The rock cut caves at Udaigiri, Madhya Pradesh

At #Udaygiri in the modern state of #MadhyaPradesh,about an hour's drive from Bhopal, there are about twenty rock cut caves dating to the Gupta period. Most are just niches, however some form columned temples. they are from  the pre Gupta era and were extensively reworked in Gupta times, especially in the reign of Chandra Gupta II, #Vikramaditya. These must have been impressive once , they are mostly desolate now. Cave five, the most impressive of the twenty that remain, is a rock-cut cave from the early 5th Century. This large-scale sculpture depicts the myth of #Vishnu as #Varaha, the Boar, rescuing the goddess Bhudevi, which represents the earth, she is seen held up by his tusk, rescued from the murk into which she had sunk. The rows of figures at the back are sages and divinities and two male musicians. On the sides of the panels there are images of the river goddesses Ganga and Yamuna with figures of attendants. There is a large sculpture of Vishnu reclining on Seshnaga, and another of him as Narasimhan, several of the caves have Lingams, and some were used by Jain ascetics as well. Also of note is the broad central passage, which grants access to the top of the rock formation.
The romance of desolation, the mystery of isolation and the untold stories from a time long past echo in what remains. Sharing some pictures from a visit in 2013 ....

Vinny 

2013.