Bagh caves

The Bagh Caves are the most exquisite form of architecture that is present in the central state of Madhya Pradesh in India. The Bagh Caves are present in the block mountain range of the Vindhyas in the Dhar disctrict of the state. The exact location of the Bagh Caves is about 100 KM away from the main town of Dhar. The Bagh Caves are located by the bank of the Baghini River and hence is the naming. There are many stories about the Bagh Caves. Some say that the ancient man had drawn murals on its walls. But according to archeological survey, it has been proved that the Bagh Caves were created sometime in between the years of 4th century CE and 6th century CE. Legend has it that a certain Buddhist monk named Dataka excavated these caves. The existence of so many legends is because of the misnomer caves. The Bagh Caves are not natural caves with engravings & murals but artificially excavated caves built by the Satvahanas. The Bagh Caves have a total number of nine caves of which 4 are extinct and five are extant. All of the caves are cemetery for Buddhist monks and there is a small central prayer hall. The Bagh Caves is the epitome of India’s golden age of architecture and that too of rock cut style. Like the Ajanta caves the Bagh Caves murals are also very magnificent and historically important. Of all the caves only cave 4 and a bit of cave 3 is still intact. The Bagh Caves stands as the witness to artistic greatness of Indian civilization.

In …at the rock-cut cave at Bāgh—a painting executed in a style closely resembling Ajantā—hardly any other work of this great period survives. Cave temples at Bādāmi, in the Karnataka country, and Sittānavāsal, in Tamil Nadu, probably of the late 6th and 7th centuries ad are already but echoes of the…

Bagh Caves of Madhya Pradesh are counted amongst the finest specimens of Buddhist art and architecture in India. Located 50 km west of Mandu, this cluster of five caves falls on the road between Indore and Vadodara. The word 'cave' is incongruous, as these cave sanctuaries have not been naturally formed, but are actually rock-cut structures carved by the ancient artisans of the country. Bagh Buddhist Caves, like the caves at Ajanta, find shape on a perpendicular rock face of a hill. These five Buddhist caves are situated on the bank of Baghini River and lie approximately seven km from the village of Bagh, in the Kukshi Tehsil of Dhar District. According to legends, before being discovered, they served as home to many tigers. Hence, they got the name 'Bagh', which means 'Tiger' in Hindi. Later, these caves also served as residential places, meditation centers and religious congregation sites for Buddhist monks. Thus, one can notice preponderance of Buddhist mysticism in these cave sanctuaries. There are residential cells inside, along with a large central cell enshrining a Buddhist stupa at the back end, which served as the 'chaitya' or prayer hall. Bagh Caves also hold numerous sculptures of Buddha and Boddhisattvas within their precincts. A painting of the Bodhisattva 'Padmapani' housed here exemplifies the Padmapani figure found in Ajanta. Apart from this legendary painting of Padmapani, there are some traces of ancient murals and frescos by master painters of India. The...

The Bagh “caves” are actually examples of 5th century Indian rock cut architecture located on the southern slope of the Vindhyas due to their proximity to trade routes. There are five remaining and they are in need of preservation and government attention. You can see some remaining statues and paintings but nothing as extensive as those at Ajanta. They are Buddhist and include monastic living quarters. I thought they were worth the visit. Toilet facility is there though a little lacking. You have to climb stairs to get to the “caves.” Bagh Caves is situated approx. 97 kms from Dhar and 150 kms from Indore. These are ancient caves which were supposed to be used by monks to live and study and give shelter to the passersby. These caves contain nine monuments and handmade paintings which dates back prior to 5th century. Exact dates are not known but some scriptures speak about renovation of this site in 5th Century. The place is serene and peaceful. Worth visiting as a day trip from Indore. The caves gives a glimpse of the beautiful architectural marvels dating back to 4th-7th century AD. Cave 2,3,4 & 5 are large ones, and the 6th cave is connected to 5th internally. There are statues at the rear end of cave 2 and some paintings in & out of cave 4. The location of the cave is in a serene and calm area, on the banks of Baghani tributary of Narmada river. Only that the 3 km long road reaching the cave is very narrow with lots of unnoticed speed breakers. Also, there are no lodg...

History of Bagh Caves The cave paintings here are contemporary to They are carved in 5-6th CE which can be called a late Buddhist period in India, making them some of the youngest Buddhist caves. Satvahanas were ruling the region then. A copper plate inscription of 416-17 CE by Maharaja Subandhu of Mahishmati, which is identified as the modern The caves were probably abandoned with the fall of Buddhism, by 10th CE or so. After this these became the abode of tigers of the region, hence getting the name Bagh. Rock cut caves These caves are carved high up on a tall sandstone rock in a neat row. I understand that this is the only rock in sandstone in the area while most other rocks are hard basalt rocks. We can now reach this using the staircase, I wonder how did they reach it when it was first carved. Visiting Bagh Caves Baghini River The premises of the caves are well preserved with reasonably well-maintained lawns. You can enter it after buying the ticket at the ticket counter. A well-laid-out path takes you to the caves. You cross a small bridge over the Baghini River before you reach the base of the caves. The river had little water but this is January, the time when rivers are not really full. This must have been the reason to excavate caves here – the ready availability of freshwater. Shivalinga at the caves After climbing the staircase that takes you to the caves, the first thing I saw was a Shivalinga carved on the ground on my right. A pair of feet were carved next t...

The Bagh “caves” are actually examples of 5th century Indian rock cut architecture located on the southern slope of the Vindhyas due to their proximity to trade routes. There are five remaining and they are in need of preservation and government attention. You can see some remaining statues and paintings but nothing as extensive as those at Ajanta. They are Buddhist and include monastic living quarters. I thought they were worth the visit. Toilet facility is there though a little lacking. You have to climb stairs to get to the “caves.” Bagh Caves is situated approx. 97 kms from Dhar and 150 kms from Indore. These are ancient caves which were supposed to be used by monks to live and study and give shelter to the passersby. These caves contain nine monuments and handmade paintings which dates back prior to 5th century. Exact dates are not known but some scriptures speak about renovation of this site in 5th Century. The place is serene and peaceful. Worth visiting as a day trip from Indore. The caves gives a glimpse of the beautiful architectural marvels dating back to 4th-7th century AD. Cave 2,3,4 & 5 are large ones, and the 6th cave is connected to 5th internally. There are statues at the rear end of cave 2 and some paintings in & out of cave 4. The location of the cave is in a serene and calm area, on the banks of Baghani tributary of Narmada river. Only that the 3 km long road reaching the cave is very narrow with lots of unnoticed speed breakers. Also, there are no lodg...

History of Bagh Caves The cave paintings here are contemporary to They are carved in 5-6th CE which can be called a late Buddhist period in India, making them some of the youngest Buddhist caves. Satvahanas were ruling the region then. A copper plate inscription of 416-17 CE by Maharaja Subandhu of Mahishmati, which is identified as the modern The caves were probably abandoned with the fall of Buddhism, by 10th CE or so. After this these became the abode of tigers of the region, hence getting the name Bagh. Rock cut caves These caves are carved high up on a tall sandstone rock in a neat row. I understand that this is the only rock in sandstone in the area while most other rocks are hard basalt rocks. We can now reach this using the staircase, I wonder how did they reach it when it was first carved. Visiting Bagh Caves Baghini River The premises of the caves are well preserved with reasonably well-maintained lawns. You can enter it after buying the ticket at the ticket counter. A well-laid-out path takes you to the caves. You cross a small bridge over the Baghini River before you reach the base of the caves. The river had little water but this is January, the time when rivers are not really full. This must have been the reason to excavate caves here – the ready availability of freshwater. Shivalinga at the caves After climbing the staircase that takes you to the caves, the first thing I saw was a Shivalinga carved on the ground on my right. A pair of feet were carved next t...

Bagh Caves of Madhya Pradesh are counted amongst the finest specimens of Buddhist art and architecture in India. Located 50 km west of Mandu, this cluster of five caves falls on the road between Indore and Vadodara. The word 'cave' is incongruous, as these cave sanctuaries have not been naturally formed, but are actually rock-cut structures carved by the ancient artisans of the country. Bagh Buddhist Caves, like the caves at Ajanta, find shape on a perpendicular rock face of a hill. These five Buddhist caves are situated on the bank of Baghini River and lie approximately seven km from the village of Bagh, in the Kukshi Tehsil of Dhar District. According to legends, before being discovered, they served as home to many tigers. Hence, they got the name 'Bagh', which means 'Tiger' in Hindi. Later, these caves also served as residential places, meditation centers and religious congregation sites for Buddhist monks. Thus, one can notice preponderance of Buddhist mysticism in these cave sanctuaries. There are residential cells inside, along with a large central cell enshrining a Buddhist stupa at the back end, which served as the 'chaitya' or prayer hall. Bagh Caves also hold numerous sculptures of Buddha and Boddhisattvas within their precincts. A painting of the Bodhisattva 'Padmapani' housed here exemplifies the Padmapani figure found in Ajanta. Apart from this legendary painting of Padmapani, there are some traces of ancient murals and frescos by master painters of India. The...

The Bagh Caves are the most exquisite form of architecture that is present in the central state of Madhya Pradesh in India. The Bagh Caves are present in the block mountain range of the Vindhyas in the Dhar disctrict of the state. The exact location of the Bagh Caves is about 100 KM away from the main town of Dhar. The Bagh Caves are located by the bank of the Baghini River and hence is the naming. There are many stories about the Bagh Caves. Some say that the ancient man had drawn murals on its walls. But according to archeological survey, it has been proved that the Bagh Caves were created sometime in between the years of 4th century CE and 6th century CE. Legend has it that a certain Buddhist monk named Dataka excavated these caves. The existence of so many legends is because of the misnomer caves. The Bagh Caves are not natural caves with engravings & murals but artificially excavated caves built by the Satvahanas. The Bagh Caves have a total number of nine caves of which 4 are extinct and five are extant. All of the caves are cemetery for Buddhist monks and there is a small central prayer hall. The Bagh Caves is the epitome of India’s golden age of architecture and that too of rock cut style. Like the Ajanta caves the Bagh Caves murals are also very magnificent and historically important. Of all the caves only cave 4 and a bit of cave 3 is still intact. The Bagh Caves stands as the witness to artistic greatness of Indian civilization.

In …at the rock-cut cave at Bāgh—a painting executed in a style closely resembling Ajantā—hardly any other work of this great period survives. Cave temples at Bādāmi, in the Karnataka country, and Sittānavāsal, in Tamil Nadu, probably of the late 6th and 7th centuries ad are already but echoes of the…