Udayagiri Cave Temples

Udayagiri literally means "Sunrise." In the last centuries of the first millennium BC, Buddhism prevailed on the territory of the modern state of Madhya Pradesh . The religious center of Buddhism was the nearby ancient city of Sanchi . However, in the second century BC, Buddhism was replaced by bhagavatism , which arose as a result of the merger of Brahmanism and local religious cults. The signs of early Vaishnavism in the form of bhagavatism are evidenced by the famous Heliodor column in the nearby city of Vidishe. The main cult, apparently, was the cult of Vasudeva , who through political and religious channels connected the region with ancient Taxila . In addition, the local population and rulers worshiped the sun god Surya . The fact that once there was a temple of the Sun in Udayagiri, says the famous "lion" capital , which India owes its coat of arms . Thanks to the worship of Surya, the city received the name "Sunrise" ^[4] .

At the beginning of the first millennium, Hinduism supplanted Buddhism in central India. Wall inscriptions in temples call the surrounding area in a new way: “Vishnu-pada-giri” ( Visnupadagiri ), that is, mountains in the feet of Vishnu ^[3] . Excavations showed that Udayagiri was already a city by the 4th century BC and a large city by the 3rd century BC. The initiator of the construction of cave temples was the ruler of the Gupta dynasty , Chandragupta II , who reigned from 380 to 414 years. Caves were created during the last decades of the 4th century and were consecrated in 401. Udayagiri at that time was the outskirts of the capital Vidish ^[3] .

From the 5th to the 12th centuries, Udayagiri was a popular pilgrimage site . This is evidenced by a number of inscriptions on the temple walls. Some inscriptions between the 9th and 12th centuries mention gifts in the form of villages and lands in favor of the temples, through which their activities were supported. However, among the inscriptions there is no mention of the famous Rajas . A number of inscriptions describe gifts from donors, who, apparently, were the viceroy or leaders , as well as gifts from ordinary people. All this indicates that the temples of Udayagiri lived due to the flow of pilgrims ^[5] .

For the first time, the caves were studied in detail by the founder of Indian archeology, Alexander Cunningham, in the 1870s. According to the results of the study, his drawings were published by the Archaeological Administration of India in 1880 ^[1] .

The complex has seven Shiva caves, nine Vaishnava caves and three caves dedicated to shaktism . All temples are represented by square or almost square caves, completely hollowed out in rock. Caves vary greatly in area. Large caves contain images of all three areas of Hinduism. The largest is the cave number 19 in honor of Shiva. Initially, the caves were numbered by Alexander Cunningham , starting from the south and ending with the north cave. In total, Cunningham counted ten caves, but in the XX century the number of objects found increased. The Department of Archeology Gwalior and introduced additional numbers of newly discovered caves, located between the previously found. As a result, the sequential numbering of the caves went astray. As of the beginning of the XXI century, there were twenty caves in total ^[6] .

The symbol of the cave temples of Udayagiri has become a monumental panel with the image of the avatar of Varaha . She tells the story of Vishnu, embodied in the body of Varaha to save the earth. The latter is represented in the image of Prithivi , the goddess of the earth. Varaha looks like a courageous humanoid giant, and the land he saves is a small and defenseless woman. The original story is presented in the Taittiriya Upanishad and Satapatha Brahman . The panel illustrates the fulfillment of divine duty, victory, and veneration of righteousness. The victory of Varaha is welcomed by the myriads of deities and saints who were worshiped in the IV century. All figures are dressed in traditional Indian clothing. The gods wear male dhoti , and the goddess wears a female sari . The monumental panel gives a detailed view of the early iconography of Vishnu and the characters associated with it ^[3] .

The Anantasayana panel is the second largest and largest after the panel with the avatar Varaha. The name of the Anantashyana panel comes from the name of Anant-Shesha , on which Vishnu reclines. The composition is represented by a giant Vishnu, head resting east. His bed is Ananta-Shesha, the many-headed serpent, a symbol of eternal time. Near Vishnu there are figures of deities and companions: Brahma , Lakshmi , Markandeya , Garuda , as well as two demons Madhu and Kaitabha. Near Vishnu's bed, as in the case of Varaha, there is a small figure of a man. This is Chandragupta II , he holds in his hand a lamp that gives light in the darkness of night. Virasena, the minister at the Gupta court, who participated in the construction of the temple, is visible behind the master. The fact that Chandragupta II is depicted on both panels shows not only the importance of his person, but also the personal participation of the ruler in worshiping Vishnu ^[7] .

The story of Madhu and Kaitabha is described in the Devi Mahatmya and Devibhagavata Purana . According to legend, both demons appeared from the ear of Vishnu when he was dozing on the eternal snake. They intended to destroy Brahma, but he began to praise Yoga Nidra or Mahamaya - the power under the influence of which dozed Vishnu. When Maya was sleeping and Vishnu woke up, he destroyed the demons with his Sudarshan . The Anantasayan panel illustrates the end of Kalpa , the destruction of the universe, and the onset of Brahma’s night. The panels of Varaha and Anantayana are connected to each other. Vishnu's dream means darkness and the destruction of the universe. The feat of Varaha saves humanity and opens a new era and the universe. Two panels are located at opposite ends of the same passage of the temple complex. The sunset is reflected in Anantashyan, Varaha meets the rising of a new day ^[8] .

Next to Anantasayana is Vishnu in the form of the avatar of Narasimha . It is smaller than Anantasayana or Varaha. Narasimha is a temporary form that Vishnu takes to save his devotee Prahlada from the demonic father Hiranyakasipu . By the mystical will of Hiranyakasipu, neither man nor animal could kill him, day or night. Narasimha is worshiped as a half-human half-man. Thus, he is in an intermediate position between Varaha and Anantashayana. Narasimha symbolizes the twilight time between the destruction and creation of the universe ^[8] .

The panels of Anantayana and Varaha have no inscriptions and dating. However, both are executed in the same manner, with the image of Chandragupta II and his minister. Indologists believe that the panels were created simultaneously, that is, in 401-402. This means that the cave complex was conceived and embodied as a single plan. Researchers of Udayagiri believe that the Anantashayan panel was part of the astronomical scheme by which the brahmanas and the population determined the most important calendar dates. On the day of the summer equinox, the rays of the sun touched the feet of Vishnu, which marked the middle of the year. Currently, the rays of the sun practically do not touch the feet of Vishnu. This is due to the fact that over the past two thousand years, the characteristics of the rotation of the earth have changed ^[9] .

Although counting Vishnu images is difficult due to damage to stone images, it is believed that there are nine small images of four-armed Vishnu in the caves. On each of them he faces the visitor of the cave in a direct static pose, called in the iconography "sampada" ( sampada ). Seven images are well preserved and only two images in front of cave number 6 are barely distinguishable. Well-recognized five images of Vishnu are located in the passages of caves No. 9, 10, 11 and two more are located near the image of Narasimha in cave No. 12. A poorly identifiable, apparently anthropomorphic image of the divine weapon of Vishnu, Ayudhapurusha, is located opposite the image of Vishnu in cave No. 11. It is believed that the ninth unidentifiable image of Vishnu is located in a niche between the famous Varaha panel and cave No. 6 ^[10] .

On all the images, Vishnu relies with two hands on his weapon: Kaumodaki and Sudarshan . In some cases, weapons are represented by personified images: Gada-devi (mace) and Chakra-purusha (Sudarshan). The other two hands lie on the waist or, rather, on the fancy belt characteristic of the images in Udayagiri. In the corner of the cave number 6, Vishnu can be identified by the picture of " Srivatsa" on the chest. Srivatsa drawing is unique to Udayagiri temples. It is not repeated anywhere else, except for the famous image of Vishnu on the column of Heliodorus . Four drawings on “kirita mukuta” ( kirita mukuta , cylindrical crown) Vishnu from the cave number 6 can be found in several other places of the complex. In particular, on the hand of Durga in the image of Mahishasur-Mardini, as well as on the abacus of the column (which was transported to the Gwalior Museum). A long flower garland (vanamala or vijayanti ) hangs from the neck of Vishnu. She covers his hands and falls below her knees. All images are well recognizable by the set of satellites of Vishnu and its attributes ^[10] .

According to indigenous archaeologist Michael Willis, the formation of Udayagiri as a pilgrimage center occurred long before the 4th century ^[5] . Thanks to the calendar, the city was a failure center of astronomy and education. This is evidenced by the sculptures of the complex, sundials and inscriptions on the temple walls. The veneration of the sun turned Udayagiri into a holy city and gave it the name Sunrise. The restructuring of the city and the construction of caves began at Samudragupt in the middle of the 4th century. Then his descendant, Chandragupta II , several decades later began to actively build cave temples. Their creation was supposed to contribute to the image of the ruler as the main emperor ("cakravartin", cakravartin) and the supreme devotee of Vishnu ("parabhagavata", paramabhāgavata). The construction of temples transformed Udayagiri from an astronomical into a religious center. The initiator of the construction, Chandragupta II, subsequently received the title of Vikramaditya (Vikramaditya), “solar perfection” ^[11] . According to Indologist Patrick Olivella, Udayagiri was a symbol of the Gupta dynasties, which showed tolerance for polytheism with a tendency toward genotheism . ^[12]

Cave temples illustrate the worship of Vishnu in the images of his many avatars. They form the connection between the Vedic past and the Vaishnava future. A significant number of temples and the main panel of the complex with the image of Varaha saving the earth are dedicated to Vishnu. Vishnu descends to earth to restore order and restore balance when chaos and injustice reign in the world. Some of his avatars, such as Narasimha , Varaha , Vamana (Trivikrama) and Rama , are largely revered as examples of fair rule. The illustrations from the Puranas on the walls of the temples give an idea of ​​justice, rights and obligations, as well as righteousness ( dharma ) in its various aspects. The iconography of Varaha is filled with symbolism, it paints the image of the savior of mankind. The image of Varaha creates an unambiguous parallel with the rulers of ancient India. Near Varaha, a man dressed in royal clothes is bowing. This is Chandragupta II, who recognizes his dharma and social duty, and also worships Visnu. In addition, cave temples abound with a mixture of cults, here you can find not only Vishnu, but also Shiva and his wife Durga. Pantheism reflects religious tolerance and the fact that after the Maurya era, Hinduism flourished in ancient India in the neighborhood of Buddhism om ^[12] .

Udayagiri cave temples are located on two low mountains near the Betva River, on the banks of its tributary. The mountains are an isolated ridge 110 meters high and about 2.5 km long. The mountains consist of horizontal layers of white sandstone. Cave temples are 6 km away. west of the city of Vidish and 11 km. northeast of the Sanchi Buddhist site or 60 km. northeast of Bhopal . Bhopal has the nearest major railway station and airport with regular flights. There is no direct public transport, cottages from the nearby village can be reached by auto rickshaw ^[13] .

• Hindu architecture
• Hindu temple
• Khajuraho
• Badami Cave Temples
• Eran (Madhya Pradesh)

• ABIA South and Southeast Asian art and archeology index / Pieris S., Raven E. (eds.). - South Asia, Vol. 3.- Leiden, Biggleswade: Brill, Extenza Turpin, 2010.
• Asher F. Historical and Political Allegory in Gupta Art. - Essays on Gupta Culture. - Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1983.
• Cunningham A. Report of Tours Bundelkhand and Malwa 1874-1875 and 1876-1877 . - Archaeological Survey of India, Vol. 10. - Delhi: ASI, Government of India, 1880.
• Dass M. Udayagiri: a Sacred Hill Its Art, Architecture and Landscape . - The Dissertation for the Doctor of Philosophy degree. - Leicester, UK: De Montfort University, 2001.
• Willis M. Inscriptions of Gopaksetra: materials for the history of Central India. - London: British Museum Press, 1996.
• Willis M. Temples of Gopakṣetra: a regional history of architecture and sculpture in Central India AD 600-900. - London: Published for the Trustees of the British Museum by British Museum Press, 1997.
• Willis M. The archaeology of Hindu ritual: temples and the establishment of the gods. - Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009.

• Photos of Udayagiri Cave Temples
• Video of visiting caves (1)
• Cave Visit Video (2)
• Video of visiting caves (3)