The Ghatotkach Caves are located 18 km to the west of Ajantha, near Jinjala village,

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. The caves include three

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

caves A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

, one is a

chaitya A chaitya, chaitya hall, chaitya-griha, (Sanskrit:''Caitya''; Pāli: ''Cetiya'') refers to a shrine, sanctuary, temple or prayer hall in Indian religions. The term is most common in Buddhism, where it refers to a space with a stupa and a rounded ...

and two are viharas. The caves were excavated in the 6th century AD, and were influenced by

Mahayana Buddhism ''Mahāyāna'' (; "Great Vehicle") is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, texts, philosophies, and practices. Mahāyāna Buddhism developed in India (c. 1st century BCE onwards) and is considered one of the three main existing bra ...

. The caves have an inscription by Varahadeva, a minister of the

Vakataka The Vakataka dynasty () was an ancient Indian dynasty that originated from the Deccan in the mid-3rd century CE. Their state is believed to have extended from the southern edges of Malwa and Gujarat in the north to the Tungabhadra River in the ...

dynasty under King

Harishena Harishena () was the last known ruler of the Vatsagulma branch of the Vakataka dynasty. He succeeded his father Devasena. Harishena was a great patron of Buddhist architecture, art and culture, with the World Heritage monument of Ajanta being ...

(r. c. 475 – c. 500 CE). Varahadeva is also known for a decatory inscription in Cave 16 at

Ajanta caves The Ajanta Caves are approximately thirty rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments dating from the second century BCE to about 480 CE in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra state in India. The caves include paintings and rock-cut sculptures des ...

in which he affirms his devotion to the Buddhist faith: "regarding the sacred law as his only companion, (he was) extremely devoted to the Buddha, the teacher of the world". The inscription at Ghatotkacha Cave is about the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

, the

Dhamma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for ''d ...

and the

Sangha Sangha is a Sanskrit word used in many Indian languages, including Pali meaning "association", "assembly", "company" or "community"; Sangha is often used as a surname across these languages. It was historically used in a political context t ...

. At the same time, Varahadeva proudly affirms his Hindu heritage.The inscription gives a long genealogy of the donor's family. It includes mention of a person named Soma, who had Kshatriya as well as Brahmana wives. The

Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation commonly abbreviated as MTDC, is a body of the Government of Maharashtra responsible for development of tourism in the Indian state of Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states ...

advises that the caves are only for the adventurous traveller as access is difficult.

External links

Video of the caves

References

Buddhist caves in India Caves of Maharashtra Indian rock-cut architecture Former populated places in India Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India Buddhist monasteries in India Architecture in India Caves containing pictograms in India {{Buddhism-stub