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Jaina Rock-cut Caves in Western India the sikhära of a modern temple. Below the sikhāra, on one side can be seen a part of a lotus. This temple houses the footprints of three Balabhadras; while on the sikhāra, there are footprints of five Balabhadras. These are modern. To the right of Cave III is another modern temple with the icons of Padmaprabha, the sixth tirthankara and Vasupujya, the twelfth tirthankara.
There are two water cisterns on the site. One is to the south of Cave I and the other is on the way to the caves. The cistern near Cave I is around 2.9m by 1.5m. It is at present cemented and covered. On the way to the caves, while climbing the hill, a narrow path on the right, leads to a water cistern. It is around 3.9m long and 2m wide.
Date
Fergusson and Burgess have dated the caves to 11th or 12th century CE or even later (1880: 493). Though Naik has not given any date, he compares the pilasters in the doorframe of Cave III (here Cave II) with the structural temples of 10th to 12th century CE (1947 371-372).
Since like Mangi-Tungi, these caves have been taken over by the Jainas and completely renovated, no architectural or stylistic features can be used for determining the age of the caves. Again, we have only iconogrphic evidence for comparisons, which also poses a few problems. Though the original iconographic programme of these caves has been recorded by the scholars, not many details are available, neither is any photograph. Thus, there is no way to determine how many changes have been, what are the original features and what have been added or removed recently. Still, there are a few distinct features that may indicate the date of the caves.
Both the caves originally had figures of Parsvanatha-Bahubali flanking the hall/shrine doorway. Though the panel of Parávanātha was supposed to represent the scene of the attack as attested by figures of Padmāvati and Kamatha, no figures of attackers were depicted. The scene was confined to minimum possible figures. These panels speak of Ellora's influence. But the type of pilasters as the stambha sakhas of hall doorway and in the panel of three Jinas on back wall of the hall in Cave II, chauvisi in Cavel and the depiction of lañchhana for the mulanayaka in the same chauvisi indicate a late date. As mentioned earlier, the pilasters in hall doorway of Cave II were reported to be like those in the structural temples (Naik 1947: 371-372). Even now they are very much of the style in vogue in the structural temples of 11th to 13th century CE in Maharashtra. Although the lanchhanas for Jina figures were evolved in Gupta period, they appear quite late in Maharashtra. None of the figures at Ellora as also lower caves at Mangi-Tungi has lañchhana. All these features indicate an approximate date of late 11th or early 12th century CE. Both the caves are more or less contemporary. Perhaps Cave I precedes Cave II by a few years due to its placement.
ANJANERI, NASIK TALUKA, NASIK DISTRICT (19° 55'N; 73° 30'E)
The village of Anjaneri is about 22.53 km west of Nasik and 6.43 km from Tryambak. To the southwest of the village is a flat-topped hill, also called Anjaneri. It is detached from its western neighbour Tryambak by the chief pass leading into west Igatpuri. There are
