoming vehicles plying to airport due to downpour in chennai.
We had arranged booking at YMCA, Port Blair, for a double AC which costed us Rs 450/- per day. The room was small but it had attached bathroom. The manager was very friendly, and he invited us to attend a function next day too. Our friends Austin and his family were very friendly. They became acquainted because they are mumbaites, and from our hometown.
We had the fortune of listening to Shine who literally hung on to the tree top and was saved from Tsunami tidal waves. Nicobar isle were almost wiped out, the Indian Navy did a tremendous rescue operation despite loosing their own kith and kin. Kudos. This prompted us to visit the Tsunami village, which was really endearing, but a fantastic re-habitation program was envisaged, and people have forgotton to a large extent their tragedy of loosing their near and dear ones.
Shine accompanied us to Chidiyatapu on mount Harriet, It is a lovely spot, swarming with birds and bird lovers can almost spend a day over here snapping pictures to glory. The mount Harriet, is also embossed on the Indian currency notes. We had booked an auto, which was economical to move up and down from Port Blair. He charged us 150 rupees for a round trip to Chidyatapu. We had a lovely homely food at Shine's house and tipped him Rs 200/- ( Earlier shine and his family were doing CD and video business at Nicobar )
We booked our tickets to visit BARREN ISLE, a live volcano after the Tsunami. Weekly only 2 trips are made, so it is advisable to book your seat on the ship for a night journey. They charge 150 each for seating and cabin is charged at 250 per pax.
The trip to Barren Isle was lovely since it is adventure by night which begins at 10 pm and around 2 am one gets to notice the volcanic flares from a distance, and at around 3 am the ship reaches the barren isle, and the full flow of the volcanic lava is visible to naked eyes. Till day break break the ship encircles the volcano from safe distance and once the day breaks volcanic flares vanishes as if magician has turned off, only thick cloud is visible. One can notice Dolphins swimming across too enroute. The ship travels away from Havelock isle and reaches by afternoon Port Blair in time for lunch. Food quality is average in the Hotels, of course home made cooking like what we had at Shine's home was delicious.
Sea food is the speciality of andaman, but availability after Tsunami has become rarity. One can good bengali and tamilian food in selected mess. The rates are very economical. One such mess is availabe at near SBI for Tamil food, autorikshaw guys are the best people to enquire for good food.
Next day we decided to explore the Limestone caves of Baratang and mud volcanoes. As soon as one lands in baratang, one notices the mangroves, which largely have helped to reduce destruction of Tsunami of this area. It is a lesson for mankind to preserve Mangroves which can act as a barrier against lashing tidal waves. The boat ride to limestone caves are ultimate adventure. It veers into a narrow creek with mangroves and sways in a winding trail and reaches the jetty, from where one has to walk across nearly 2 km but worth its effort. This journey is like entering a forest and can be cherished for life long, crocs are infesting these waters. Beware of frequently children touching the river water. The cave was filled with slush which can put off any visitor so one has to remove shoes and socks to discover the wonder of nature. We visited nearly 1/2 km into the cave along with the jetty guide, who had a torch. The limestone caves are a revealation of nature's beauty. One has to be careful, to watch out for leeches, i was fortunate, to bleed from one naughty leech bite. It is better to inspect their feet when they come out of the caves. Next we reached the Bus stop, from there Mud volcanoes can be visited by JEEP, along with a guide. Once again one has to walk half a Km to witness the beauty of mudvolcanoes which are bubbling all over. Well, before Tsunami there existed a lovely beach but was destroyed totally due to tidal waves. Enroute back to Port blair we got to see the naked Jarwah tribes. People are not advised to feed them any normal foodstuff. One can give them fruits and vegetables which is good for their health. They cannot digest baked or fried items. Photography of Naked tribes are prohibited, one has to remember though.
Local sight seeing places are Corbyn beach, Acquarium, Gandhi Park, Arts Museum. One should not miss the sound and light show at cellur jail, it is worth waiting and watching. It is a tribute to the struggle of freedom of India. Andaman Isle was a Taadipar. Other Isle visits to Ross Island which is also known as Paris of the East is a beauty, but destoryed due to earthquake of 1942. The viper island is another revealation in terms of the gallows and jails. All the notorious and tough criminals were housed here. Veer Sarvarkar was hanged in this place. Later, women freedom fighters were seperately housed. Andaman is generally known for nil crimes in the ISLE because nobody can escape from here. Coral island is full of shells, stones and unique corals.
Share auto is common mode of transport along with buses, Sun rises quite early at 5 am. Long distance travel can be undertaken early morning and return to base same day can be practised. Some tourists who prefer beaches can stay put a Havelock Island. It is better to carry a good camera to get hold of nice pictures of beauty of nature and beaches. If one plans a trip it has to be at least for 5 days otherwise one is bound to miss out after going such a distance. It is actually like travelling to Far East country. The strategic importance of Andaman isle is tremendous for India. The bio-diversity in marine life in the form of corals are in plenty. But alas one cannot treasure it. It is prohibited and penalities can be huge. Explore andaman isle because it emboldens the spirit of human survival. Join the bandwagon to revive tourism in ISLE, post Tsunami.
KUDA CAVE - RESEARCH
Cave II.
Cave II, on the same level and close to cave I, has a small court in front. The verandah has a door and a large open window and a bench in a recess at the left end. Behind,-to the right, is a cell with a stone bench on the left. Both doors have sockets from wooden frames, and there are traces of plaster on the walls of the outer room.
Cave III.
Cave III is close to and one foot lower than cave II, and like it, it has a small front court. On the left outside wall is a fragment of an inscription, being the ends of two lines deeply cut on a rough surface; the rest has peeled off. The fragment is:
'The cave of................bhuti, perhaps Sivabhuti.'
Cave IV.
Cave IV is about four yards to the right of cave III and ten feet higher. There is front court with side benches and broken steps leading to the verandah. The verandah has two eight-sided pillars with square bases and two ornamented pilasters. A low thin parapet, with the rail pattern outside, runs between the pillars and the side pilasters. At the back of the verandah a large central door with a window on each side, leads to a hall (34½'x 33½') which is one foot six inches higher than the verandah. It is plain and has a bench along the back and side walls. In the back wall are the beginnings of three recesses with square pillars between them.
Cave V.
Cave V, close to cave IV and six feet lower, is large and plain, and has traces of plaster on the walls and ceiling. In front is a court with a cistern of good water in a recess in the left. The verandah has one square pillar to the right of the centre and a pilaster at the left side. At the right end of the verandah is a recess with a bench. Behind the verandah, at the left end, is a small open room, with a bench on the right side; behind this is a cell with a bench at the back, and to the left of this is another inner cell with a bench on the right. In the right end of the hack wall of the verandah a door leads into another cell, with a very small room beyond it, having a recess in the hack wall. There are three inscriptions in this cave. One is above and to the right-hand of the recess in front court. It has been cut moderately deep on a rough surface, and is much weather-worn, many of the letters being very uncertain. In the second line may be read:
'The charitable gift of two (2) cisterns'.
The svastika or cross is carved at the end of the inscription. The second inscription is on the opposite or right-hand wall. It was deeply cut, but is so weather-worn that only a few letters at the ends of five lines can be read. In the middle of the first line there is a space for four letters. The name of one of the givers in the third line is lost. He was an ascetic and disciple of the revered elder Thera Sivadata, and the other donor was Satimita, a female disciple. In the left end of the verandah is the third inscription. It is in six lines, on a decaying surface, but only three letters are much injured. It has been translated:
'To the Perfect! A cave and cistern, the charitable gift of the female ascetic Padumanika', daughter of Na'ganika' the ascetic the sister's daughter of Thera Bhadanta Pa'timita and Bhadanta. A 'gimita', and of her (Padumanika's) female disciples Bodhi and Asa'lhamita'.
Cave VI.
Cave VI. Close to cave V and three feet lower, cave VI has a front court with the head and forelegs of a standing elephant, eleven feet high, projecting from each side wall. The right elephant is completely gone, and the trunk and tusks of the left elephant are broken. On the front of the cave, behind the left elephant, is a sculptured figure of Buddha, eighteen inches high, seat-ed on a throne with his feet on a lotus, over a wheel with three deer on each side, and upheld by Naga figures with others below. At each side of Buddha a fly-whisk bearer stands on a lotus, the left bearer being Avalokitesvara, who holds a lotus stem with his left arm. Two demigods or vidyadharas hold a crown over Buddha's head, and above the crown is a segmental arch support-ed by alligators on each side, and two flying figures above it. Beneath, to the left, is a faintly cut and much decayed inscription of a later date than the preceding inscriptions, and in Sanskrt. In the beginning is 'This meritorious gift', and then 'The honourable tranquilliser of the Sangria.' The rest cannot be read.
The steps leading to the verandah are completely broken. The verandah has two eight-sided pillars with square bases and square pilasters. Between the pillars and pilasters is a thin parapet wall, the outside ornamented with the rail pattern, and with a bench on the inside as on cave III at Nasik, which belongs to about the same time. On the left pilasters is a Buddha, seated cross-legged on a cushion one foot one inch high with a fly-whisk bearer on each side standing on a lotus; the left bearer, Avalokitesvara, holds a lotus stem with his left arm. Above is a segmental arch with heavenly choristers on each side. The cushion rests on a high four-footed stool or table, between the legs of which is a lotus with a deer on each side of its stem. The legs of the seat stand on the ornament or semicircular moulding at the bottom of the pilaster, which contains an inscription, and outside of the lower end of each leg is a small kneeling figure with joined hands. The inscription which is in four lines and four letters in a fifth line, is faintly cut and indistinct. It has been translated:
'This is the meritorious gift of the female Sa'kya worshipper Vya'ghraka'. May its benefit be for the attainment of supreme knowledge first by her father and mother and then by the whole feeling world.'
On the inner side of this pilaster, the upper group of sculpture consists of an eight-inch Buddha seated cross-legged, with a standing fly-whisk bearer on either hand. The lower group has a simi-lar Buddha, eleven inches high, on a lotus, with two standing fly-whisk bearers, the left one being Padmapani. Under each side of lotus is a kneeling figure with joined hands.
On the face of the right pilaster, near the top, are two eight-inch Buddhas seated on cushions, separated by a pillar, and with a kneeling figure in the outer lower corner of each compartment. Below these is a thirteen inch Buddha, seated on a lion-throne, with his feet on a lotus and two fly-whisk bearers, one holding a lotus as before and each standing on a lotus. Overhead is a triple tiara carried by two demigods or vidyadharas., with an alligator canopy or makara torana above, and four demigods or vidyadharas, carrying festoons above the arch. Below the lotuses, on the left side of the stem of the central lotus, is a couched deer with a man kneeling behind it and presenting some offering. Behind him a woman kneels with joined hands. On the right side are corresponding figures. Below these are mouldings, and in a panel, three deer, and on the bottom semicircle, an inscription in three lines, faintly cut and imperfect at the ends. It has been translated:
'This is the meritorious gift of the Sa'yka friar.................... May its benefit be for the attainment of supreme knowledge, first by his father and mother and then by the whole feeling world'.
In the left end of the verandah is an inscription of seven lines beautifully cut on a smooth surface and perfect. It is in much older letters than the other inscriptions in this cave, and is in the Pali language. It has been translated:
'The meritorious gift of a dwelling-cave by Sivama, younger than the Writer Sivabhuti, among the full-brothers, sons of Sulasadata and (his wife) Utaradata, and servants of Maha'bhoja Mandava Khandapa'lita, the son of Maha'bhoja Sadageri Vijaya', with the rock carving by Sivama's wife Vijaya and his sons Sulasadata, Sivapalita, Sivadata, and Sapila; and the pillars by his daughters Sapa, Sivapa' lita, Sivadata', and Sulasadata ['This inscription', says Dr. Buhler, 'gives us a peep into the Bauddha social and religious life of perhaps a century before the Christian era. Skandapalita is a Mahabhoja or Konkan chief, in whose service are the sons of one Sulasadata, namely, Shivabhutia, who is a lekhaka or writer, his younger brother Shivama, and four of Shivama's sons. They all bear names such as would be found among the Shaiva sec,t showing that though they or their ancestors may have been converts to Buddhism, they did not as Buddhists feel bound to abjure all connections with the popular beliefs. One of them bears the name Sarpila, from sarpa a snake; probably pointing to serpent worship, which was not inconsistent with his being a Shaiva. Shiva-bhuti constructed cave I for the use of the Bauddha monks, and perhaps also cave III. Shivama emulating the religious munificence of his elder brother, sets about the construction of cave VI, and his wife and sons join him and share the expense and the merit. The prominence of the names of mothers and wives indicates that in ancient India women enjoyed a much more public and honoured place than they have done for centuries past; and this is in accordance with allusions to women in Sanskrit and Pali literature. Here the Mahabhoja's mother named Vijaya, probably of the Sadakara or Sadagaira family, is chronicled. Shivasarman's wife is also called Vijaya, and she, with their sons, undertake the sculptured work, the two pairs of figures on the back wall and the front portions of the two elephants at the ends of the facade, for those alone are coeval with the cave. This is not all. A share of the work is allotted to Shivama's four daughters-in-law, for it seems more likely that they should be here called by the names of their husbands than that Shivabhuti should have four daughters called by feminine names corresponding to those of his four sons. These women bear the expense of two plain octagonal pillars in the back of the hall, and other two in the verandah, with perhaps also the two pilasters. This family thus share among them the expense of a Bauddha chapel, plain but commodious, and one of the la-gest among the Kuda caves.'
'The other inscriptions in this cave are in a much later character (5th, 6th century) and in the Sanskrit language, and explain to us the origin of the other sculptures. That they are in Sanskrit is sufficient proof that they were carved by members of the Mahayana. sect and are contemporary with the sculptures which belong to their mythology.' Arch. Sur. of Western India, IV. 13-14.].
In the back wall of the verandah, a central door and two large windows lighten the large square hall, which has a bench round both sides and the back. The back halves of each side wall of this room have sculptures, which, like those already described, arc-additions of about the fifth or sixth century. On the left side wall are (1) at the top, four nine-inch Buddhas seated cross-legged in the meditating position or jnanamudra, each in separate compartments. Under these are two groups, separated by a pilaster, each consisting of a thirteen-inch Buddha on a lion-throne with his feet on a lotus and fly-whisk bearers as before; a crown borne over his head by demigods or Vidyadharas, and an alligator canopy as before, with four demigods carrying garlands. Below the lotuses are two deer and ten kneeling figures, four to the left and six to the right. Below these are mouldings with two deer and the fame-face or kirtimukh in alternate panels: (2) A twenty-eight inch Buddha seated cross-legged on a lotus, with two fly-whisk bearers, the left bearer holding his clothes in his left hand, and the right bearer holding a lotus stem with his left hand. Overhead is a plain arch with a kneeling demigod on each side, the left one holding some object and the right one a flower or fruit. Under the demigods the stem of the central lotus is upheld by two Naga figures cut off at mid-height, with five kneeling figures two to the left and three to the right: (3) Above is a relic-shrine or daghoba in bas-relief; below the relic-shrine is a fifteen-inch Buddha in the meditating position jnanamudra, on lotus, with a standing fly-whisk bearer to the right. All three groups have remains of paint.
On the right wall beginning from the left are: a two feet six inch Buddha seated cross-legged on a lotus, with the usual fly-whisk bearers on each side standing on lotuses. Overhead is a plain arch with a demigod on each side carrying a festoon. Below the arch, the central lotus stem is supported by two Naga figures each on one knee, with a kneeling Naga woman behind, and on the left another kneeling woman with a man kneeling behind her Below the three, on the left, is an inscription in five lines pretty distinctly cut, on a smooth surface, in characters of about the fifth or sixth century and in the Sanskrit language. It has been translated:
' This is the meritorious gift of the Sa'kya friar Buddhasingha. May the merit it be for the attainment of Supreme knowledge by father, mother, and Shtaa'rka (lord), and then by the whole feeling world.'
After this inscription comes the second group of sculpture, the same as the last as far as the Naga women. Between the left Naga woman and left fly-flapper is a faintly cut inscription, continued between the right-hand figures. It has been translated:
'This (image) is the meritorious gift of the Sa'kya friar Sanghadava, and the Chendina field is given for the expense of lights to Buddha. Who cuts of (this grant) is guilty of the five great sins.'
Under the left Naga woman a kneeling figure offers a lotus bud; behind the right Naga woman is another kneeling figure: and below it a woman. In the third group, the central figure is a Buddha one foot seven inches high, the same as the first Buddha down to the lotuses; below, the Nagas appear to have torn up the lotus stem and are bearing it aloft, the Naga women kneeling behind as in the other group. On each side, under the Naga woman, two kneeling figures look upwards.
At the back of the hall a low screen wall supports two eight-sided pillars and pilasters with double crescent ornaments. An entrance between them leads to the ante-chamber of the shrine, and a low parapet or rail behind the bench is carved with animals. Beginning from the left, the right side of this carved rail has a mythical lion or Sardula driven by a dwarf who holds its tail; then, a maned tiger with a dwarf holding its tail and brandishing a club; then a dwarf-driven bull; and lastly a tiger. On the left side are a tiger, whose tail is held by a dwarf; then an elephant; then an animal whose face is broken, probably a stag looking back and last a tiger whose tail is held by a dwarf.
On the return of the back wall which meets this carved rail, are, on each side, two male and female figures, like the figures on the front screens in the temple caves at Kanheri and Karla. In the left corner are two standing figures, a man five feet four inches high, and a woman, five feet two inches high including their headdresses, with at the right lower corner, a boy holding the woman's foot as if shampooing it. The man wears a high head-dress, earrings wristlets and armlets a waist-cloth and waistband, its end hanging over his right thigh. His right hand is raised and his left rests on his left hip. The woman wears a curious roundish head-dress and large earrings, a pair of heavy anklets on each leg, an armlet and wristlet on her left arm, and a wristlet on her right arm. Her right hand rests on her right hip, and her left hand is laid on the boy's head. The boy has no ornaments and seems to be a servant. In the right pair of figures the man is five feet four inches and the woman five feet high. The man stands to the right of the woman. He wears a curious high headdress in eight folds, earrings, wristlets, and armlets apparently of round beads. He wears a waistcloth, its end hanging between his legs and showing a highly ornamented border, and a waistband whose end hangs along his right leg and also shows a rich border. His left hand rests on his left hip and his right hand is raised above his head, the finger next the thumb being held up and the thumb and the three other fingers closed. The woman wears a rich headdress like an inverted English hat with flowing drapery below it. Between the bottom of the headdress and the woman's brow are two bands, the upper like a roll of plaited hair, the lower like an ornamented fillet, which ends over her right ear in a metal disc with four pendants. The right hand is raised shoulder high and holds three lotus stalks, whose flowers rise high over her head. She has no ornaments on her arms or neck, but heavy earrings, a waistband of metal discs, and on each leg a pair of heavy anklets, the lower one somewhat flat. A band of cloth is fastened round the waistbelt in front and falls between the legs.
The floor of the antechamber of the shrine is level with the top of the bench in the hall, and had benches on the inner sides of the parapets. At the left end is a cell with a bench on the right side, and above the bench is a hole, eighteen inches square, giving entrance into a smaller cell filled with stones and rubbish. A doorway about nine feet wide leads into the shrine in which is a plain relic-shrine or daghoba reaching to near the roof, and joined to the roof by the staff of the umbrella which is carved on the rock above. There are traces of plaster and painting on all the walls, roofs, and columns of this cave.
Cave VII.
Cave VII is close to cave VI and five feet higher. There is a cistern to the right of the entrance. The cave has a plain front court with steps leading to the entrance at the left end of the verandah. The verandah has two eight-sided columns with square bases and square pilasters with the usual double crescent orna ment. Between the pillars is a thin plain parapet with a seat inside. A door in the back of the verandah to the right, leads into a cell with a stone bench along the left wall. The walls have traces' of plaster and the door has sockets for a wooden frame. In the right end of the verandah is a bench in a recess.
On the left end wall is an inscription in four lines, very deeply and clearly cut on a smooth surface, and entire. It has been translated:
'The meritorious gift of a cave by the physician Somadeva, the son of Ma'makavejiya physician and worshipper Isirakhits, and, his (Somadeva's) sons Na'ga, Isirakhita, and Sivaghosa, and daughters Isipalita, Pusa, Dhamma, and Sapa'.
Just beyond the cistern outside of this cave is another cistern, dry and broken, with, on the back of the recess, an inscription deeply cut but much weatherworn. The latter halves of the first two lines are distinct; the third letter in the second line was probably pu, and the fifth ku, and in the next line the first syllable must have been mam. The inscription has been translated:
'The meritorious gift of Mandava Kumara, the chief of the Mandavas.'
Cave VIII.
Cave VIII is just beyond the second cistern of cave VII, and three feet lower. It is an oblong chamber, with a door near the right end and a window to the left, which are now broken into one. At the left end is a stone bench. A door in the back towards the right leads into a cell which has a bench in a short recess on the left. Half the length of this bench has been cut to a depth of one foot seven inches, leaving a front three inches thick, and fitted for receiving a trap lid three inches thick which would complete the bench and form a box one foot nine inches square and one foot four inches deep.
Cave IX.
Cave IX is close to cave VIII and six feet higher. Entering from the left side of the Court is a cell with a bench along the back; the front wall is nearly gone, but it had a window to the right of the door. In the right wall a window and door lead into the verandah, which has two eight-sided columns with cushion bases and capitals and a plain eight-sided pilaster. A large door at the back, with sockets for a wooden framework leads into a chamber with a plain relic-shrine or daghoba, whose top reaches the roof. The walls have traces of plaster. At the right end of the verandah deeply cut on a smooth panel, is an inscription, which has been translated:
'The meritorious gift of a Cetiyaghara (Sk. Caityagrha, or house for a relic-shrine) by Bhyila', a Brahmani, wife of the Brahmana Upasaka Ayitilu.
Cave X.
Cave X is close to cave IX and five feet lower. It has a small front court, with a broken door to the right and a large window to the left of the door. The pillars of windows are broken, pulling the overhead structure, to the ground. Inside, an oblong chamber opens to the right into a cell, with a stone bench at the back. Over the window is an inscription deeply cut on a rough surface. It has been translated:
The meritorious gift of a dwelling-cave by Sivapirita, gardener, son of the gardener Vadhuka'.
Cave XI.
Cave XI is close to cave X and two feet lower. It consists of an open verandah, the right and hack walls of which are mostly broken. In the back wall were a door and window, the door leading into an oblong room with a bench along the back wall, now much destroyed. On the right end wall of the verandah is an inscription deeply cut on a smooth panel, part of which is broken. The giver was the daughter of a chief or Mahabhoja of the family or town of Mandava. To the right of the verandah is another large plain, open chamber.
Cave XII.
Cave XII is close to cave XI and on the same level. The verandah is nearly gone except a stone bench at the right end. The door into the room behind has sockets for a wooden door-post, and to the left of the door is a large window, partly broken. The inner room has a bench along the back wall. Over the recess above the verandah bench and partly on the back wall is an inscription, cut on a rough surface and distinct, but injured at the end of the lines. It has been translated:
'The dwelling-cave of Goyamma', the daughter of Hala, the royal minister.
At the beginning of this inscription is an odd representation of lion.
Cave XIII.
Cave XIII is close to cave XII and two feet higher. It has an open verandah with a short bench at the right end, and steps leading down in front from that end. In the back wall of the verandah is a door and a window to its left. The door lends into a square chamber with a back. Over the window in the back wall of the verandah is an inscription badly cut on a rough surface. It has been translated:
'The meritorious gift of a dwelling-cave by Vijayanika" daughter of Mahabhoja Sadakara Sudamsans.
Cave XIV
Cave XIV is close to and on the same level with cave XIII. It is similar in plan. On the left end wall and round the hack over the window is an inscription lightly cut on a smooth panel, but distinct. It has been translated:
'The meritorious gift of a dwelling-cave by Mahika of Karahakada [ Karahakada is the modern Karhad in Satara, a taluka place and a Hindu place of pilgrimage, with sixty-three Buddhist caves in its neighbourhood.], blacksmith (lohakara).'
About five feet further is a large open cistern still holding water. On the back of its recess, deeply cut on a rough surface, is a weather-worn and indistinct inscription which has been translated:
'Of the merchant Vasula.................a bathing cistern [A bathing cistern is generally a large cistern, where the monks could bathe. It is usually open above, with steps leading to the water's edge.]
About twenty feet from cave XIV is a small recess, apparently a cistern, nearly filled with earth and roots, with an inscription on the hack of it, cut on a very rough weather-worn surface. About twenty-five feet further is a cell-like recess nearly filled with earth and boulders.
Cave XV.
Cave XV is about fifty-five yards beyond cave XIV and twenty feet higher. It is a temple cave. In front is the verandah with four plain eight-sided pillars, one of which is broken; at the ends are square pilasters with the usual double-crescent ornament. At each end of the verandah is a cell with a bench along the back. A wide doorway in the middle of the back wall of the verandah leads into the shrine which has a plain relic-shrine or daghoba the top of which is against the roof. There are traces of plaster on the walls and roof and of painting on the columns. On the left end of the back wall, over the left cell door and below the roof, is an inscription in one long line. It is deeply cut on a smooth surface, and very distinct. It has been translated:
'The meritorious gift of a relic-shrine house or Cetiyaghara and cell by Ramadata the Adhagachaka, the son of Ahila, when Velidata son of Koci was Mahabhoja Mandava; and by his wife Vilidata the meritorious gift of a cell.'
Caves XVI to XIX are about thirty feet above the level of cave XV and between caves XIV and XV, but further back towards the top of the hill. They are numbered from left to right as an upper range.
Cave XVI.
Cave XVI has a cistern with a good water to the left of the entrance to the court and another to the right. The court is plain with a low bench across the front of the cave which is an oblong chamber with door and window and a bench at the left end. A door, near the left end of the chamber, leads into a cell with a bench along its left wall. There are traces of plaster on the walls of the chamber and cell. There are three inscriptions in this cave. One in the back wall of the front, between the door and the window, is in six lines, very deeply cut and distinct. It has been translated:
'To the Perfect: The meritorious gift of a dwelling-cave by the nun Sapila the female disciple of the revered monk Vijaya, with Lihita and Venhuya and her (Sapila's) female disciple Bodhi.'
The second inscription is on the back of the recess of the cistern to the left of the entrance to the court. It seems to have had three lines, hut only the last line is distinct. The others have peeled off. The last line has been translated: 'and all, of the female disciple Bodhi.' On the back of the recess of the corresponding right hand cistern is the third inscription, deeply cut but weather-worn and broken, though fairly distinct. It has been translated:
'The meritorious gift of a cistern by the gardener Muguda" (sa).'
Cave XVII.
Cave XVII is on the same level, and about seven feet to the right of the right-hand cistern of cave XVI. It is very like cave XVI, except that it has a large window to the left of the door. The doorway has no sockets for a wooden framework. The walls have traces of piaster. The right end of the verandah is broken into the verandah of the next cave. On the back wall of the front chamber, close to the ceiling, and to the left of the cell door, is an inscription in one line, deeply cut on a smooth but decayed surface. It has been translated:
'The meritorious gift of a dwelling cave by Naga the trader and house-holder who.............son of Svami.............'
Cave XVIII.
Cave XVIII is close to, and on the same level as cave XVII, but there is no bench or step into the verandah. The door is between two large windows and there is a bench at the left end. The cell at the back, towards the right end, had a large window which is now broken into the door. There was also a bench along the back wall. Both the doors have sockets for wooden frames and there are traces of plaster on the walls. On the hack wall of the verandah to the left, and close under the roof, is a deeply cut and distinct inscription which has been translated:
'The meritorious gift of a dwelling cave by Vasulanaka the merchant.'
Cave XIX.
Cave XIX is close to cave XVIII and a foot and a half higher. It has a plain court thirteen feet wide. The verandah, like that of cave XVII, is fourteen feet nine inches wide, with, in a recess on the right side a bench six feet two inches long by two feet three inches broad.
To the right a door in the back leads into a cell six feet nine inches square with, in a recess at the back, a bench four feet eight inches long. Both doors have sockets for a wooden framework and there arc traces of plaster on the walls.
Cave XX
Cave XX is about fifty-seven yards to the right of cave XIX and ten feet higher. It is rather difficult to get at. The front of the verandah and most of the back wall are gone. There is a door in the middle of the back wall, and a window to the left of the door opens into a small square room.
Cave XXI.
Cave XXI is about twenty-seven yards to the right of cave XX and five feet higher than cave XIX. The court is plain and the verandah has two roughly hewn square pillars. A doorway in the middle of the back wall of the verandah leads into an unfinished chamber, with a square mass in the centre of the back wall, which was probably intended to be carved into a relic-shrine or daghobii. To the left of the entrance is a filled-up cistern with an inscription in two lines on the back of its recess. It has been deeply cut but is weather-worn. It has been translated:
' The meritorious gift of a cistern by the merchant Vasulanaka.'
Cave XXII
Cave XXII is close to cave XXI and three feet lower. In front Cave XXII. is a court with a bench to the left. A door to the right and a window to the left are now broken into one. Inside is a chamber with a bench at the back. Between this cave and cave XXIII is a cistern in a recess with good water.
Cave XXIII.
Cave XXIII is close beyond the cistern and on the same level as cave XXII. A central door and two large windows open into an outer oblong room. At the back of this oblong room is a nearly square room with a door and window and a bench in a recess at the back. Over the left window is an inscription in two lines cut on a rough surface. It has been translated:
'The meritorious gift of a cave by Sivadata, the mother of Pusanaka and second [ The word in the original is Bitiyaka (Sk. Dvitiyaka), that is the second, probably meaning the wife or second person in the household, possibly the daughter.] (wife or daughter) of Vehamita, the trader.'
Cave XXIV.
Cave XXIV is twelve feet to the right of cave XXIII and ten feet higher. It is similar in plan to cave XXIII; only the front room or verandah is broken and the bench in the recess is on the right wall of the inner cell. To the right of the door and partly on the inner end is a weather-worn and indistinct inscription. It has been translated:
'From the trader Acaladasa's son Asalamita, the meritorious gift of a cave and a path (?)'.
Cave XXV.
Cave XXV is close to cave XXIV and on the same level. The front of the verandah is gone. There is a bench at the left end of the verandah. In the back wall is a door and a large window opening into a chamber with a benched recess at the back.
Cave XXVI.
Cave XXVI' is close to cave XXV, part of the wall between being broken. At the right end of the verandah is a bench. In the back wall a door and a window open into a small plain chamber.
Cave II, on the same level and close to cave I, has a small court in front. The verandah has a door and a large open window and a bench in a recess at the left end. Behind,-to the right, is a cell with a stone bench on the left. Both doors have sockets from wooden frames, and there are traces of plaster on the walls of the outer room.
Cave III.
Cave III is close to and one foot lower than cave II, and like it, it has a small front court. On the left outside wall is a fragment of an inscription, being the ends of two lines deeply cut on a rough surface; the rest has peeled off. The fragment is:
'The cave of................bhuti, perhaps Sivabhuti.'
Cave IV.
Cave IV is about four yards to the right of cave III and ten feet higher. There is front court with side benches and broken steps leading to the verandah. The verandah has two eight-sided pillars with square bases and two ornamented pilasters. A low thin parapet, with the rail pattern outside, runs between the pillars and the side pilasters. At the back of the verandah a large central door with a window on each side, leads to a hall (34½'x 33½') which is one foot six inches higher than the verandah. It is plain and has a bench along the back and side walls. In the back wall are the beginnings of three recesses with square pillars between them.
Cave V.
Cave V, close to cave IV and six feet lower, is large and plain, and has traces of plaster on the walls and ceiling. In front is a court with a cistern of good water in a recess in the left. The verandah has one square pillar to the right of the centre and a pilaster at the left side. At the right end of the verandah is a recess with a bench. Behind the verandah, at the left end, is a small open room, with a bench on the right side; behind this is a cell with a bench at the back, and to the left of this is another inner cell with a bench on the right. In the right end of the hack wall of the verandah a door leads into another cell, with a very small room beyond it, having a recess in the hack wall. There are three inscriptions in this cave. One is above and to the right-hand of the recess in front court. It has been cut moderately deep on a rough surface, and is much weather-worn, many of the letters being very uncertain. In the second line may be read:
'The charitable gift of two (2) cisterns'.
The svastika or cross is carved at the end of the inscription. The second inscription is on the opposite or right-hand wall. It was deeply cut, but is so weather-worn that only a few letters at the ends of five lines can be read. In the middle of the first line there is a space for four letters. The name of one of the givers in the third line is lost. He was an ascetic and disciple of the revered elder Thera Sivadata, and the other donor was Satimita, a female disciple. In the left end of the verandah is the third inscription. It is in six lines, on a decaying surface, but only three letters are much injured. It has been translated:
'To the Perfect! A cave and cistern, the charitable gift of the female ascetic Padumanika', daughter of Na'ganika' the ascetic the sister's daughter of Thera Bhadanta Pa'timita and Bhadanta. A 'gimita', and of her (Padumanika's) female disciples Bodhi and Asa'lhamita'.
Cave VI.
Cave VI. Close to cave V and three feet lower, cave VI has a front court with the head and forelegs of a standing elephant, eleven feet high, projecting from each side wall. The right elephant is completely gone, and the trunk and tusks of the left elephant are broken. On the front of the cave, behind the left elephant, is a sculptured figure of Buddha, eighteen inches high, seat-ed on a throne with his feet on a lotus, over a wheel with three deer on each side, and upheld by Naga figures with others below. At each side of Buddha a fly-whisk bearer stands on a lotus, the left bearer being Avalokitesvara, who holds a lotus stem with his left arm. Two demigods or vidyadharas hold a crown over Buddha's head, and above the crown is a segmental arch support-ed by alligators on each side, and two flying figures above it. Beneath, to the left, is a faintly cut and much decayed inscription of a later date than the preceding inscriptions, and in Sanskrt. In the beginning is 'This meritorious gift', and then 'The honourable tranquilliser of the Sangria.' The rest cannot be read.
The steps leading to the verandah are completely broken. The verandah has two eight-sided pillars with square bases and square pilasters. Between the pillars and pilasters is a thin parapet wall, the outside ornamented with the rail pattern, and with a bench on the inside as on cave III at Nasik, which belongs to about the same time. On the left pilasters is a Buddha, seated cross-legged on a cushion one foot one inch high with a fly-whisk bearer on each side standing on a lotus; the left bearer, Avalokitesvara, holds a lotus stem with his left arm. Above is a segmental arch with heavenly choristers on each side. The cushion rests on a high four-footed stool or table, between the legs of which is a lotus with a deer on each side of its stem. The legs of the seat stand on the ornament or semicircular moulding at the bottom of the pilaster, which contains an inscription, and outside of the lower end of each leg is a small kneeling figure with joined hands. The inscription which is in four lines and four letters in a fifth line, is faintly cut and indistinct. It has been translated:
'This is the meritorious gift of the female Sa'kya worshipper Vya'ghraka'. May its benefit be for the attainment of supreme knowledge first by her father and mother and then by the whole feeling world.'
On the inner side of this pilaster, the upper group of sculpture consists of an eight-inch Buddha seated cross-legged, with a standing fly-whisk bearer on either hand. The lower group has a simi-lar Buddha, eleven inches high, on a lotus, with two standing fly-whisk bearers, the left one being Padmapani. Under each side of lotus is a kneeling figure with joined hands.
On the face of the right pilaster, near the top, are two eight-inch Buddhas seated on cushions, separated by a pillar, and with a kneeling figure in the outer lower corner of each compartment. Below these is a thirteen inch Buddha, seated on a lion-throne, with his feet on a lotus and two fly-whisk bearers, one holding a lotus as before and each standing on a lotus. Overhead is a triple tiara carried by two demigods or vidyadharas., with an alligator canopy or makara torana above, and four demigods or vidyadharas, carrying festoons above the arch. Below the lotuses, on the left side of the stem of the central lotus, is a couched deer with a man kneeling behind it and presenting some offering. Behind him a woman kneels with joined hands. On the right side are corresponding figures. Below these are mouldings, and in a panel, three deer, and on the bottom semicircle, an inscription in three lines, faintly cut and imperfect at the ends. It has been translated:
'This is the meritorious gift of the Sa'yka friar.................... May its benefit be for the attainment of supreme knowledge, first by his father and mother and then by the whole feeling world'.
In the left end of the verandah is an inscription of seven lines beautifully cut on a smooth surface and perfect. It is in much older letters than the other inscriptions in this cave, and is in the Pali language. It has been translated:
'The meritorious gift of a dwelling-cave by Sivama, younger than the Writer Sivabhuti, among the full-brothers, sons of Sulasadata and (his wife) Utaradata, and servants of Maha'bhoja Mandava Khandapa'lita, the son of Maha'bhoja Sadageri Vijaya', with the rock carving by Sivama's wife Vijaya and his sons Sulasadata, Sivapalita, Sivadata, and Sapila; and the pillars by his daughters Sapa, Sivapa' lita, Sivadata', and Sulasadata ['This inscription', says Dr. Buhler, 'gives us a peep into the Bauddha social and religious life of perhaps a century before the Christian era. Skandapalita is a Mahabhoja or Konkan chief, in whose service are the sons of one Sulasadata, namely, Shivabhutia, who is a lekhaka or writer, his younger brother Shivama, and four of Shivama's sons. They all bear names such as would be found among the Shaiva sec,t showing that though they or their ancestors may have been converts to Buddhism, they did not as Buddhists feel bound to abjure all connections with the popular beliefs. One of them bears the name Sarpila, from sarpa a snake; probably pointing to serpent worship, which was not inconsistent with his being a Shaiva. Shiva-bhuti constructed cave I for the use of the Bauddha monks, and perhaps also cave III. Shivama emulating the religious munificence of his elder brother, sets about the construction of cave VI, and his wife and sons join him and share the expense and the merit. The prominence of the names of mothers and wives indicates that in ancient India women enjoyed a much more public and honoured place than they have done for centuries past; and this is in accordance with allusions to women in Sanskrit and Pali literature. Here the Mahabhoja's mother named Vijaya, probably of the Sadakara or Sadagaira family, is chronicled. Shivasarman's wife is also called Vijaya, and she, with their sons, undertake the sculptured work, the two pairs of figures on the back wall and the front portions of the two elephants at the ends of the facade, for those alone are coeval with the cave. This is not all. A share of the work is allotted to Shivama's four daughters-in-law, for it seems more likely that they should be here called by the names of their husbands than that Shivabhuti should have four daughters called by feminine names corresponding to those of his four sons. These women bear the expense of two plain octagonal pillars in the back of the hall, and other two in the verandah, with perhaps also the two pilasters. This family thus share among them the expense of a Bauddha chapel, plain but commodious, and one of the la-gest among the Kuda caves.'
'The other inscriptions in this cave are in a much later character (5th, 6th century) and in the Sanskrit language, and explain to us the origin of the other sculptures. That they are in Sanskrit is sufficient proof that they were carved by members of the Mahayana. sect and are contemporary with the sculptures which belong to their mythology.' Arch. Sur. of Western India, IV. 13-14.].
In the back wall of the verandah, a central door and two large windows lighten the large square hall, which has a bench round both sides and the back. The back halves of each side wall of this room have sculptures, which, like those already described, arc-additions of about the fifth or sixth century. On the left side wall are (1) at the top, four nine-inch Buddhas seated cross-legged in the meditating position or jnanamudra, each in separate compartments. Under these are two groups, separated by a pilaster, each consisting of a thirteen-inch Buddha on a lion-throne with his feet on a lotus and fly-whisk bearers as before; a crown borne over his head by demigods or Vidyadharas, and an alligator canopy as before, with four demigods carrying garlands. Below the lotuses are two deer and ten kneeling figures, four to the left and six to the right. Below these are mouldings with two deer and the fame-face or kirtimukh in alternate panels: (2) A twenty-eight inch Buddha seated cross-legged on a lotus, with two fly-whisk bearers, the left bearer holding his clothes in his left hand, and the right bearer holding a lotus stem with his left hand. Overhead is a plain arch with a kneeling demigod on each side, the left one holding some object and the right one a flower or fruit. Under the demigods the stem of the central lotus is upheld by two Naga figures cut off at mid-height, with five kneeling figures two to the left and three to the right: (3) Above is a relic-shrine or daghoba in bas-relief; below the relic-shrine is a fifteen-inch Buddha in the meditating position jnanamudra, on lotus, with a standing fly-whisk bearer to the right. All three groups have remains of paint.
On the right wall beginning from the left are: a two feet six inch Buddha seated cross-legged on a lotus, with the usual fly-whisk bearers on each side standing on lotuses. Overhead is a plain arch with a demigod on each side carrying a festoon. Below the arch, the central lotus stem is supported by two Naga figures each on one knee, with a kneeling Naga woman behind, and on the left another kneeling woman with a man kneeling behind her Below the three, on the left, is an inscription in five lines pretty distinctly cut, on a smooth surface, in characters of about the fifth or sixth century and in the Sanskrit language. It has been translated:
' This is the meritorious gift of the Sa'kya friar Buddhasingha. May the merit it be for the attainment of Supreme knowledge by father, mother, and Shtaa'rka (lord), and then by the whole feeling world.'
After this inscription comes the second group of sculpture, the same as the last as far as the Naga women. Between the left Naga woman and left fly-flapper is a faintly cut inscription, continued between the right-hand figures. It has been translated:
'This (image) is the meritorious gift of the Sa'kya friar Sanghadava, and the Chendina field is given for the expense of lights to Buddha. Who cuts of (this grant) is guilty of the five great sins.'
Under the left Naga woman a kneeling figure offers a lotus bud; behind the right Naga woman is another kneeling figure: and below it a woman. In the third group, the central figure is a Buddha one foot seven inches high, the same as the first Buddha down to the lotuses; below, the Nagas appear to have torn up the lotus stem and are bearing it aloft, the Naga women kneeling behind as in the other group. On each side, under the Naga woman, two kneeling figures look upwards.
At the back of the hall a low screen wall supports two eight-sided pillars and pilasters with double crescent ornaments. An entrance between them leads to the ante-chamber of the shrine, and a low parapet or rail behind the bench is carved with animals. Beginning from the left, the right side of this carved rail has a mythical lion or Sardula driven by a dwarf who holds its tail; then, a maned tiger with a dwarf holding its tail and brandishing a club; then a dwarf-driven bull; and lastly a tiger. On the left side are a tiger, whose tail is held by a dwarf; then an elephant; then an animal whose face is broken, probably a stag looking back and last a tiger whose tail is held by a dwarf.
On the return of the back wall which meets this carved rail, are, on each side, two male and female figures, like the figures on the front screens in the temple caves at Kanheri and Karla. In the left corner are two standing figures, a man five feet four inches high, and a woman, five feet two inches high including their headdresses, with at the right lower corner, a boy holding the woman's foot as if shampooing it. The man wears a high head-dress, earrings wristlets and armlets a waist-cloth and waistband, its end hanging over his right thigh. His right hand is raised and his left rests on his left hip. The woman wears a curious roundish head-dress and large earrings, a pair of heavy anklets on each leg, an armlet and wristlet on her left arm, and a wristlet on her right arm. Her right hand rests on her right hip, and her left hand is laid on the boy's head. The boy has no ornaments and seems to be a servant. In the right pair of figures the man is five feet four inches and the woman five feet high. The man stands to the right of the woman. He wears a curious high headdress in eight folds, earrings, wristlets, and armlets apparently of round beads. He wears a waistcloth, its end hanging between his legs and showing a highly ornamented border, and a waistband whose end hangs along his right leg and also shows a rich border. His left hand rests on his left hip and his right hand is raised above his head, the finger next the thumb being held up and the thumb and the three other fingers closed. The woman wears a rich headdress like an inverted English hat with flowing drapery below it. Between the bottom of the headdress and the woman's brow are two bands, the upper like a roll of plaited hair, the lower like an ornamented fillet, which ends over her right ear in a metal disc with four pendants. The right hand is raised shoulder high and holds three lotus stalks, whose flowers rise high over her head. She has no ornaments on her arms or neck, but heavy earrings, a waistband of metal discs, and on each leg a pair of heavy anklets, the lower one somewhat flat. A band of cloth is fastened round the waistbelt in front and falls between the legs.
The floor of the antechamber of the shrine is level with the top of the bench in the hall, and had benches on the inner sides of the parapets. At the left end is a cell with a bench on the right side, and above the bench is a hole, eighteen inches square, giving entrance into a smaller cell filled with stones and rubbish. A doorway about nine feet wide leads into the shrine in which is a plain relic-shrine or daghoba reaching to near the roof, and joined to the roof by the staff of the umbrella which is carved on the rock above. There are traces of plaster and painting on all the walls, roofs, and columns of this cave.
Cave VII.
Cave VII is close to cave VI and five feet higher. There is a cistern to the right of the entrance. The cave has a plain front court with steps leading to the entrance at the left end of the verandah. The verandah has two eight-sided columns with square bases and square pilasters with the usual double crescent orna ment. Between the pillars is a thin plain parapet with a seat inside. A door in the back of the verandah to the right, leads into a cell with a stone bench along the left wall. The walls have traces' of plaster and the door has sockets for a wooden frame. In the right end of the verandah is a bench in a recess.
On the left end wall is an inscription in four lines, very deeply and clearly cut on a smooth surface, and entire. It has been translated:
'The meritorious gift of a cave by the physician Somadeva, the son of Ma'makavejiya physician and worshipper Isirakhits, and, his (Somadeva's) sons Na'ga, Isirakhita, and Sivaghosa, and daughters Isipalita, Pusa, Dhamma, and Sapa'.
Just beyond the cistern outside of this cave is another cistern, dry and broken, with, on the back of the recess, an inscription deeply cut but much weatherworn. The latter halves of the first two lines are distinct; the third letter in the second line was probably pu, and the fifth ku, and in the next line the first syllable must have been mam. The inscription has been translated:
'The meritorious gift of Mandava Kumara, the chief of the Mandavas.'
Cave VIII.
Cave VIII is just beyond the second cistern of cave VII, and three feet lower. It is an oblong chamber, with a door near the right end and a window to the left, which are now broken into one. At the left end is a stone bench. A door in the back towards the right leads into a cell which has a bench in a short recess on the left. Half the length of this bench has been cut to a depth of one foot seven inches, leaving a front three inches thick, and fitted for receiving a trap lid three inches thick which would complete the bench and form a box one foot nine inches square and one foot four inches deep.
Cave IX.
Cave IX is close to cave VIII and six feet higher. Entering from the left side of the Court is a cell with a bench along the back; the front wall is nearly gone, but it had a window to the right of the door. In the right wall a window and door lead into the verandah, which has two eight-sided columns with cushion bases and capitals and a plain eight-sided pilaster. A large door at the back, with sockets for a wooden framework leads into a chamber with a plain relic-shrine or daghoba, whose top reaches the roof. The walls have traces of plaster. At the right end of the verandah deeply cut on a smooth panel, is an inscription, which has been translated:
'The meritorious gift of a Cetiyaghara (Sk. Caityagrha, or house for a relic-shrine) by Bhyila', a Brahmani, wife of the Brahmana Upasaka Ayitilu.
Cave X.
Cave X is close to cave IX and five feet lower. It has a small front court, with a broken door to the right and a large window to the left of the door. The pillars of windows are broken, pulling the overhead structure, to the ground. Inside, an oblong chamber opens to the right into a cell, with a stone bench at the back. Over the window is an inscription deeply cut on a rough surface. It has been translated:
The meritorious gift of a dwelling-cave by Sivapirita, gardener, son of the gardener Vadhuka'.
Cave XI.
Cave XI is close to cave X and two feet lower. It consists of an open verandah, the right and hack walls of which are mostly broken. In the back wall were a door and window, the door leading into an oblong room with a bench along the back wall, now much destroyed. On the right end wall of the verandah is an inscription deeply cut on a smooth panel, part of which is broken. The giver was the daughter of a chief or Mahabhoja of the family or town of Mandava. To the right of the verandah is another large plain, open chamber.
Cave XII.
Cave XII is close to cave XI and on the same level. The verandah is nearly gone except a stone bench at the right end. The door into the room behind has sockets for a wooden door-post, and to the left of the door is a large window, partly broken. The inner room has a bench along the back wall. Over the recess above the verandah bench and partly on the back wall is an inscription, cut on a rough surface and distinct, but injured at the end of the lines. It has been translated:
'The dwelling-cave of Goyamma', the daughter of Hala, the royal minister.
At the beginning of this inscription is an odd representation of lion.
Cave XIII.
Cave XIII is close to cave XII and two feet higher. It has an open verandah with a short bench at the right end, and steps leading down in front from that end. In the back wall of the verandah is a door and a window to its left. The door lends into a square chamber with a back. Over the window in the back wall of the verandah is an inscription badly cut on a rough surface. It has been translated:
'The meritorious gift of a dwelling-cave by Vijayanika" daughter of Mahabhoja Sadakara Sudamsans.
Cave XIV
Cave XIV is close to and on the same level with cave XIII. It is similar in plan. On the left end wall and round the hack over the window is an inscription lightly cut on a smooth panel, but distinct. It has been translated:
'The meritorious gift of a dwelling-cave by Mahika of Karahakada [ Karahakada is the modern Karhad in Satara, a taluka place and a Hindu place of pilgrimage, with sixty-three Buddhist caves in its neighbourhood.], blacksmith (lohakara).'
About five feet further is a large open cistern still holding water. On the back of its recess, deeply cut on a rough surface, is a weather-worn and indistinct inscription which has been translated:
'Of the merchant Vasula.................a bathing cistern [A bathing cistern is generally a large cistern, where the monks could bathe. It is usually open above, with steps leading to the water's edge.]
About twenty feet from cave XIV is a small recess, apparently a cistern, nearly filled with earth and roots, with an inscription on the hack of it, cut on a very rough weather-worn surface. About twenty-five feet further is a cell-like recess nearly filled with earth and boulders.
Cave XV.
Cave XV is about fifty-five yards beyond cave XIV and twenty feet higher. It is a temple cave. In front is the verandah with four plain eight-sided pillars, one of which is broken; at the ends are square pilasters with the usual double-crescent ornament. At each end of the verandah is a cell with a bench along the back. A wide doorway in the middle of the back wall of the verandah leads into the shrine which has a plain relic-shrine or daghoba the top of which is against the roof. There are traces of plaster on the walls and roof and of painting on the columns. On the left end of the back wall, over the left cell door and below the roof, is an inscription in one long line. It is deeply cut on a smooth surface, and very distinct. It has been translated:
'The meritorious gift of a relic-shrine house or Cetiyaghara and cell by Ramadata the Adhagachaka, the son of Ahila, when Velidata son of Koci was Mahabhoja Mandava; and by his wife Vilidata the meritorious gift of a cell.'
Caves XVI to XIX are about thirty feet above the level of cave XV and between caves XIV and XV, but further back towards the top of the hill. They are numbered from left to right as an upper range.
Cave XVI.
Cave XVI has a cistern with a good water to the left of the entrance to the court and another to the right. The court is plain with a low bench across the front of the cave which is an oblong chamber with door and window and a bench at the left end. A door, near the left end of the chamber, leads into a cell with a bench along its left wall. There are traces of plaster on the walls of the chamber and cell. There are three inscriptions in this cave. One in the back wall of the front, between the door and the window, is in six lines, very deeply cut and distinct. It has been translated:
'To the Perfect: The meritorious gift of a dwelling-cave by the nun Sapila the female disciple of the revered monk Vijaya, with Lihita and Venhuya and her (Sapila's) female disciple Bodhi.'
The second inscription is on the back of the recess of the cistern to the left of the entrance to the court. It seems to have had three lines, hut only the last line is distinct. The others have peeled off. The last line has been translated: 'and all, of the female disciple Bodhi.' On the back of the recess of the corresponding right hand cistern is the third inscription, deeply cut but weather-worn and broken, though fairly distinct. It has been translated:
'The meritorious gift of a cistern by the gardener Muguda" (sa).'
Cave XVII.
Cave XVII is on the same level, and about seven feet to the right of the right-hand cistern of cave XVI. It is very like cave XVI, except that it has a large window to the left of the door. The doorway has no sockets for a wooden framework. The walls have traces of piaster. The right end of the verandah is broken into the verandah of the next cave. On the back wall of the front chamber, close to the ceiling, and to the left of the cell door, is an inscription in one line, deeply cut on a smooth but decayed surface. It has been translated:
'The meritorious gift of a dwelling cave by Naga the trader and house-holder who.............son of Svami.............'
Cave XVIII.
Cave XVIII is close to, and on the same level as cave XVII, but there is no bench or step into the verandah. The door is between two large windows and there is a bench at the left end. The cell at the back, towards the right end, had a large window which is now broken into the door. There was also a bench along the back wall. Both the doors have sockets for wooden frames and there are traces of plaster on the walls. On the hack wall of the verandah to the left, and close under the roof, is a deeply cut and distinct inscription which has been translated:
'The meritorious gift of a dwelling cave by Vasulanaka the merchant.'
Cave XIX.
Cave XIX is close to cave XVIII and a foot and a half higher. It has a plain court thirteen feet wide. The verandah, like that of cave XVII, is fourteen feet nine inches wide, with, in a recess on the right side a bench six feet two inches long by two feet three inches broad.
To the right a door in the back leads into a cell six feet nine inches square with, in a recess at the back, a bench four feet eight inches long. Both doors have sockets for a wooden framework and there arc traces of plaster on the walls.
Cave XX
Cave XX is about fifty-seven yards to the right of cave XIX and ten feet higher. It is rather difficult to get at. The front of the verandah and most of the back wall are gone. There is a door in the middle of the back wall, and a window to the left of the door opens into a small square room.
Cave XXI.
Cave XXI is about twenty-seven yards to the right of cave XX and five feet higher than cave XIX. The court is plain and the verandah has two roughly hewn square pillars. A doorway in the middle of the back wall of the verandah leads into an unfinished chamber, with a square mass in the centre of the back wall, which was probably intended to be carved into a relic-shrine or daghobii. To the left of the entrance is a filled-up cistern with an inscription in two lines on the back of its recess. It has been deeply cut but is weather-worn. It has been translated:
' The meritorious gift of a cistern by the merchant Vasulanaka.'
Cave XXII
Cave XXII is close to cave XXI and three feet lower. In front Cave XXII. is a court with a bench to the left. A door to the right and a window to the left are now broken into one. Inside is a chamber with a bench at the back. Between this cave and cave XXIII is a cistern in a recess with good water.
Cave XXIII.
Cave XXIII is close beyond the cistern and on the same level as cave XXII. A central door and two large windows open into an outer oblong room. At the back of this oblong room is a nearly square room with a door and window and a bench in a recess at the back. Over the left window is an inscription in two lines cut on a rough surface. It has been translated:
'The meritorious gift of a cave by Sivadata, the mother of Pusanaka and second [ The word in the original is Bitiyaka (Sk. Dvitiyaka), that is the second, probably meaning the wife or second person in the household, possibly the daughter.] (wife or daughter) of Vehamita, the trader.'
Cave XXIV.
Cave XXIV is twelve feet to the right of cave XXIII and ten feet higher. It is similar in plan to cave XXIII; only the front room or verandah is broken and the bench in the recess is on the right wall of the inner cell. To the right of the door and partly on the inner end is a weather-worn and indistinct inscription. It has been translated:
'From the trader Acaladasa's son Asalamita, the meritorious gift of a cave and a path (?)'.
Cave XXV.
Cave XXV is close to cave XXIV and on the same level. The front of the verandah is gone. There is a bench at the left end of the verandah. In the back wall is a door and a large window opening into a chamber with a benched recess at the back.
Cave XXVI.
Cave XXVI' is close to cave XXV, part of the wall between being broken. At the right end of the verandah is a bench. In the back wall a door and a window open into a small plain chamber.
Discovery of KUDA CAVES total 26 Nos
4/10/07
Dear friends,
We were enjoying a refreshing drive from Alibaug towards Murud Zanjira, the fort located in midst of the Arabian sea. Just a few kilometers, of before murud some archeological board was sighted at a distance. Well it was all barbed and fenced, we had to park the car inside the muddy road, lest it gets stolen from the main road. We breached the barbed wire fence and started climbing a winding stairs for so called " mysterious caves " The caves were so well preserved that ASI is obviously doing some restoration work, because of destruction of natural forces, like rain and sunshine, etc. But vandalism has definitely taken place because, lot of statues are mutiliated and plundered.
These caves may date prior to Ajanta, Ellora caves because of the crude nature of sculpture. We were enamoured but still a sense of insecurity was prevailing just imagine such a huge area and not a single soul except us. We quickly had a tour and took some snaps and returned to base enroute to Murud. Enroute one more spot belonging to Nawabs we discovered but entry is prohibited to the palace.
We stood on the hillock and took lovely photos, along with horses for the courses. Later i wanted to trace the history of the caves which was not available. Then with small clues from ASI, which has listed number of caves in Maharastra the trail began, i managed to connect to Gazette and from there on to independent research and finally I discovered the name as KUDA caves, may be these magnificient set of caves NO 26 nos will be thrown open to public.
It dates back to ASHOKA period as per the reasearcher, being close to the port of RAJAPURI and CHAUL one has to see it as an exclusive tribute to adventure. Trekkers keep this spot on your radar you will carry memories lasting for ever for its discovery. I did explore in 2001 after 9/11.
Dear friends,
We were enjoying a refreshing drive from Alibaug towards Murud Zanjira, the fort located in midst of the Arabian sea. Just a few kilometers, of before murud some archeological board was sighted at a distance. Well it was all barbed and fenced, we had to park the car inside the muddy road, lest it gets stolen from the main road. We breached the barbed wire fence and started climbing a winding stairs for so called " mysterious caves " The caves were so well preserved that ASI is obviously doing some restoration work, because of destruction of natural forces, like rain and sunshine, etc. But vandalism has definitely taken place because, lot of statues are mutiliated and plundered.
It dates back to ASHOKA period as per the reasearcher, being close to the port of RAJAPURI and CHAUL one has to see it as an exclusive tribute to adventure. Trekkers keep this spot on your radar you will carry memories lasting for ever for its discovery. I did explore in 2001 after 9/11.
KUDA CAVES
Kuda (T. Manganv 18°55' N. 73°35' E; P. 673; RS. Mumbra 96 m.) is a small village, thirteen miles north-west of Manganv, and about two miles east of the north-east arm of the Rajpuri creek. [This account of the Kuda caves is prepared from Dr. Burgess's rote Archaeological Survey of Western India, Seprate Pamphlet, X.3-21; Cave Temples of India 204-209; and Arch. Survey of Western India, IV, 12-17.] It is remarkable for a group of twenty-six Buddhist caves and eleven cisterns, from 150 to 200 feet above sea level, cut in the side of a hill which is about 250 feet high.
The caves face south-west and are all within 200 yards, in two lines, caves I-XV below and caves XVI-XXVI about forty feet higher. The caves command a beautiful view. In front is the Rajpuri creek, like a mountain lake some five miles wide, shut in by hills from 200 to 600 feet high, its centre adorned by a rocky islet. From the hill top may be seen the forts of Tala to the east and of Ghosala to the north. These caves for years braved the onslaught of rain and the gales rushing from the open sea, resulting in erasing the inscriptions at some and figures at other places. Some inscriptions, however, being less exposed have stood through the weather and time, and are still legible.
Kuda (T. Manganv 18°55' N. 73°35' E; P. 673; RS. Mumbra 96 m.) is a small village, thirteen miles north-west of Manganv, and about two miles east of the north-east arm of the Rajpuri creek. [This account of the Kuda caves is prepared from Dr. Burgess's rote Archaeological Survey of Western India, Seprate Pamphlet, X.3-21; Cave Temples of India 204-209; and Arch. Survey of Western India, IV, 12-17.] It is remarkable for a group of twenty-six Buddhist caves and eleven cisterns, from 150 to 200 feet above sea level, cut in the side of a hill which is about 250 feet high.
The caves face south-west and are all within 200 yards, in two lines, caves I-XV below and caves XVI-XXVI about forty feet higher. The caves command a beautiful view. In front is the Rajpuri creek, like a mountain lake some five miles wide, shut in by hills from 200 to 600 feet high, its centre adorned by a rocky islet. From the hill top may be seen the forts of Tala to the east and of Ghosala to the north. These caves for years braved the onslaught of rain and the gales rushing from the open sea, resulting in erasing the inscriptions at some and figures at other places. Some inscriptions, however, being less exposed have stood through the weather and time, and are still legible.
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