PANDAVA CAVE, Pachmarhi

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A group of five Buddhist cave temples (man-made rock chambers, once used for religious purposes), partly unfinished, dated 9th to 10th century (Gupta Period) and nowadays ascribed to the Pandavas (note 1). The Pandav Caves (note 2), Pandava Caves (note 3) or Pandev Caves (note 4) are excavated from a solitary sandstone hillock overlooking what some consider an attractive garden where a network of well kept paths isolated small and dry compartments of withering artificial vegetation locked up behind fences --a punitive action? SITUATION: At a linear distance of 1.8 km south (188°) from the seven way junction (note 5) Jaistambha / Jai Stambh (victory pillar) at –>Pachmarhi. ETYMOLOGY: The name Pachmarhi is a corruption of Panch Mathi [sic! qua: Panch Marhi?] (or five huts) and is derived from five ancient caves, which have been hewn in a small hill rising abruptly from an open part of the plateau. Brahmanical tradition claims these caves as one of the places at which the five Pandava brthers sojourned during the period of their wanderings, but there is some reason for supposing that they are of Buddhist origin (Glennie, E A circa 1948 s.a. Mss -Preliminary record- after GUIDE TO PACHMARHI 1936). The name Pachmarhi is derived from the Panch-Marhi (five caves) believed to … [have been] the abode of the Pandava brothers of the 'Mahabharata' fame, for a long period during their exile of 12 years. The cleanest, most airy of them is known as 'Draupadi Kuti' [note 6] and the dark one, the 'Bhim Kothari' (webindia123.com/tourism/scenic/hill/pachmarhi.htm accessed 06.09.2004).A group of five Buddhist cave temples (man-made rock chambers, once used for religious purposes), partly unfinished, dated 9th to 10th century (Gupta Period) and nowadays ascribed to the Pandavas (note 1). The Pandav Caves (note 2), Pandava Caves (note 3) or Pandev Caves (note 4) are excavated from a solitary sandstone hillock overlooking what some consider an attractive garden where a network of well kept paths isolated small and dry compartments of withering artificial vegetation locked up behind fences --a punitive action? SITUATION: At a linear distance of 1.8 km south (188°) from the seven way junction (note 5) Jaistambha / Jai Stambh (victory pillar) at –>Pachmarhi. ETYMOLOGY: The name Pachmarhi is a corruption of Panch Mathi [sic! qua: Panch Marhi?] (or five huts) and is derived from five ancient caves, which have been hewn in a small hill rising abruptly from an open part of the plateau. Brahmanical tradition claims these caves as one of the places at which the five Pandava brthers sojourned during the period of their wanderings, but there is some reason for supposing that they are of Buddhist origin (Glennie, E A circa 1948 s.a. Mss -Preliminary record- after GUIDE TO PACHMARHI 1936). The name Pachmarhi is derived from the Panch-Marhi (five caves) believed to … [have been] the abode of the Pandava brothers of the 'Mahabharata' fame, for a long period during their exile of 12 years. The cleanest, most airy of them is known as 'Draupadi Kuti' [note 6] and the dark one, the 'Bhim Kothari' (webindia123.com/tourism/scenic/hill/pachmarhi.htm accessed 06.09.2004).