Bagh Caves

(Redirected from Bagh caves) Buddhist caves in India

Bagh Caves
Bagh Caves
The Bagh caves
Shown within Madhya PradeshShow map of Madhya PradeshBagh Caves (India)Show map of India
Coordinates	22°19′21.63″N 74°48′22.36″E / 22.3226750°N 74.8062111°E / 22.3226750; 74.8062111
Type	Buddhist caves

The Bagh Caves are a group of nine rock-cut monuments, situated among the southern slopes of the Vindhya Range in Bagh town of Dhar district in Madhya Pradesh in central India. 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 caves are examples of Indian rock-cut architecture, rather than naturally formed.

The Bagh caves, like those at 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 'viharas' 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 Buddhist caves had been built, many of them since the 2nd or 1st centuries BCE.

They are believed to have been built during the 5th-7th century. The Archaeological Survey of India has restored the caves over 17 years.

The paintings

The paintings on the wall and ceilings of the Viharas 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 the Gujari Mahal Archeological Museum, in Gwalior.

Mural statues
Painting of a Bodhisattva in Bagh Cave 2
Bagh Cave 4 Details of painting
Bagh Caves, Painting of a Bodhisattva

Date

A copperplate inscription of Maharaja Subandhu recording his donation for the repair of the vihara was found at the site of Cave 2. Although the date of the Bagh inscription is missing, his Badwani copperplate inscription is dated in the year (Gupta era) 167 (487); the repair of Cave 2 took place in the late 5th century.

Caves overview
Entrance
Pillars
Front of the caves
Monumental statues
ASI notice.

Notes

"Places to Visit: Official Website of District Administration Dhar". dhar.nic.in. Archived from the original on 18 December 2010.
Dutt, Sukumar (1988). Buddhist Monks and Monasteries of India: Their History and Their Contribution to Indian Culture. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 162. ISBN 9788120804982.
"Bagh Caves: Palace of Colours".
"Bagh Caves – rock cut Buddhist temples". Retrieved 23 April 2010.
Verma, Archana (2007). Cultural and Visual Flux at Early Historical Bagh in Central India, Oxford: Archaeopress, ISBN 978-1-4073-0151-8, p.19

v t e Dhar district topics
History	Baz Bahadur Bhoja Central India Agency Hoshang Shah Malwa Subah Malwa Sultanate Paramara dynasty Roopmati
Cities and towns	Badnawar Bagh Dhamnod Dhar Dharampuri Kukshi Manawar Pithampur Rajgarh Sardarpur
Monuments	Bagh Caves Mandu
Lok Sabha constituencies	Dhar
Vidhan Sabha constituencies	Kukshi

v t e Indian Buddhist caves
Andhra Pradesh	Adapur Caves Belum Caves Chandavaram Erravaram Caves Guntupalli Caves Kotturu Dhanadibbalu Pandavula Metta Caves Ramateertham Sankaram Undavalli Caves
Bihar	Indrasala Cave Vulture Peak Saptaparni Cave Lomas Rishi Cave
Gujarat	Dhank Caves Junagadh Buddhist Cave Groups Khapra Kodiya Caves Bava Pyara Caves Uparkot Caves Kadia Dungar Caves Khambhalida Caves Sana Caves Siyot Caves Talaja Caves
Karnataka	Aihole Badami cave temples Pandava Caves
Madhya Pradesh	Bagh Caves Dhamnar Caves Saru Maru
Maharashtra	Ajanta Caves Ambivali Caves Aurangabad Caves Bahrot Caves Bedse Caves Bhaja Caves Dharashiv Caves Ellora Caves Mahad/Gandharpale Caves Ghatotkacha Caves Ghorawadi/Shelarwadi Caves Karla Caves Karad Caves Khed Caves Kondana Caves Kuda Caves Nenavali Caves Nasik/Pandavleni Caves Panhalakaji Caves Patan caves Pitalkhora Pohale Caves Shirwal Caves Nadsur/Thanale Caves Vijasan Caves Wai Caves Yerphal Caves In the Mumbai area: Elephanta Caves Jogeshwari Caves Kondivite/Mahakali Caves Mandapeshwar Caves Kanheri Caves In the Junnar area: Lenyadri Manmodi Caves Shivneri Caves Tulja Caves
Rajasthan	Binnayaga Buddhist Caves Hathiagor Buddhist Caves Kolvi Caves

Narmada basin

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Main river	Narmada
Tributaries	Ajnal Balai Banjar Barna Biranjo Borad Burhner Chandrakeshar Chhota Tawa Choral Deb Dudhi Ganjal Gaur Goi Hather Hathni Hiran Jamner Karam Karjan Kaveri (MP) Kenar Khari Kharmer Khurkia Kolar (MP) Kundi Machak Man Orsang Sanair (Saner) Shakkar Sher Silgi Sip Sukhri Tawa Temur Tendoni Uri
Sub-tributaries	Abna Baghni Barurewa Denwa Machna Morand Sitarewa Sukhi Veda

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Madhya Pradesh	Alirajpur Anuppur Balaghat Barwani Betul Bhopal Burhanpur Chhindwara Damoh Dewas Dhar Dindori Harda Indore Jabalpur Jhabua Katni Khandwa Khargone Maihar Mandla Narmadapuram Narsinghpur Raisen Sagar Sehore Seoni Umaria
Maharashtra	Nandurbar
Gujarat	Narmada Vadodara Bharuch Chhota Udaipur
Chhattisgarh	Bilaspur Kabeerdham Rajnandgaon

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The paintings

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