DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.2371#0371
KANHERI. 349
natural caves; it is in the stratum again below this that most of
the excavations are situated." a The rock in which the caves are
is a volcanic breccia, which forms the whole of the hilly district
of the island, culminating to the north of the caves in a point about
1,550 feet above the sea level.
In so large a group there must be considerable differences in the
ages of some of the excavations. These, however, may generally
be at least approximatively ascertained from the characters of the
numerous inscriptions that exist upon them. Architectural features
are necessarily indefinite where the great majority of the excava-
tions consist of a single small room, usually with a little verandah
in front, supported by two plain square or octagonal shafts, and
stone-beds in the cells. In the larger and more ornate caves they
are, of course, as important here as elsewhere. Their style is cer-
tainly primitive, and some of these monks' abodes may date from
before the Christian era. One small cave of this type (No. 81) in
the ravine, consisting of a very narrow porch, without pillars, a
room with a stone bench along the walls, and a cell to the left, has
an inscription of Yaj ua Sri Satakarni2 of the Anclrabhritya race,
whose date is still undetermined {ante, page 265), and it is probable
that numbers of others in the same plain style may range from the
second to the fourth century. Others, however, are covered inside
with sculpture of a late Mahay ana type, and some have inscriptions
which must date as late as the middle of the ninth century.
f he existence of so many monastic dwellings in this locality is
partly accounted for by the neighbourhood of so many thriving
towns. Among the places mentioned as the residences of donors to
them, occur the names of Surparaka, the Supara of Greek and the
■_ ibara of Arab writers, the ancient capital of the northern Kohkan;
^d,vi\n, long a thriving port; Chemula,3 the Samylla of Greek
£ & B E. A. Soc. vol. vi. pp. 171, 172.
x rrt's Plate XL1V.. JNo. 14; Stevenson, J. B. B. B. A. Soc„ vol. v. p. 23, and
• * 13 of Brett's copies; West's No. 44, J. B. B. R. A. S., vol. vi. p. 10.
' « mentioned as Chemuli in a grant of the Silaharas of 1095, a.d. Mas'udi
u*«JulZahal>) sajs he visited Seymur in a.d. 916, which was one of the depen-
Jb'T Balhara, and the ruler of the port was called Janja ; now we find a
•[(■ « '0ne °*" tbe Silahaia princes, mentioned in copper-plate inscriptions found at
P.'S-8/1 lhe neighbouihood (J- R- As' &c-> vol. iv. p. 109; Asia/. J&es^vdl i.
his Er ! f Ant' V01' V' pp- 276> 279) who must huve beeri ahve " tbis very <J:lfp>
tiaWjB * naV1"g been alh*e in 877 A,D- "nder Amognaval'sha> the Rashtrakuta
■ B- B. If. A. S., vol. xiii. pp. 11, 12.) ; see also Lid. Ant, vol. vi. p. 72.
natural caves; it is in the stratum again below this that most of
the excavations are situated." a The rock in which the caves are
is a volcanic breccia, which forms the whole of the hilly district
of the island, culminating to the north of the caves in a point about
1,550 feet above the sea level.
In so large a group there must be considerable differences in the
ages of some of the excavations. These, however, may generally
be at least approximatively ascertained from the characters of the
numerous inscriptions that exist upon them. Architectural features
are necessarily indefinite where the great majority of the excava-
tions consist of a single small room, usually with a little verandah
in front, supported by two plain square or octagonal shafts, and
stone-beds in the cells. In the larger and more ornate caves they
are, of course, as important here as elsewhere. Their style is cer-
tainly primitive, and some of these monks' abodes may date from
before the Christian era. One small cave of this type (No. 81) in
the ravine, consisting of a very narrow porch, without pillars, a
room with a stone bench along the walls, and a cell to the left, has
an inscription of Yaj ua Sri Satakarni2 of the Anclrabhritya race,
whose date is still undetermined {ante, page 265), and it is probable
that numbers of others in the same plain style may range from the
second to the fourth century. Others, however, are covered inside
with sculpture of a late Mahay ana type, and some have inscriptions
which must date as late as the middle of the ninth century.
f he existence of so many monastic dwellings in this locality is
partly accounted for by the neighbourhood of so many thriving
towns. Among the places mentioned as the residences of donors to
them, occur the names of Surparaka, the Supara of Greek and the
■_ ibara of Arab writers, the ancient capital of the northern Kohkan;
^d,vi\n, long a thriving port; Chemula,3 the Samylla of Greek
£ & B E. A. Soc. vol. vi. pp. 171, 172.
x rrt's Plate XL1V.. JNo. 14; Stevenson, J. B. B. B. A. Soc„ vol. v. p. 23, and
• * 13 of Brett's copies; West's No. 44, J. B. B. R. A. S., vol. vi. p. 10.
' « mentioned as Chemuli in a grant of the Silaharas of 1095, a.d. Mas'udi
u*«JulZahal>) sajs he visited Seymur in a.d. 916, which was one of the depen-
Jb'T Balhara, and the ruler of the port was called Janja ; now we find a
•[(■ « '0ne °*" tbe Silahaia princes, mentioned in copper-plate inscriptions found at
P.'S-8/1 lhe neighbouihood (J- R- As' &c-> vol. iv. p. 109; Asia/. J&es^vdl i.
his Er ! f Ant' V01' V' pp- 276> 279) who must huve beeri ahve " tbis very <J:lfp>
tiaWjB * naV1"g been alh*e in 877 A,D- "nder Amognaval'sha> the Rashtrakuta
■ B- B. If. A. S., vol. xiii. pp. 11, 12.) ; see also Lid. Ant, vol. vi. p. 72.