JOGIMARA
22.933300,82.916700
Description
One of the "caves" on –>Ramgarh Pahar consists of a modified natural cave (note 1) in sandstone, which is characterised by a painted roof (note 2) and inscriptions that some interpret to represent the earliest known record of religious prostitution in caves. BASHAM (1997: 186) translates the verse, which is followed by a piece of prose: Poets, the leaders of lovers Light up the hearts which are heavy with passion She who rides on a seesaw, the object of jest and blame How can she have fallen so deep in love as this? The excellent young man Devadinna the painter loved Sutanka, the slave girl of the god. The sacred site appears to have been a temple cave and was considered a "pleasure resort" (note 3), and as a cave theatre or caberet (note 4). ETYMOLOGY: »Jogi« (BALL 1873b: 246) or "yogi" is a Hindu religious ascetic devotee, optionally speleophil, who practises "yoga" (literally 'yoke') in the sense of harnessing onto (the cart of) a god or goddess (note 5). Mara is the »Buddhist personification of that which obstructs the cultivation of virtue, often depicted with hundreds of arms. Also the god of death« (LONELY PLANET, India 2005: 1109).SITUATION: On (the hill) Ramgarh Pahar (note 6), some 30 or 40 yards in an unidentified direction from the cave called –>Sita Benga near –>Hathipol: »It is at about the same elevation as the other cave [–>Sita Benga], but to reach it you have to scramble up a face of rock by means of some rudely cut steps« (BALL 1873b: 246). CULTURAL HISTORY - rock art (epigraphy, inscription): BALL (1873b: 245-246, with eye copy of the inscription) notes »the sole point of interest is that it contains an inscription in much bolder and larger character than the other« inscription in the neighbouring –>Sita Benga. CUNNINGHAM (a.i. = Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, Vol. 1) notices the inscription on page 33, gives a transcription on page 105, and a facsimile reproduction on plate XV, no. 1 (BOYER 1904: 478-479). BLOCH (1904a: 455-456) gives a partial transcription (Sutanuka nama / devadashiky) and translation enlarged by BLOCH (1904b: 123-131) with a reproduction of the inscription in Pakrit characters. BOYER (1904: 478, 484- 488) gives a different transcription along with the new interpretation: »Sutanuka, de nom, la devadasi. Il l'a aimée, l'excellent entre les jeunes gens, Devadi(n)na, de nom, l'artiste en statues.« BURGESS (1905); The inscription »on the right jamb of the entrance is an inscription in two lines of 21 or 22 characters each, of a type of about the second century B.C.« BASHAM (1967 edited 1981, 1985, 31st impression 1997: 185-186), draws attention to the »significant Prakit inscription in a script which shows that they were written not long after the days of Ashoka.«
NOTE 1: »The interior shows little or no sign of artificial excavation (BALL 1873b: 246).« NOTE 2: The ceiling is said to be covered with remnants of old paintings in »red-brown« (ochre?) colour on a white background, depicting elephants, trees, a caitya window, chariot, horses, and human figures with black and white eyes and black hair tied into a knot at the side of the head (BLOCH 1904a: 455-456). NOTE 3: LÜDERS (1904: 867-868 edited 1973: 443-444, in English 1905: 199-200) took up Bloch's idea of »Vergnügungshöhlen« (literally: "pleasure caves" but translated into the English »pleasure resorts«), apparently in sweet memory of reading Virgil (*) and SHUKLA (2002) dedicates the whole chapter 5 of his Study of Ramgarh Hill to »Caves as Pleasure Resorts.« Publius Virgilius: Aeneis, 4.160: »Speluncam Dido, dux & Trojanus eandem Deveniunt, prima & Tellus & pronuba Juno Dant signum fulfere ignes & concius aether. Connubiis summogqui ulularunt vertice Nympae …« (Aeneas, the Trojan hero, had lost his hometown, his father and friends. Every distraction is welcome and he joins Dido, the queen of Karthago, on a hunting excursion. A thunderstorm surprises them in the woods and they take shelter in a cave where they play a game circumscribed as burning flashes and heaven while nymphs yell on the crest of the mountains). NOTE 4: A »somewhat extensive deduction« (BURGESS 1905: 197-199) arrived in believing that »the place served for presenting poetical compositions before a larger public« (BLOCH 1904a: 455-456, 1904b: 123-131, 1905). NOTE 5: Since there are many ways to empower and strengthen gods, there are different yokes to harness, including karma yoga (selfless action), bhakti yoga (loving admiration), kundalini yoga (tantric practises) and jñana yoga (abstract knowledge). The most popular yoke put on in the West (Occident) is hatha yoga, which uses bodily exercises (asana) and breathing techniques (pranayama) to gain a self-complacent state of general wellness that makes one feel superior. NOTE 6: See –>Hathipol (Sarguja). BASHAM (1967 edited 1981, 1985, 31st impression 1997: 185-186) places Ramgarh »… in the Vindhya Hills some 160 miles [about 260 km] south of Banaras [Benares, Varanasi].« NOTE 7: According to BURGESS (1905: 197) results of Beglar's investigation are published in ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA (no. 11: 41-45; no. 13: 31-55).
Documents
Bibliography 29/03/2016- Archaeological Survey of India 1881 (?, nO 13 edited by Cunningham, Alexander), 1904 (for 1903-1904 edited by Marshall, John H ); Ball, Valentine 1873b, 1880, 1985; Basham, A L 1954 edited 1963, 1967, 1997; Beglar circa 1881 a.i.; Bloch, Th. Bloch, Th. 1904a, 1904b, 1905; Boyer, A -M 1904; Burgess, James 1905; Lüders, Heinrich 1904; Imperial Gazetteer 1907-1909; Ouseley, J R 1848; Shukla, H L 2002.
History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: The cave was first mentioned by OUSELEY (1848) and briefly described by BALL (1873b: 246) but studied in detail by BEGLAR (note 7) who was summarised by BURGESS (1905: 197, 198) and rehashed in the IMPERIAL GAZETTEER (1907-1909, 21: 176): »… inscriptions dating back to the second century B.C… Jogimara cave, has traces on its roof of wall paintings 2000 years old.« 1847.11.06: J. R. OUSELY (1848) visited. 1863: Edward Taite DALTON (1865: 24) visited. 1872.03.24: Valentine BALL (1873b: 243; 1880 edited 1985: 328-329) visited and surveyed in the evening. 1904, March? or April?: Th. BLOCH (1904a: 455; 1904b, 1905) visited to study, copy, and translate the inscriptions.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | HATHIPOL, Sarguja | ||
| 0.0 | SITA BENGA / SITABENGA | ||
| 0.0 | HATHIPOL ROCK CHAMBER | ||
| 0.0 | LAKSHMAN BANGALA | ||
| 4.9 | TURA PANI (Cave at) | ||
| 4.9 | MUNI GOFAR | ||
| 35.4 | MAHADANI DEO, Marcha Hill (Cave of) | ||
| 50.0 | KHARGAWAN (Cave near) | ||
| 72.5 | KHURIA RANI (Felsenhöhle der) |