SMALL CAVES DICOVERED AT PANDAV LENI COMPLEX IN NASHIK

SMALL CAVES DICOVERED AT PANDAV LENI COMPLEX IN NASHIK

Subject: Arts & Culture

Context: Three new small caves have been discovered by an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) employee at the famous Pandav Leni cave complex in Nashik. ASI employee Salim Patel found them while doing pre-monsoon cleanliness work at the complex.

Concept:

• The Nasik Caves,(Trirashmi Leni) Trirashmi being the name of the hills in which the caves are located,( Leni being a Marathi word for caves), are a group of 24 caves carved between the 1st century BCE and the 3rd century CE.
• However, additional sculptures were added up to about the 6th century, reflecting changes in Buddhist devotional practices mainly.
• Buddhist sculptures are a significant group of early examples of Indian rock-cut architecture initially representing the Hinayana tradition.
• Most of the caves are viharas except for Cave 18 which is a chaitya of the 1st century BCE.
• The style of some of the elaborate pillars or columns, for example in caves 3 and 10, is an important example of the development of the form.
• The location of the caves is a holy Buddhist site and is located about 8 km south of the center of Nashik (or Nasik), Maharashtra, India.
• The “Pandavleni” name sometimes given to the Nasik Caves has nothing to do with the characters Pandavas, characters in the Mahabharata epic. Other caves in the area are Karla Caves, Bhaja Caves, Patan Cave and Bedse Caves.