Relatively Unknown Buddhist Caves in the Garbhgiri Hills, Maharashtra
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Relatively Unknown Buddhist Caves in the Garbhgiri Hills, Maharashtra Shreekant S. Jadhav1 1. Department of Archaeology, Deccan College, Pune, Maharashtra‐ 411 006, India (Email: [email protected]) Received: 21July 2015; Accepted: 25August 2015; Revised: 05October 2015 Heritage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology 3 (2015): 424‐434 Abstract: Author has brought to light a few rock‐cut caves (N 19° 07. 756’; E 75° 05. 175’) of the Hinayana Buddhists. These rock‐cut Buddhist caves are situated about 6 kms from Shirapur village, 10 kms from Tisgaon and 25 kms from Pathardi in Ahmednagar district in the hills of Garbhgiri. The chaityagriha in the Garbhgiri hills, though badly damaged due to weathering and close Jointing of the rock, possesses an intact central hall with a stupa and betrays an abortive attempt to carve a pradakshina‐ patha, or ambulatory, and pillars around this central hall. The reason for the incompletion is unknown. When excavation of rock ceased, three pillars on the left side had been hewn, with the first two carved with the characteristic octagonal shape in cross‐section typical of early Buddhist architecture.Therefore, the intended morphology of the cave is the so‐called “chaitya hall” that in its complete form includes a vaulted ceiling, pillared support, and path for circumambulation. With a depth of 36 feet, the chaitya hall carved into the Garbhgiri hills was created on a relatively modest scale. A figure of local Goddess Satwai about 10 feet high in low relief made in cement, has been installed by the local people above the stupa at the apsidal end. About 100 meters on the Western side of the chaityagriha is an unfinished Vihara. These Buddhist caves certainly play a vital role in building the chronology of rock‐cut caves of Western India. Keywords: Rock Cut Cave, Buddhist, Hinayana, Garbhgiri, Stupa, Chaityagriha, Vihara Introduction The rock‐cut architecture had its origin on a small scale in north ‐ eastern India during the Mauryan period around 250 B.C. in the days of the great Mauryan emperor Asoka. He and his grandson Dasaratha were responsible for excavating seven rock‐cut caves in the Barabar and Nagarjuni hills near Gaya (Bihar, north‐east India), in the Magadha which was the homeland of the Mauryas. These rock‐cut chambers were excavated for the monks of the Ajivika sect. Though the rock‐cut architecture had its origin in northeastern India in the Mauryan period, its flowering and maturity could be found only in Western India, or the present state of Maharashtra (Fig.1). This is evident from the 1200 rock‐cut caves in India, of which approximately 1000 are located in the present state of Maharashtra. Further the Jadhav 2015: 424‐434 rock‐cut architectural activity was going on in Western India for more than a thousand years, though not always continuous. Figure 1: Map showing ancient trade routes and rock‐cut caves in Western Maharashtra (Courtesy: Vikram Marathe) The trend once set, gained momentum, it spread from Magadha to Orissa, down to Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and even extreme south and to the west in the mountains of the Western Ghats (the Great Sahyadris). In the latter location the cave architecture reached its zenith during early Historic period. 425 ISSN 2347 – 5463Heritage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology 3: 2015 Rock sculpture and rock architecture had been practiced in many countries in the past, particularly in Egypt and Assyria, by the Greeks in Lycia, and the Romans at Petra, in Persia under the Achaemenids and later by the Sassanids as seen at Naksh‐I‐Rustam, at Bamiyan (the colossal Buddha measuring approx. 53 m & 40.90 m now has been destroyed by the iconoclasts), Fauladi and Kukrak in Afghanistan. None of the sites mentioned above, can be compared to the western Indian rock‐cut sanctuaries, which have a high aesthetic character (Jadhav 1980). In Maharashtra, the caves at Bhaja were the first to be excavated in circa.200 B.C. (Dhavalikar 2003). In the formative phase of the rock‐cut architecture in western India (circa.120 B.C.‐A.D.200), a series of rock‐cut halls were dedicated by the early devotees of Buddhism. It was an age of great faith and patronage, these rock‐cut sanctuaries represent one of the most important sources of our knowledge of early Indian art and history (Spink 1958). The early phase of activity is of the Hinayana Buddhist faith wherein, the rock‐cut sanctuaries in western India are exemplified by three different types of excavations: chaitya‐grḥa (prayer hall), Vihara (monk’s residence) and hall used as refectories and /or for other purposes. The chaitya‐grḥa in its most conventional form consists of a prayer hall divided longitudinally by two colonnades into a nave and two side aisles. In the apse stands the stupa carved out of the natural rock. The side aisles and the apsidal ends were meant for circumambulation around the stupa, and the nave proper provided for congregational worship. The apsidal chaitya‐grḥa in western India closely resembles a type of structure that was being evolved in Europe at about the same time, the Greco‐Roman basilica, (Fergusson & Burgess 1880; Brown 1959; Sarkar1966) which has been dealt by other scholars (Sarkar 1972; Dehejia1972). There are six broad categories of chaitya‐griha found in Western India: • The first and most common of chaitya‐grḥa is apsidal in plan, with a colonnade in the nave and apse and the rock‐cut stupa at the apsidal end. Its vaulted roof has either wooden or stone ribs. The side aisles provide the circumambulatory path. On the façade is an arch motif (chaitya‐ gavākṣa). Numerous examples of this type exist at such sites as Bhaja, Kondane, Ajanta and Pitalkhora. • The second type has all the characteristics of the first one except that the apsidal interior is without the colonnade, and there thus does not seem to be any provision for circumambulation. (But circumambulation is possible even without pillars.) Such chaitya‐grḥas are found at Pitalkhora, Nadsur (also known as Khadsamble) and Junnar. • The third type consists of a chaitya‐grḥa with a circular plan, having a stupa at the center, surrounded by pillars, and forming a circular path for circumambulation. It has a domical roof and a half arched ceiling in the aisle. Tulja chaitya‐grḥa is the solitary example of this class. 426 Jadhav 2015: 424‐434 • The fourth type has a circular shrine with domical roof and a stupa in the center, without pillars but with a flat‐ roofed hall attached to it. Surviving examples are extremely rare, the only one of its kind being found at Kondivite. • The fifth type has a circular shrine containing a monolithic stupa, with its stone chattrāvali (umbrella) attached to the flat roof. It has no pillars, Kanheri Caves 4 and 36 may be classed as this type. Small circular shrines of this type with or without roof are found at Bhaja, Bedsa and Induri i.e. on Bhandara Hills in the Pune district. These have been identified as votive stupas because some bear votive inscriptions. • The sixth type consists of quadrilateral or quadrangular halls/shrines, with the stupa at the back and its umbrella either attached to the roof or detached from it. In the course of time an antechamber in front of the stupa shrine and cells within the chaitya complex were also added. Examples of this class are numerous in western India, with several variations, for example, at Junnar, Mahad, Kuda, Shirval, Wai, Karad, and Pohala (Jadhav 1980). In the Hinayana rock‐cut sanctuaries, Buddha was not depicted in human form, but symbolic (aniconic) worship of Buddha was prevalent. The followers worshipped symbols such as Stupa, empty throne, footprints, the triratna (three jewels), pipal tree (Ficusreligiosa) and so on (Dehejia 1979). Coming back to the western Indian examples with the evolution of Buddhist form – Hinayana to Mahayana, the nature and form of the rock‐cut sanctuaries got transformed to serve new rituals and needs, one would immediately wonder as to why there was a concentration of Buddhist sanctuaries and later on the Brahmanical, followed by the Jains in Western Maharashtra. The form of any monument or building are closely connected with their purpose, here the purpose was purely religious. Therefore while analyzing such expression; one must try to understand the needs they satisfy. Secondly these rock‐cut caves are directly related to one another in their architectural forms. Changes in mode of excavation of rock‐cut caves have also been rapid. For example, the wooden proto‐types are replaced by stone within a few decades, for example, in the aisles of chaitya No. 4 at Aurangabad, vaulted roof of chaitya No. 10 at Ajanta, and so on. Buddhist Rock Cut Caves in Garbhgiri Hills Author has brought to light few rock‐cut caves (N 19° 07. 756’; E 75° 05. 175’) situated about 6 kms from Shirapur village, 10 kms from Tisgaon and 25 kms from Pathardi in Ahmednagar district in the hills of Garbhgiri. These rock cut caves belonging to Buddhist sect are not known to the scholarly world except for the local people who call these as Satwaichiguha i.e. the cave of the local goddess Satvai. The stupa, without a harmika in the nave in the chaitya hall is considered as a Shivalinga by the local people. A figure of local goddess Satvai about 10 feet high in low relief made in cement, has been installed by the local people above the stupa on the apsidal wall. 427 ISSN 2347 – 5463Heritage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology 3: 2015 Satvai The Satvai is a popular goddess worshipped primarily in rural Maharashtra, known to preside over childbirth and female reproduction within villages, her shrine being located outside the physical boundary of every village.