Rock-Cut Architecture

Rock-Cut Architecture is the art of excavating solid rock to create structures, buildings, and sculptures. In this article, you will learn about Indian rock cut architecture, rock cut temple definition, various phases of caves and temples and about each one of them, etc.

This article will provide key insights for GS Paper-I Art and Culture section of UPSC IAS Exam.

Table of Content

• What is Rock-Cut Architecture?
• Phases of Rock-Cut Architecture
• Rock-Cut cave architecture in India
• Rock-Cut caves in the Mauryan period
• Rock-cut caves in the Lomus Rishi cave
• Rock-cut caves in the Post-Mauryan period
• Rock-cut caves in the Gupta Period
• Other Important Rock Cut Caves
• What is Rock- Cut temple?
• Rock-Cut Temple Architecture
• Important Rock-Cut Temples in India
• Conclusion
• Frequently Asked Questions

What is Rock-Cut Architecture?

• Rock-cut architecture is the art of excavating solid rock to create structures, buildings, and sculptures.
• There are more than 1,500 rock cut structures present across India. 
• The Mesolithic rock cut architecture of India are not classified as architecture which includes Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka.

Phases of Rock-Cut Architecture:

• First wave of construction from the 2^nd century BC to 4^th century AD.
• Second wave of construction from the 5^th to 6^th century AD.
• The last wave of construction from the 6^th to 15^th century.

Rock-Cut cave architecture in India:

• The development of Rock-Cut Architecture in India began in 3rdcentury BCE due to increase in state sponsorship by the then ruler such as Barabar Hill Caves sponsored by Ashoka.
  • The evidence of earliest rock cut architecture was found at Barabar Hill Caves.
• Though caves were created for many religions such as Jainism, Buddhism and Hindusim, but most of them were created for Buddhism.
• Many of the Rock-Cut caves were patronised either by the rulers or by the rich merchants.
• The Rock-Cut caves were considered as sacred structure meant for both prayer and residential purpose.
• The Rock- Cut caves in Maharashtra contains approximately all the prominent rock cut caves such as Ajanta caves, Ellora caves, Elephanta Caves, Karla Caves, Bhaja Caves and Pandavleni Caves among others.

Rock-Cut caves in the Mauryan period:

• Many Buddhist rock cut architectures were excavated in eastern and western India by Ashoka and his grandson Dasharath.
• Earlier caves were constructed for Ajivika sect but later they were used by Buddhists.
• Features: The caves had highly polished interior walls and decorative gateways.
• The rock cut Elephant at Dhauli is one of the most famous architecture created during Ashoka’s reign.
• Example: The Lomus Rishi cave by the Ashoka and the Barabar rock cut caves and Nagarjuni caves by the Dasharath.
  • The Barabar Hill Caves are the oldest rock cut architecture in India.

Rock- cut caves in the Lomus Rishi cave:

• The Lomus Rishi cave is a Rock-Cut cave located at Barabar hills near Gaya in Bihar.
• The Lomus Rishi cave’s facade is decorated with the semicircular chaitya arch as the entrance.
• The The Lomus Rishi cave has elephant frieze carved at high relief on the chaitya arch.
• The interior hall of the Lomus Rishi cave is rectangular and has a circular chamber at the back.
• The entrance of the Lomus Rishi cave instead of being located at front, is rather located on the side wall of the hall.
• The Lomus Rishi cave was patronised by Ashoka for the Ajivika sect.

Rock- cut caves in the Post-Mauryan period:

• The Rock- cut caves saw a continuation of the construction of rock caves, but with a new focus on the development of Viharas and Chaityas.
• The Rock- cut caves were mainly constructed for Buddhism and Jainism.
• Chaitya halls were prayer halls having quadrangular chambers with flat roofs.
• The Viharas were residential halls for the Buddhist and Jain monks.
• Inside Chaityas and Viharas, windows, balconies, and gates were carved as huge arch–shaped openings.
• The Rock- cut caves also had open courtyards and stone screen walls to shield from rain, and were decorated with human and animal figures.
• Examples: the Karle Chaitya Hall and the Ajanta caves.
  • The Karle Chaitya Hall is a large cave temple that is located in the Karle village in the Pune district of Maharashtra, India.
  • The Ajanta caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site that are located in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, India.
• The construction of Rock- cut caves was primarily undertaken by Buddhist monks.
• The Rock- cut caves were used for a variety of purposes, including prayer, meditation, and lodging.

Rock-cut caves in the Gupta Period:

• During the Gupta period, there was a continueddevelopment of cavearchitecture, with the addition of muralpaintings on the walls of the caves.
  • Thus, it is known as the “Golden Age” of Indian architecture.
• Many of these Rock- cut caves were first discovered in 1818 such as Colganj rock cut temples.
• Some of the mostimportant Rock- cut caves from the Gupta period includes:
  • Udayagiri Caves: Located in Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh
    • The Udayagiri Caves contain some of the earliest examples of Hindu art in India including the inscriptions from the reign of Chandra Gupta II.Cave 5 or the Varaha cave has a rock-cut relief of the boar-incarnation of God Vishnu rescuing the Earth Goddess.The Udayagiri Cavesare also dedicated to Shiva, Narasimha, Narayana and Skanda.
    Ajanta Caves: are located in the Sahyadri ranges on Waghora river of Maharashtra.
    • The Ajanta Caves are famous for their cave paintings, which depict scenes from Buddhist mythology and history.The Ajanta Caves were carved out of volcanic rock in the 4th century AD.The Ajanta Caves consists of a set of 29 caves, 25 of which were used as Viharas (residential caves) and 4 of which were used as Chaitya (prayer halls).The Ajanta caves were inscribed by the Buddhist monks, under the patronage of various Vakataka kings where the Harishena was the most prominent one.The Ajanta Caves contains many fresco painting with theme of Jataka stories of Buddhism.
    Ellora Caves: Located near Ajanta, these caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
    • The caves and rock cut temples at Ellora are related to all the three major religions of that time- Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism.The Ellora Caves consist of a group of 34 caves, 17 of which are Hindu, 12 of which are Buddhist, and 5 of which are Jain.The famous rock cut temple of Kailasa is at Ellora Caves which is a single rock cut temple.The Ellora Caves were built between the 5th and 11th centuries AD by guilds from Vidarbha, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.The Hindu and Buddhist Caves were mainly built by Rashtrakuta dynasty whereas Jain Caves were mainly built by Yadava dynasty.Important caves contains: Buddhist Chaitya, Kailasha Temple, Dhumar Lena Cave, Rameshwar Lena Cave, Raavan ki Khai, Indra Sabha and Jagannath Sabha.
    Bagh Caves: These caves are a group of 9 Buddhist caves located near Baghni River in Madhya Pradesh.
    • The Bagh Caves were developed around the 6th century AD.The Bagh Caves are architecturally similar to the Ajanta caves.Rang Mahal is the most important cave.
    Junagadh Caves: They are the Buddhist caves located in Junagadh of Gujarat.
    • The Junagadh Caves consists of Khapra Kodiya, Baba Pyare and Uparkot.“Upar Kot” is a unique feature of the Junagadh caves that is a 30-50 ft high citadel in front of the prayer hall.
  • Mandapeshwar Caves: They are located in Borivalli near Mumbai.
    • Mandapeshwar Caves are also known as Montperir caves.
    • Mandapeshwar Caves were developed in late Gupta period as a Brahmanical cave with remains such as sculptures of Natraja, Sada Shiva and Ardhanarishwara.
    • Mandapeshwar Caves were later converted into a Christian cave with church and its graveyard situated above the cave precints.
    • Mandapeshwar Caves is an example of blend of ancient and modern rock cut architecture.

Other Important Rock-Cut Caves:

• Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves:
  • The Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves is a group of 33 caves located near the city of Bhubaneswar in Odisha, India.
    • 18 caves are located in Udayagiri and 15 caves in Khandagiri.
  • The Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves is an example of Jain rock cut architecture.
  • The Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves were built in the 1st-2nd century BC during the reign of King Kharavela of the Kalinga Kingdom.
  • The Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves are mostly artificial with some being carved out as residences for Jain monks.
  • The Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves depict scenes from Jain mythology and history including Hathigumpha inscription carved out in Brahmi script.
  • The inscription contains “Jain Namokar Mantra” and military campaigns undertaken by the King Kharavela.
  • Ranigumpha cave in Udayagiri is a double-storied and has beautiful rock cut sculptures.
• Sittanavasal Caves (Arivar Koil):
  • The Sittanavasal Caves is a group of 18 rock-cut caves located 16 km northwest of Pudukkottai town in Tamil Nadu, India.The Sittanavasal Caves were built in the 7^th century AD during the Pallava period.
  • The Sittanavasal Caves are famous for the paintings in the Jain temples that often depict scenes from Jain mythology and history.
• Jogimara Cave:
  • The Jogimara Cave is an artificially carved cave located in the Surguja district of Chhattisgarh, India.
  • The Jogimara Cave was built in around 1000-300 BC.
  • The Jogimara Cave has a few paintings and inscriptions of a love story in Brahmi script.
  • The Jogimara Cave also has an amphitheater.
• Nasik Caves:
  • The Nasik Caves is a group of 24 Buddhist caves located in Nasik, Maharashtra, India.
  • The Nasik Caves was built in the 1st century AD during the Satavahana period.
  • The Nasik Caves belong to the Hinayana period, but the later influence of the Mahayana period can also be found in these caves including idols of Buddha.
  • The Nasik Caves also has better system of water management due to the presence of water tanks carved out of solid rocks.
  • The Nasik Caves is also known as “Pandav Leni”.

What is Rock-Cut temple?

• A rock cut temple is an architecture that is carved and excavated from a large rock to imitate a masonry temple with various wall decorations and piece of art.

Rock-Cut Temple Architecture:

• A monolithic rock-cut temple is a temple that is carved out of a single large rock.
• The initiation of this tradition was started by the Pallava dynasty in South India, mainly by Mahendravarman.
• Though there exists rock-cut temple architecture in northern India such as Masroor rock cut temple being built in early 8th-century in Himachal Pradesh.

4 stages of Pallava dynasty Architecture:

• Mahendra group: This was the first stage of Pallava temple architecture.
  • The temples built under Mahendravarman were known as mandapas.
  • Mahendravarman I has built the rock cut cave temple Mandagapattu.
    • The Mandagapattu rock cut temple is the oldest stone shrine discovered in Tamil Nadu.
• Narasimha group: This was the second stage of the development where the rock-cuttemples were decorated by intricate sculptures.
  • The first rock cut temple in India was Pancha Ratha or Pandava Rathas.
  • The mandapas were now divided into separate rathas.
  • The biggest temple was called the Dharmaraja ratha while the smallest temple was called the Draupadi ratha.
• Rajsimha group: This was the third stage in which Realstructural temples were built which replaced the rock-cut temples.
  • Examples: Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram, Kailashnath Temple at Kanchipuram, etc.
• Nandivarman group: This was the fourth and final stage of temple development.
  • The temples built were smaller in size with features almost similar to the Dravidian style of temple architecture.

Important Rock-Cut Temples in India:

• Kailash Temple: This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is located in the Ellora Caves in Maharashtra.
  • The Kailash Temple was built in the 8th century AD by the king Krishna I of Rashtrakuta dynasty and is carved out of a single rock.
  • Famous sculpture of the Kailash Temple: Ravana shaking Mount Kailash.
  • The Kailash Temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
  • The Kailash Temple depicts the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
  • Pallava and Chalukya styles of architecture.
• Mahabalipuram Temple: This UNESCO World HeritageSite is located in Tamil Nadu.
  • The rock cut Temple Mahabalipuram was built by the Pallava dynasty in the 7th century AD.
  • The rock cut monuments at Mahabalipuram includes the 40 ancient monuments and Hindu temples.
  • The Mahabalipuram rock cut temples have complex that also includes many other caves, and open-air reliefs.
  • Famous sculpture of the Mahabalipuram Temple: the Descent of the Ganges, which depicts the story of the river Ganga descending from heaven to earth.
    • It is also known as Arjuna’s Penance or Bhagiratha’s Penance
  • Shore Temple complex: dedicated to Lord Shiva with a sculpture of Anantashayana Vishnu in one of the 3 temples within the complex.
• Badami Cave Temples: located in Badami, Karnataka and were built by the Chalukya dynasty in the 6th century AD.
  • The Badami rock cut caves temples are a mix of Hindu and Jain architecture.
  • Famous sculpture of the Badami Cave Temples: Lord Shiva as Nataraja; Harihara– half Vishnu and half Shiva; Lord Vishnu as Trivikrama; Bahubali, Parshvanatha and Mahavira etc.

Conclusion

Rock-Cut Architecture in India is a part of one of the rich traditions in India. Any such monuments should be declared as monuments of National Heritage and all the conservation effort along with the revampisation of existing schemes should be done. The difference between rock cut and structural temples is that rock cut temples were built by carving out of a rock whereas structural temples were built using blocks of rock instead of a whole block.

Ref: Source-1

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)