________________
182
Jaina Rock-cut Caves in Western India surmounted by an octagonal portion. On the back wall is a plain door leading to the hall. Flanking the door is carved panels of standing Jina and Bahubali.
The hall is irregular with rounded corners. It is around 5.75m wide along the back and 5.9m along the front. It is 3.75m deep on the right side and 3.5m on the left side. The ceiling is around 2.15m high. The right sidewall, at the distance of around 3.28m from the front wall, turns inside the hall for about 0.67m and again turns towards the back wall. Thus, a corner is formed near the back wall.
Along the sides of the hall, except the right sidewall, run benches. In the centre of the back wall is carved the main icon of Rsabhanātha on the bench, which projects out. The bench along the right front wall is 2.16m long and 0.38m to 0.42m wide and 0.72m high from the floor. The bench along the left front wall is 2.85m long and 0.46m to 0.56m wide and 0.9m high from the floor. The bench to the right of the main icon is 1.73m long and 0.25m to 0.45m wide and 0.87m high. The bench to the left of the main icon is 2.15m long and 0.54m to 0.62m wide and 0.74m high. In the extreme left end of the back wall are two niches, each around 1.15m by 0.77m and 0.73m deep. In the right sidewall are cut three niches. The niche near front wall is 0.53m by 0.42m and 0.29m deep. The central niche is 1.07m by 0.83m and 0.56m deep, while the third niche is 1.48m by 0.87m and 0.54m deep. All the niches touch the ceiling. Above the bench of the left sidewall near the back wall is cut an opening, which leads to the verandah of the next cave. The opening is around 1.56m high and 0.84m wide.
Middle storey
There are no proper stairs to reach the upper storey. Since this cave is slightly at a lower level and the ceiling of the lower storey is quite low, the upper storey of this cave is not very high as in the cases of Caves I and II. It can be reached by climbing the part of rock left to the right of Cave VI and then by using a flight of four crude steps cut on the rock above. This storey has a court, a verandah, a hall and a shrine (Fig. 56b).
The court is 7.5m wide along the back and 6.57m along the front. It is 2.06m deep along the right and 2.93m along the left.
The verandah, at present is open in the front. But a trace of a wall on the floor indicates that probably there was a parapet wall with an opening. On each sidewall, near the front is a pilaster. It has a square portion surmounted successively by a square portion; square block, square portion, kumuda moulding and ghata shaped capital (Fig. 56c). The verandah is 6.27m wide at the back and 5.5m at the front. It is 1.6m deep along the right side and 1.8m along the left. The ceiling is 2.07m high and has partially fallen. The doorway to the hall is simple and has door fittings in the form of rectangular groove on sidewall and the ceiling of the door, one on each side.
The hall is 3.86m wide along the back and 4.5m along the front. It is 3.04m deep along right and 3.62m along the left. The ceiling is 2.5m high. The shrine doorway has a single śākha carved with the design of lozenge alternating with circle. The door fittings are as in hall doorway.
The shrine is 2.94m wide and 2.6m deep along the right and 2.56m along the left. The ceiling is 2.1m high. The shrine is empty. On the floor, near the back wall is a small pit, perhaps to hold an image.
