KARUSA CAVES, Hasagaon

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

Relatively small Brahmanical and Jain caves of Karusá (500-700 A.D.) (SMITH, G 1882: 358) are situated on solitary hill near Hasagaon village (note 1) between Ausa, Awsa or Owsa (note 2) and a certain Kalyana (SMITH, G 1882: 358). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1857: From Nilanga I went to Kharosa, half-way to Ausa, as I was very anxious to see some Hindu cave-temples of which I had heard a good deal, and none of the archaeologists of Bombay seemed to know anything about them. I found them well worthy a visit -- excavated in a cliff of laterite or coarse stone; but some of the pillars left were richly decorated with carving, and several of the halls of the temples were large and airy. The whole were a miniature, apparently, of the caves of Ellora, but very humble copies of these noble temples ; and though there did not exist even a tradition of their origin, I concluded they must have been the work of the Rajas of Kaliani -- either the Chalukyas, or their successors the Yadavas of Deogarh or Daulatbad. I could discover no inscription to copy and send to the Asiatic Society of Bombay, but I measured the temples and sent plans of them …(TAYLOR, P Meadows 1882 ed. 1920: 335-336).bad. I could discover no inscription to copy and send to the Asiatic Society of Bombay, but I measured the temples and sent plans of them …(TAYLOR, P Meadows 1882 ed. 1920: 335-336).