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Description and Chronology of Caves
149
the right sidewall of the larger niche is another shallow niche about 0.39m by 0.27m. It contains a figure of a standing Jina about 0.35m by 0.13m.
The door leading to the hall is plain with a single plain sakha. A plain step leads to the doorsill. On this step, on each side of the door is carved a seated elephant, facing front. On the lintel of the door is a seated Jina. The door measures 1.73m by 0.89m.
The hall, which serves as a shrine, is 4m wide and 2.9m deep at one end and 3.25m deep at the other. In the middle of the hall are two very irregular pillars. The bases and upper portions of these pillars are just a mass of rock as they are left uncarved. The middle portion is shaped as square shaft on the back and sides only, while the front face is rough. On the front face of the right or southern pillar, at the base is a figure of Sarvanubhuti and on the left pillar is carved a seated Ambika (Plate 98).
On the back wall of the hall is the main Jina flanked by a seated Jina, while on the right sidewall of the hall is a standing Jina flanked by two small seated Jinas.
There are three large niches in the left sidewall of the hall (Plate 99). The niche near the back wall is 1.52m long, 0.98m wide and 0.64m deep. The central one measures 1.47m by 0.64m and is 0.5m deep. The niche near the front wall is 1.52m long 0.9m wide and 0.5m deep. All of them have a channel cut in the floor in front. The niche near the front wall has a sort of base of three mouldings. All are empty. There are two niches in the right sidewall. The bigger niche is 1.57m long, 0.9m wide and 0.56m deep, while the smaller niche is 0.53 long, 0.41m wide and 0.17m deep. The larger niche has a channel as in niches of the left wall. These two niches are also empty. All these niches must have contained loose icons.
In the back wall of the hall, at the southern end is a very irregular empty cell. It is 1.1m long in the front and 1.6m in the back and is 0.84m wide. It has a plain door with a seated Jina in the lintel. The door measures 1.44m by 0.78m.
The floor and ceiling of the cave are smooth. The height of the cave is not uniform all over but is around 2.35m.
Sculptures
1. Sarvanubhuti: 0.78m by 0.47m
The figure is seated in maharajalilasana on the uncarved mass of rock at the base of the right pillar. He is fat with a large belly. He holds an indistinct object in the right hand and a fruit in the left hand, which is kept, on the lap. He wears earringss, crown, yajñopavita, udarbandha and anklets. He does not have any attendants, even his vahana is not shown. Mass of rock left above his head is meant to be his tree but is not carved.
2. Ambika: 0.98m by 0.62m
She is seated in vamalalitasana on the uncarved mass of rock like Sarvanubhuti, at the base of the left pillar. Her right hand from the elbow and right leg from the thigh to a little above the anklet is broken. In her left hand she holds a child, seated in her lap. Behind her head is an oval halo, while above her head is carved a mango tree with the trunk. This tree is carved on the eastern and southern faces of the pillar. On the southern face are carved a peacock and squirrel in the tree, while on the eastern face of the tree are shown a peacock and a bird. She wears earrings, necklace and a necklace falling between the breasts, plain armlets, plain anklets and also nupuras. She does not have any other
