SUDAMA KUBHA
24.583300,85.000000
Description
A man-made 'cave' temple (rock-cut chamber used for religious purposes) or »cave building / polished rock-cut structure« (note 1) with a 3rd century BC inscription (note 2) excavated from the southern flank of Barabar range and situated a few steps east of –>Lomas Rishi cave. DESCRIPTION 1847: »Nigop Koobha« XXX? (KITTOE, M 1847a: 407-408, plate VIII, figure 5 plan and section).DESCRIPTION 1937: The south facing »Nyagrodha cave« is similar to –>Lomas Rishi Cave (LAW 1937 edited 1974: 196). DESCRIPTION 1968: »… the Sudama is a barrel-vaulted hall enclosing at its inner end a citcular 'tatched' hut or shrine with walls of simulated vertical planking, again with the astonishingly mirror-like polish« (WHEELER 1968a, 1968b edited 1979). DESCRIPTION 1988: »Nigope Cave near Bihar … has two halls: one rectangular, 33 by 19 feet, and the inner circular, 19 feet in diameter« (KEMPE 1988: 216). DESCRIPTION 1991: A trapezoid-shaped cave entrance at the side of polished rectangular chamber (more than 6 m high) and ellipsoid ante-chamber (6 m diameter). On the eastern wall is a damaged but readable inscription of Ashoka dedicating the temple in 257 BC to Ajivikas (STRASSER, R 1991: 191, photograph 176, illustration 36). DESCRIPTION 2002: »On the southern face of Barabar hill lies the earliest cave shrine known as the Sudama cave, anciently known as Nigoha-kubha or Banyan tree cave. This cave, excavated in the 12th regal year of Ashok (2 B.C) is a two- chamber structure and the interior surface of the cave is polished to a high degree and gives an impression of a layer of glass laid on stone« (travel.indiamart.com/bihar/caves/barabar-caves.htm… accessed 21.05.2002).
NOTE 1: WHEELER (1968a, 1968b edited 1979: 134-135) points out that the "Barabar cave buildings" are the earliest rock-cut 'structures' of India: »Their generic prototypes are to be recognised in the tombs which, in the likeness of pillared halls, had been cut into the cliffs of Media and Persia from the seventh century BC or earlier.« NOTE 2: KITTOE (1847a: plate IX, figure 6) gives a reproduction of the inscription. BALFOUR (1885 edited 1967, 1: 611): An inscription in »Sudama or Nigope Cave« records its excavation during the reign of Ashoka. WHEELER (1968a, 1968b edited 1979: 134): »Insciprions show that they [the Barabar cave buildings] were about 250 BC by the Mauryan Ahsoka, grandson of Chandragupta, to the use of the Ajivika ascetics, who were rivals of the Buddhists and Jainas.« STRASSER, R (1991: 191, photograph 176, illustration 36) reports a damaged but readable inscription of Ashoka dedicating the temple in 257 BC to Ajivikas.
Cavités proche
| Distance (km) | Nom | Longueur (m) | Profondeur (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | GOPI KUBHA | ||
| 0.0 | KARAN CHAUPAR KUBHA | ||
| 0.0 | LOMAS RISHI KUBHA | ||
| 0.0 | PATALA GANGA, Barabar: Nagarjuni | ||
| 0.0 | VADATHIKA KUBHA | ||
| 0.0 | VAHIJAKA KUBHA | ||
| 11.6 | YONI DVARA, Gaya | ||
| 13.1 | JAYACHCHANDRA CAVE | ||
| 17.4 | PRAGBODHI CAVE, Kiryama: Dhongra Pahar |