Dhamnar Caves

Pilgrimage to
Buddha's Holy Sites
The Four Main Sites Bodh Gaya Kushinagar Lumbini Sarnath
Four Additional Sites Rajgir Sankissa Shravasti Vaishali
Other Sites Ajanta Amaravati Barabar Caves Bharhut Chandavaram Devdaha Ellora Caves Kapilavastu Kesaria Stupa Kosambi Lalitgiri Mathura Nalanda Nasik Pataliputra Pāvā Piprahwa Pushpagiri Ramagrama stupa Ratnagiri Sanchi Udayagiri Tilaurakot Varanasi Vikramashila
v t e

The Dhamnar Caves are caves located in the village of Dhamnar, located in Mandsaur district in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. This rock cut site consists of 51 caves, stupas, Chaityas, passages, and compact dwellings, carved in the 7th century CE. The site includes large statues of Gautama Buddha in sitting and Nirvana mudra.^[1]

Fourteen caves on the northern side are considered historically significant, among which Bari Kacheri (big courthouse) and Bhima Bazar are the most so. The Bari Kacheri cave measures 20 feet square and includes stupas and chaityas. The porch includes stone railing with the wooden architecture. Bhima Bazar cave is the largest among the group, measuring 115 feet by 80 and including vzhara and chaityagruha. It consists of stupas. The roof is in poor condition with the support of wooden architecture.^[2]

Architecture

The Dhamnar caves include 51 rock cut caves containing Buddhist and Hindu structures like stupas, chaityas, porch and small chambers both of Hinayana and Mahayana sects of Buddhism constructed around 5th-6th centuries AD.

This structure includes colossal seating figure of Buddha and it also includes Brahminical rock cut caves (7th-8th century AD) and a single monolithic temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu (8th-9th century AD).

The structure was crumbling before its restoration by Archeological Survey of India mainly because of being constructed by porous laterite rocks which got weathered badly over the centuries, destabilizing and weakening the structure.^[3]

Gallery

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  Dhamnar Caves plan
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  The caves.
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  Rock cut Dhamnar caves
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  Buddhist sculpture caves
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  Dhamnar caves
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  Badi Kachahari (Cave-6)
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  Dhamnar Caves facade
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  Dhamnar Caves stupas

See also

• Dharmrajeshwar

Further reading

• Jain, Kailash Chand (1972). Malwa Through the Ages, from the Earliest Times to 1305 A.D. Motilal Banarsidass Pub. pp. 426–427. ISBN 812080824X.
• Verma, Archana (2007). Cultural and Visual Flux at Early Historical Bagh in Central India. Archaeopress British Archaeological Reports. p. 11. ISBN 978-1407301518.

Citations