If you were wondering about the earliest form of architecture, it would undoubtedly be the wood structures that date back to the Neolithic and Mesolithic eras. Due to the nature of wood, however, these structures have long deteriorated through the passage of time. Rock-cut architecture on the other hand, that came into picture with the advent of Buddhism during the rule of the Mauryan Empire, remained as it was, thereby becoming the earliest models of ancient Indian architecture to be studied.
Rock-cut architecture in India
Rock-cut architecture refers to the practice of carving solid pieces of natural rock precisely and elaborately in order to create a structure. In India, these structures were mostly in the form of caves and were used for religious worship and rituals. At the same time, they offer a deep insight into the culture, tradition, and beliefs of the people of the time. The intricate carvings also allow historians, archeologists, and anthropologists to understand the social, political, and economic factors that contributed to the development of these structures.
With more than 1500 rock-cut structures already known and excavated around the country, Indian rock-cut structures are not just wonders of ancient craftsmanship and structural engineering but artworks of global significance. Also, due to the resilience of rock-cut structures, they also carry some engineering and design elements of the preceding wooden architecture, thereby giving researchers a glimpse into the socio-cultural elements of an even earlier time period.
Lomas Rishi Cave
Although the earliest of these structures can be traced back to the 5th century BC, during the time of Budhha, when the idea of retreating into caves for meditation and enlightenment gained prominence. The earliest man-made cave structures with rock-cut architecture are located in the Makhdumpur region of the Jehanabad district of Bihar. Collectively, they are referred to as the Barabar Hill Caves and include four cave structures. The inscriptions in these caves are dedicated to “King Piyadasi”, which was used to refer to the Mauryan rulers, especially King Ashoka and his grandson, Dasaratha. The four caves of the Barabar Hill Caves are Lomas Rishi cave, Sudama cave, Karan Chaupar cave, and Visvakarma cave, built originally for the Ajinkya sect.
Image Source: Patnabeats.com
Of these four, the Lomas Rishi cave is the oldest and most popular one. Its popularity can be credited to its masterfully engraved entrance, which is ogee shaped. This style was called Chandrashala or Chaitya Arch, which became a prominent and distinguishing feature of the early rock-cut architecture later on.
