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Important Caves of Madhya Pradesh

Updated: Aug 18


Pahargarh caves  

  • Prehistoric Cave complex, located in Morena.

  • The paintings were discovered in 1979 by D. P. S. Dwarikesh, University of Michigan, and Shri Ram Sharma

  • Made with red and white ochre-based paints, the depictions include human and animal figures as well as abstract shapes.



Jatashankar and Mahadev caves

  • These are mountain caves located in Panchmari, Narmadapuram

  • About 108 Shivalinga formed naturally inside this cave.

Pandav Caves

  • Buddhist Caves located in Panchmari, Narmadapuram.

  • According to a legend, these caves were built by five Pandava brothers of Mahabharatha era during their thirteen years of exile.

Saru Maru Caves

  • Location: Pan Guradiya, Sehore

  • Caves, Rock edict and 21 Stupa was constructed by Ashoka and said to be visited by Ashok, Sanghmitra and Mahendra

  • Inside the cave two Inscriptions of Ashok were found

  • Out of 21 only 7 was survived

  • The outer walls of the Saru Maru Caves have paintings similar to Bhim Bethka and of the same age (Mesolithic).

Udaigiri Caves

  • Built during reign of  Ramgupta, Kumaragupta and Chandragupta.

  • Chandragupta II was mentioned by his Mahasandhi-vigrahik Virasen

  • Caves belongs to Shaiva and Vaishnava sect , cave no. 6, 7, 16, 17 and 19 are related to Shaivism.

Cave No. 5      

First Vaishnav Caves of India

A huge Varaha avatar was engraved on the cave wall

Varah Avtar hold Earth in his tusk

Cave 8 Tawa Cave

Built during reign of Chandragupta II by his War Minister Virasena

Cave No. 13        

Sculpture of  Sheshasayee Vishnu was  engraved

Cave 7

First mentioned of Mahishasur Mardini and Ganpati

Cave 20

Jain Cave, mentioned Gupta king Ramgupta

Bagh Caves

  • Nine rock-cut caves were situated among the southern slopes of the Vindhyas in Bagh of Dhar.

  • These caves were built before the Gupta period, but the main development occurred during the Gupta Period.

  • Many paintings from the Gupta period are depicted in the Rang Mahal caves.

Parvati Cave

  • Located in Bhojpur Raisen

  • Opposite to the temple of Bhojpur , on the west side of the gorge facing the Betwa, is a rock-shelter or cave, now occupied by religious mendicants.

  • Popularly known as Parvatis Cave, the cave contains a number of sculptures and architectural fragments dating to the 11th century.

Mrigendranath Caves

  • A cave of great archaeological interest has been discovered at Patni village of Raisen

  • There are some paintings of Hindu gods and goddesses on the wall and some rocks resembling animal figures

Mada Caves  

  • A series of man made rock cut caves in Mada tehsil of Waidhan, Singrauli.

  • These caves dates back to 7th – 8th C

  • Some of the caves in series are Vivah Mada, Ravan Mada, Ganesh Mada , Jal Jaliya Mada etc. and have idols of Lord Ganesha, Lord Shiv (in Lingas, Nataraj etc.) which have been carved out of rocks .

Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka 

  • Located in Raisen

  • Rock shelters that were home to humans, millennia ago

  • W. Kincaid, a British India-era official, first mentioned Bhimbetka in a scholarly paper in 1888

  • Bhimbetka has around 243 rock shelters.

  • These rock shelters were discovered and revealed to the world by V.S. Wakankar in 1957 and they earned the honour of UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003

Auditorium cave

  • Auditorium rock is the largest shelter at Bhimbetka.

  • Robert G. Bednarik describes the prehistoric Auditorium cave as one with a "cathedral-like" atmosphere

Zoo Rock

  • It depicts elephants, barasingha (swamp deer), bison and deer.

  • Paintings on another rock show a peacock, a snake, a deer and the sun.

  • On another rock, two elephants with tusks are painted.

Adamgarh Hills

•        Adamgarh Hills are famous for the pre-historic rock shelters , located in Narmadapuram.

•        Stone age artefacts and lower Paleolithic and Mesolithic implements have been excavated here.

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Bhartahari Caves

  • Located in Ujjain, King Bharthari meditated here.

  • King Bhartari left his kingdom to his younger brother Vikramaditya and  took renunciation and received the teachings of the Naath Cult.

  • He wrote book Vairagya shatak on Renunciation

  • This cave is best Suitable for yoga practice.

Dharmrajeshwar Cave

  • An ancient Buddhist and Hindu cave temple site of 4th-5th century situated in Garoth tahsil of Mandsaur district.

  • There is a series of 14, 7th-century rock-cut Buddhist caves with monasteries and Stupas cut into a hill.

  • 9th century monolithic Dharmarajeshwara temple is carved out of solid natural rock.

  • The shrine spire is in the north Indian style.

  • Called  Kailash Temple of Ellora

Buddhist Caves, Pola Dungar

  • There is a small hill which has been made hollow (pola) by the architects in their effort to construct caves.

  • Located in Mandsaur District.

  • That is how it derives its name Pola Dungar meaning hollow hill.

  • These caves were made of red stone during 9th-10th century A.D.

  • It seems they belonged to the Hinayana sect.



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