CleanupBot II at 18:46, 13 August 2023

2023-08-13T18:46:34Z

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{{short description|Cave in India}}
{{EngvarB|date=February 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2014}}
{{Infobox ancient site
| name = Bagh Caves
| native_name = Bagh Caves
| alternate_name =
| image = Buddhist Caves No.1 to 7 8.JPG
| imagealttext = The Bagh caves
| caption = The Bagh caves
| map_type = India
|relief=yes
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| coordinates = {{Coord|22|19|21.63|N|74|48|22.36|E|display=inline, title}}
| location =
| region =
| type = Buddhist caves
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The '''Bagh Caves''' are a group of nine rock-cut monuments, situated among the southern slopes of the [[Vindhyas]] in [[Bagh, Dhar|Bagh]] town of [[Dhar district]] in Madhya Pradesh state in central [[India]].<ref>http://dhar.nic.in/visit.htm#tab=1</ref> These monuments are located at a distance of 97 km from [[Dhar]] town. These are renowned for [[mural]] [[paintings]] by master painters of ancient India. The use of the word "cave" is a bit of a misnomer, since these are not natural, but instead examples of [[Indian rock-cut architecture]].

The Bagh caves, like those at [[Ajanta Caves|Ajanta]], were excavated by master craftsmen on perpendicular sandstone rock face of a hill on the far bank of a seasonal stream, the Baghani. [[Buddhist]] in inspiration, of the nine caves, only five have survived. All of them are '[[vihara]]s' or resting places of monks [[monasteries]] having quadrangular plan. A small chamber, usually at the back, forms the '[[chaitya]]', the prayer hall. Most significant of these five extant caves is the Cave 4, commonly known as the ''Rang Mahal'' (Palace of Colors).

The Bagh Caves were quarried in the 5th -6th century AD, in the very late stages of Buddhism in India, and long after most of the [[Indian rock-cut architecture|Indian Buddhist Caves]] had been built, many of them since the 2nd or 1st centuries BCE.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dutt |first1=Sukumar |title=Buddhist Monks and Monasteries of India: Their History and Their Contribution to Indian Culture |date=1988 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=9788120804982 |page=162 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lxRHYFd0fB4C&pg=PA162 |language=en}}</ref>

They are believed to have been built during the 5-7th century. [[Archaeological Survey of India]] has restored the place over 17 years.<ref>https://www.outlookindia.com/traveller/mp/inspire-me/heritage/bagh-caves-palace-colours/</ref>

==The Paintings==
The paintings on the wall and ceilings of the ''Vihara''s of Bagh, the fragments of which are still visible in Cave 3 and Cave 4 (remnants seen also in Caves 2, 5 and 7), were executed in tempera. Cave 2 is the best preserved cave, also known as "Pandava Cave" These paintings are materialistic rather than spiritualistic. Characteristics of paintings are like those of [[Ajanta Caves]]. The ground prepared was a reddish-brown gritty and thick mud plaster, laid out on the walls and ceilings. Over the plaster, lime-priming was done, on which these paintings were executed. Some of the most beautiful paintings were on the walls of the portico of Cave 4. To prevent further loss of the values of Indian classical art, most paintings were carefully removed in 1982 and today can be seen in [[Gujari Mahal Archaeological Museum|Archaeological Museum of Gwalior]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.wondermondo.com/Countries/As/India/MadhyaPradesh/Bagh.htm | title = Bagh Caves – rock cut Buddhist temples | access-date = 23 April 2010 }}</ref>
<gallery>
File:Bagh Caves statues.jpg|Mural statues.
File:PAINTING IN BAGH CAVE 2 Bodhisattva.jpg|Painting of a Bodhisattva in Bagh Cave 2.
File:Bagh Cave 4 Details of Painting-1.jpg|Bagh Cave 4 Details of painting.
File:BAGH Bodhisttva-1.jpg|Bagh Caves, Painting of a Bodhisattva.
</gallery>

==Date==
A copperplate inscription of Maharaja Subandhu, recording his donation for the repair of the ''vihara'' was found at the site of Cave 2. Though, the date of the Bagh inscription is missing, his Badwani copperplate inscription is dated in the year (Gupta era) 167 (487). So the repair of Cave 2 took place in the late 5th century.<ref>Verma, Archana (2007). ''Cultural and Visual Flux at Early Historical Bagh in Central India'', Oxford: Archaeopress, {{ISBN|978-1-4073-0151-8}}, p.19</ref>

<gallery>
File:Bagh Caves overview.jpg|Caves overview.
File:Bagh Caves entrance.jpg|Entrance.
File:Bagh Caves pillars.jpg|Pillars.
File:Bagh Caves front.jpg|Front of the caves.
File:Bagh Caves monumental statue.jpg|Monumental statues.
File:Bagh Caves sign.jpg|ASI notice.
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Cave paintings in India]]
*[[Ajanta Caves]]
{{commonscat|Buddhist Caves No.1 to 7 in Bagh}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Pande, Anuapa (2002). ''The Buddhist Cave Paintings of Bagh'', New Delhi: Aryan Books International, {{ISBN|81-7305-218-2}}, sumit vyas

{{Dhar district topics}}
{{Indian Buddhist Caves}}
{{Narmada basin}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:History of Madhya Pradesh]]
[[Category:Caves of Madhya Pradesh]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Dhar district]]
[[Category:Monuments and memorials in Madhya Pradesh]]
[[Category:Buddhist caves in India]]
[[Category:Buddhist monasteries in India]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Madhya Pradesh]]
[[Category:Indian rock-cut architecture]]
[[Category:Former populated places in India]]
[[Category:Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India]]
[[Category:Caves containing pictograms in India]]

Bagh Caves - Revision history

CleanupBot II at 18:46, 13 August 2023