The most interesting group is at Barabar, 16 miles N. of Gaya. An inscription on the Karina Chopa cave there, records its excavation in the 19th year of Asoka (n.c. 245). Another, called Sudama or Nigope, bears an inscription by Asoka in the 12th year of his reign. The Lomas RiSlii is an interesting cave, as also is the Milkmaid's cave, which is probably the most modern, as it was excavated by Dasaratha, grandson of Asoka. Their dates appear to range from B.C. 260 to 200. The rock in which they are excavated is a hard, close-grained granite.
Chailya halls have also been excavated in several of the rocks of Western India. The oldest of these has been excavated at Bhaja, four miles south of the great Karli cave in the Bhor Ghat. It is supposed to have been before the Christian era. Another group is to be seen at Bedsa, 10 or 11 miles south of which has two pillars with capitals, surmounted by horses and elephants, and more like the Persepolitan than any others in India. A third chaitya cave is at Nasik, and an inscription over its doorway states that it was the gift of a citizen of Nasik, in the reign of Krishna, one of time Andrabritya kings, who reigned just before the Christian era. Another inscription under the pillars states it to have been excavated in honour of Badrakaraka, supposed to have been the fifth king of the Sunga dynasty, B.C. 129.
Karli, on the road between Bombay and Poona, has the largest, finest, and most complete of the chaitya caves. Inscriptions ascribe its excava tion to the Maharaja Bhuti or Deva Bhuti, who reigned B.C. 78.
There are four chaitya caves in the Ajunta group. The oldest and lowest down, No. 9, is 45 feet by 23 feet in width. The next, No. 10, higher up, is 94i by 414 feet internally. A third is cave No. 19, and in it Buddha in all his attitudes is introduced everywhere. Hitherto in all sculp tures mortal men and women had been absent, and Buddhism was a pure theism or atheism, but at the date of this cave Buddhism has become changed into an overwhelming idolatry.—Fer gusset), p. 124.
The last chaitya of Ajunta (No. 26) was ex cavated about the year A.D. GOO.
At Ellora, the celebrated Viswakarma cave is a chaitya. Its age also is about the year A.D. GOO. It is 85 feet by 43 feet.
The Kenhert cave, on the island of Salsette, in Bombay harbour, is 884 feet by 39 feet 10 inches, and was excavated about the early years of the 5th century, when Fa Ilian was travelling in India.
It is a literal and a coarse copy of the Karli cave.
At Dhumnar, about halfway between Kotah and Ujjain, are a series of about GO or 70 caves, cut in coarse laterite conglomerate. Oue is a chaitya cella, in the midst of a vihara ; its date probably is century A.D.
At Kholvi, not far from Dhumnar, is the most modern group of Buddhist eaves in India. One called Arjuu's house is a highly ornamented dlgoba. Inside is a cross-legged seated figure of Buddha. The only excavation here is a chaitya hall 26 feet by 13 feet.
Some of the vihara were three or four storeys in height, and containing up to 1500 cells, as at Malmabalipur, 30 miles south of Madras, and at Nalanda, 7 miles north of the old capital of Raja griha, and 34 miles south of Patna, at which, in the first century, Nagarjuna resided. In Hiwen Thsaug's time 10,000 priests and neophytes resided here; religion and philosophy were taught from a hundred chairs, and that pilgrim resided there as a student for five years. lie says there were thousands of viharas, but none equal to this. It was to Central India what Cluny and Clairvaux were to France in the middle ages. Some at least of the many viharas, as that cleared out by Cap tain Kittoc and Mr. Thomas, seem to have been destroyed by fire.
On the western side of India, viharas have been described at Ajuuta, near Aurangabad, at Bagh on the Tapti, at Bedsa, Bhaja, Darasco or Darns inha, Ellora, at Hazar Kotri in the Nizam's terri tories, at Junir, halfway between Nasik and Poona, and at Salsette. At Nasik are three great Vilmaras, the oldest that of Nahapa?a, A.D. 100; next, Gautamiputra, A.D. 300; and the third, Yadnyasri, A.D. 400. They are a purely Buddhist group. The facades of the first and second are richly ornamented, and were formed during the rule of the Andhrabritya dynasty. At Ellora numerous viharas are attached to the great Viswa karma chaitya. The great vihara is known as the .Dherwara, 110 feet by 70 feet. In the sanctuaries of most of these caves are figures of Buddha. In the Das Avatara the sculptures aro all Brahmanical.