Undavalli Caves Architectural Marvel

Imagine cutting solid rocks 1600 years ago with rudimentary tools? And then creating a four-storied structure on the monolithic rock face which has withstood the vagaries of Nature? You can only marvel at the architects and sculptors of that era!

Where is this place? Located close to Vijayawada city in Andhra Pradesh, it is easily accessible by road. See the map below.

The architecture of Undavalli caves is similar to Udaygiri caves in Madhya Pradesh, both dating back to 4th to 5th Century CE. Built during the Gupta period, the caves bring out the trinity- Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh. According to Wikipedia, "Most Gupta emperors were Vaishnavas; Many sculptures of the deity Narasimha, as well as other legends of Vishnu and from the text Ramayana are featured in the caves. These caves are dedicated to Ananta Padmanabha, a form of Vishnu laying upon Shesha. Later Jain and Buddhist monks used these caves as rest houses." Sheshnag is seven-headed celestial snake under whose hood Lord Vishnu had his royal seat.

Ghumakkad visited the caves on 9th May 2024, the 'shadowless day'! One of the hottest days this summer with Vijayawada recording 42 degrees Celsius. Not a pleasant time to travel. But we had to be in Chennai for a family event. Those transiting Vijayawada can take an hour's break to see the historic caves. Vijayawada is at the junction of NH-65 coming from the west (Hyderabad) and NH-16 for those travelling the east (Kolkata) to south (Chennai) or vice versa. Other state highways also emanate or terminate here. See the map below.

Though high noon Sun is not suited for photography, but we had no option. Sharing below few pictures and videos of the caves and the temple.

Here is a short video showing the unfinished monastic cells on the ground floor.

The stairs to the first floor of the caves are not very steep. But senior citizens need to exercise caution. See the video below.

The second floor pillars have the 'dashavatars' the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu. Mostly defaced by the Moghul invaders, some of the sculptures are still intact. See the video courtesy the security guard who hesitatingly shared his knowledge about the history of the caves.

For those readers not familiar with the ten avatars, here is an image from Wikipedia.

The Reclining Vishnu

Midway through when we braved the noon Sun to see the caves, came the surprise rain. It poured and we got drenched. Another thrill of a summer outing!

In a one-minute video clip below, see how it poured without any signs.

There is some debate among historians about Lord Vishnu's reclining position in Undavalli caves. Points of dissonance are:

• At most places Vishnu is seen reclining on one side as against lying almost flat in Undavalli
• Closed versus open eyes
• Five headed serpent versus seven headed in Undavalli
• Four hands of Vishnu versus two in Undavalli

Therefore, some researchers have concluded that the "statue may be 23rd or 17th Tirthankara of Jainism Shri Parshvanatha". Debate continues. Readers' insights or comments on this aspect are welcome.

Talking of caves, we have Borra Caves in the Eastern Ghats in India, 90-kms north of Vishakhapatnam. But these are natural caves formed because of rich limestone rocks. Spectacular to see, specially when lighted up. Stalactite and Stalagmite create surreal shapes. You may read the following picture story.

Beauty of Darkness - Magic created 150-million years ago by Stalactites and Stalagmites

Another cave which offers a bit of thrill and adventure is the Narsing Temple near Bidar in Karnataka. You have to wade through chest high water for half a km or so, to reach the deity in the cave. Pretty scary to say the least. Browse the last part of the story linked below to feel the thrill:

Wading through Chest-high water in a Cave - Narsing cave temple near Bidar in Karnataka India

We end with a quote about the rich history and culture of India. "India lives in several centuries at the same time" said Arundhati Roy. How true!

Thanks for browsing. More stories on rock-cut architecture of India will follow soon. Stay connected.

   - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ Undavalli Caves, Andhra Pradesh India/ 16th May 2024

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