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Description and Chronology of Caves
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Among the attendants are small figures of chauri-bearers. Since the upper portion is partially damaged, it is not clear if there was a figure of drum player. Like other panels, the elephants with pitchers are shown lustrating, but here these are accompanied by human riders (Plate 108).
11. Standing Rṣabhanätha: 1.6m by 0.78m.
This figure is similar to the standing Jina figure to the right of the main icon. The Jina figure measures 1.12m by 0.39m. The hair on the each shoulder helps to identify this figure as Rṣabhanatha.
12. Ambika: 1.19m by 0.59m.
The yakṣi, measuring 0.89m by 0.66m, is seated in vamalalitasana, but not directly on her vahana, lion, which is shown in much smaller size below her left leg. This two-armed figure holds a bunch of mangoes in her right hand and supports a child seated on her lap with the left hand. She has round halo; while above her head is carved a mango tree on the back wall with four bunches of mangoes and two monkeys. Her ornaments are similar to those of Chakresvari (Fig. 48d).
The figure of Ambika is also within pilastered frame with the right pilaster shared with the icon of Rṣabhanatha. While this pilaster has a seated Jina on the capital and a standing Jina on the shaft, the left pilaster has a standing figure of a male on the shaft, in the place of Jina figure. This two-armed figure with a pitcher in the right hand appears to be an attendant of Ambika. The Brahmaṇa figure with a chhatra, usually found in the Ambika figures of this region is depicted beyond left pilaster.
Though the sculptures in the cave are quite proportionate with slim bodies and clearly carved facial features, there is angularity in the execution. The bends of the bodies, especially the knees, elbows and shoulders are pointed and angular.
Date
Burgess and Cousens have not proposed any date for the cave (1897: 46). Even the later account of Cousens, on the temples of Deccan, does not provide any date for this cave (1931: 47).
The cave is architecturally very crude. However, the doorway to the hall/shrine is quite decorative and distinctive that indicates a tentative date of the cave. This doorway, with ornamental stambha śakha, mandaraka flanked by kirtimukhas and kumbhavahinis on the pedya is like the doorways in structural temples, especially those in the temples scattered in the village of Anjaneri. There are around sixteen such temples at the base of the hill. Of these, nine temples are Jaina, three of which are plain mathas and the rest are Brahmanical (Cousens 1931: 43-47). The stambha śakha of cave doorway is very similar to the stambha sakhas of the doorways of these temples, especially temple no.2, which also carries bell and chain on the shaft of pilaster in this śakha. However, the cave doorway is much less ornate and the uttaranga is omitted.
Another feature, which can be compared with these temples, is the iconographic programme of the cave. All Jaina temples, except one, have three seated Jinas on the
