Mock, Reading Response# 3 (Actually #1) : Barabar Hills Caves, IAR221

Lomas Richi Cave close-up

• Located in the Barabar Hills of Bihar in India
• Dated to mid-3rd century BCE
• Four caves total
• Dedicated by Asoka
• Carved into granite
• Was a long tradition in Egypt

Lomas Rishi Cave, Rock Landscape

The caves are carved into the earth for an underground chamber to help reach enlightenment. The rooms are sectioned off into two parts. The rectangle is probably just and entrance way and maybe displayed Buddhist art.  The second room is a round room which goes into the concepts of circles, stacks, and groves. The second room is the circle, which may represent the earth being a sphere. The earth is important in the Buddhist religion and is represented in these rock-cut caves as a place to reach enlightenment. These caves could have been a place where Buddhist monks went to be closer to the earth, the ground, or just a sacred place. The round room was probably a place to meditate.

The rock layers were represented the stacks and helps build up the importance of these caves. The bold and precise cuttings of these caves stood out more because of the simple repetition of the rock layers. The Mauryan Cave has a bold, simple rectangle entrance, but the cave of Lomas Rishi has a intricate outline.

Mauryan Cave, rectangular, simple opening  



Photo Credit: http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00routesdata/bce_299_200/barabar/barabar.html
http://indiahistoryspeaks.blogspot.com/2008/01/ideas-in-monolith.html