Pandava leni: The Caves Pandavas never visited (Part I)
Through the clusters of trees and steps that are not very old, one climbs up to the mountain that beholds the beautiful caves carved out in stone, since unknown date they are called 'pandav lena'. With beautiful carving resembling woodwork, these caves encompass almost half the mountain circumference. The ones right after you reach has peculiar pillars in pots and some winged creatures at the base, they seem to be carrying the cave. The sculptor/king must have imagined the cave to be flying in the clouds carried by winged angels when seen from below. As you go around, all the caves are Buddhist, vihara (place to stay), stupa (where the spirit of deceased resides) and monasteries for hose seeking nirvana. Nowhere do you find any reference to Hindu gods, leave alone Mahabharata!
People have a curious sense of naming! Because the first thing that you can be sure about these caves is that the Pandavas certainly never visited these. I reassure you this fact for two reasons. Firstly if one believes that the Mahabharata truly took place, the geographical locations written in the epic are quite accurate. Pandavas according to the same do not seem to have traveled this south. Secondly, the caves have very specific inscriptions about who and when constructed them, these are from 2nd century CE, at least a thousand five hundred years after Mahabharata. And these inscriptions written in Pali language are the highlight of these caves.
This cave structure is one of the earliest found in India, after the first Lomas Rishi cave of 1st Century in Barbar hills, Bihar, Mahakali caves in Andheri, Mumbai, Karle caves near Lonavla and Kanheri caves, Borivali Mumbai (these are almost contemporary). Resembling closely to the wooden architecture of its times, the carving are replicas of wooden ceilings and doors, obviously the first reference to the artist. The pillars in pots are an interesting example, the wooden pillars were kept in oil pots to remain termite free, sculptors have duplicated exactly the same coloumn here, which today looks like their style!
Similar duplication can be seen in the doorway, where wooden logs and pieces arrangement over the ceiling with thus the edges of wood are carved in detail in the stone structure. These structures thus give a very fair idea of the wooden constructions in the 1st-2nd century India. The characteristic horseshoe shape in teh Buddhist iconography can be seen iconized here, with the image of Buddha coming in probably for the first time in south Indian caves.
Almost all the caves have bold inscriptions carved out in Pali, the prakrit language of people in which all Buddhist text are written. These inscriptions tell you tales of the Satvahannas, one of the strongest dynasties in the southern India that has been a almost absent in Indian history booksl who had control of all the western Indian ghats, built extremely powerful foreign relations and trade routes that are active till date. Pandav Leni is where Nasik town ended in the 2nd Century, and was on the highway connecting to Dakshinapatha, the trade route; as it is today on the super busy Bombay Agra highway. This very significant site in the cave building is interesting for its architecture, carving and the information its provides about the living in those times.
Since decades people visit these caves, admire them, mostly it is a hiking experience. Local dwellers go there weekly, some of them daily for a walk but have seldom noticed its beauty, importance or the inscriptions. Let us review these magnificent pieces of Indian history jigsaw, and for once visit where Pandavas couldn't. We shall discuss in detail about the inscriptions in part II.
People have a curious sense of naming! Because the first thing that you can be sure about these caves is that the Pandavas certainly never visited these. I reassure you this fact for two reasons. Firstly if one believes that the Mahabharata truly took place, the geographical locations written in the epic are quite accurate. Pandavas according to the same do not seem to have traveled this south. Secondly, the caves have very specific inscriptions about who and when constructed them, these are from 2nd century CE, at least a thousand five hundred years after Mahabharata. And these inscriptions written in Pali language are the highlight of these caves.
This cave structure is one of the earliest found in India, after the first Lomas Rishi cave of 1st Century in Barbar hills, Bihar, Mahakali caves in Andheri, Mumbai, Karle caves near Lonavla and Kanheri caves, Borivali Mumbai (these are almost contemporary). Resembling closely to the wooden architecture of its times, the carving are replicas of wooden ceilings and doors, obviously the first reference to the artist. The pillars in pots are an interesting example, the wooden pillars were kept in oil pots to remain termite free, sculptors have duplicated exactly the same coloumn here, which today looks like their style!
Similar duplication can be seen in the doorway, where wooden logs and pieces arrangement over the ceiling with thus the edges of wood are carved in detail in the stone structure. These structures thus give a very fair idea of the wooden constructions in the 1st-2nd century India. The characteristic horseshoe shape in teh Buddhist iconography can be seen iconized here, with the image of Buddha coming in probably for the first time in south Indian caves.
Almost all the caves have bold inscriptions carved out in Pali, the prakrit language of people in which all Buddhist text are written. These inscriptions tell you tales of the Satvahannas, one of the strongest dynasties in the southern India that has been a almost absent in Indian history booksl who had control of all the western Indian ghats, built extremely powerful foreign relations and trade routes that are active till date. Pandav Leni is where Nasik town ended in the 2nd Century, and was on the highway connecting to Dakshinapatha, the trade route; as it is today on the super busy Bombay Agra highway. This very significant site in the cave building is interesting for its architecture, carving and the information its provides about the living in those times.
Since decades people visit these caves, admire them, mostly it is a hiking experience. Local dwellers go there weekly, some of them daily for a walk but have seldom noticed its beauty, importance or the inscriptions. Let us review these magnificent pieces of Indian history jigsaw, and for once visit where Pandavas couldn't. We shall discuss in detail about the inscriptions in part II.
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