Jaina Caves

This book is about Jainism- written by a non-Jain so, may they be forgiven and corrected for any mistaken. For the subject is complex and the path fraught with many difficulties. But it is a book by us inspired by the teachings of Jainism and that is the key criterion to assess this writings. This book like the title will prosper, expand, fill a void in Jain literature. That was the fond hope of the authors when they spoke to me and that is the fond hope I hold as I pen these words.May all the Tirthankars bless these words written with passion and joy for the tenuous.

Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves, formerly called Kattaka Caves or Cuttack caves, are partly natural and partly artificial caves of archaeological, historical and religious importance near the city of Bhubaneswar in Odisha, India. The caves are situated on two adjacent hills, Udayagiri and Khandagiri, mentioned as Kumari Parvata in the Hathigumpha inscription. They have a number of finely and ornately carved caves built during the 1st century BCE. It is believed that most of these caves were carved out as residential blocks for Jaina monks during the reign of King Kharavela. Udayagiri means "Sunrise Hill" and has 18 caves while Khandagiri has 15 caves. The caves of Udayagiri and Khandagiri, called lena or 1 E 4 7 le a in the inscriptions, were dug out mostly during the reign of Kharavela for the abode of Jaina ascetics. The most important of this group is Ranigumpha in Udayagiri which is a double storeyed monastery. Other important caves include Hathi gumpha, Ananta gumpha, Ganesha gumpha, Jaya Vijaya gumpha, Mancapuri gumpha, Bagha/Byaghra/Vyaghra gumpha and Sarpa gumpha. Archaeological Survey of India has listed Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves in the list of "Must See" Indian Heritage. This complex is situated on the two prominence of the same hill, separated by a modern road. Locals assign four different names to its four separate prominence, Udayagiri (Sun-rise hill), Khandagiri (Broken hill), Nilagiri (Blue hill) and Dhavalagiri (White hill). While few scholars try to identify these four within the same hill range,others identifies Nilagiri with Gumpha Mundia near Nuapalli village and Dhavalagiri with Dhauli.

The Jaina caves of Maharashtra are limited in number and simpler in design compared to the vast wealth of Buddhist and Brahmanical caves of the region. The Jaina caves, scattered over nineteen sites, were excavated during 1st century BCE to 14th-15th century CE (Shah 2008). These caves, following the regional architectural trends, are mostly plain excavations; but depict a multitude of icons. In the absence of adequate epigraphic data, it has been very difficult to propose any conclusive accounts on the patronage of these caves.

The paper aims to explore the patterns of patronage to the Jaina caves of Maharashtra through a variety of sources such as epigraphs; architectural and iconographic trends; and donor sculptures. It probes into the issues of piety and pilgrimage in medieval Maharashtra as reflected in the nature of these caves and the donative inscriptions.