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Lomas Rishi Cave

Lomas Rishi Cave

heritage site · Bihar

Whoever cut this doorway in the 3rd century BC was reproducing in stone a hut built of wood and thatch.

State
Bihar
Type
Heritage Site

Whoever cut this doorway in the 3rd century BC was reproducing in stone a hut built of wood and thatch. The result is the earliest chandrashala, or chaitya arch, to survive in India, and scholars trace the great chaitya halls of the western Deccan back to this one facade. Who the cave was made for is less settled than it sounds: the other Barabar caves carry dedications to the Ajivikas and this one carries none, so it may have been Ashoka's gift to the Buddhists instead. Behind the entrance is a large rectangular hall, entered from the side. The doorway is the visit.

Lomas Rishi Cave is known for

Earliest chaitya archMauryan rock-cut caveBarabar hills, JehanabadHut-style stone facade

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