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Jaina Rock-cut Caves in Western India
188 Cave VIII
This cave is not very regular. It has a verandah, a hall and a shrine. In front of the cave is a slightly raised, open courtyard (Fig. 59a). Outside the verandah, there are benches along sides and back.
The verandah is 4.88m wide along the back and 4.78m at the front. It is 1.77m deep on the right and 1.3m on the left. The ceiling is approximately 2.9m high. It is enclosed by low wall with an opening in the centre, which is not cut completely. There is a bench along the sidewall.
The hall doorway is comparatively simple (Fig. 59). It has four sakhas of ratna, padma, stambha and patra. The pilaster in the stambha sakha has a shaft rising in square block decorated with lozenges, antarpatta, a square portion carved with floral design, octagonal portion, round portion with square band in the middle, square moulding, kumuda and ghata shaped capital. The figures on the pedyā, uttaranga, mandaraka and a chandrašila are absent. In the place of the chandrašila is a rectangular slab. On the lintel is carved a figure of Ganesa. The door fittings are in the form of a rectangular groove on each sidewall of the door, near the ceiling. There is a groove in the middle of the sidewall also, but these do not correspond to each other.
The hall is 6.95m wide along the back and 5.95m at the front. It is 4.22m deep on the right and 4.3m on the left. The ceiling is 2.27m high. Along the back wall and the sidewalls, there are benches, running in uninterrupted line. There are 12 benches along the backwall, six on the each side of the shrine doorway and seven benches along each sidewall. The front of all the benches are carved with mouldings as in adhisthāna. They have bhitta, jadyakumbha, antarpatta, tripatta kumuda, antarpatta and kapota. All the benches have water chutes cut in the front with an opening on the sides to let the water out. All the benches have throne backs carved on the wall behind. All these benches must have been used to keep the loose icons. On the right back wall, there must have been kept an icon of a standing Jina as attested by higher throne back. Above all the benches are stone beams on the ceiling. To the left of the hall doorway, there is a niche. It is 2.4m long and 2.8m deep.
Almost in the centre of the hall, there are two pillars with a stone beam running between them on the ceiling. The pillar has a square base with the mouldings of antarpatta and kapota on the upper part. On the front of each face is a triangular plate. The shaft rises in a square block surmounted by an octagonal and a round portion. The brackets are rolled. The pillars are similar to the pillars in the hall of Cave VII.
The shrine doorway is similar to the hall doorway. But here, on the lower sill are carved two lozenges. The chandrašila is present here, which is similar to that in Cave VII. The figure in the lintel is not clear.
The shrine is 2.26m wide along the front and 2.06m along the back. It is 1.44m deep along the right and 1.5m along the left. The ceiling is 2.27m high. There is a bench along the back wall on which near the ceiling, there are three curves to indicate a throne back. On the throne are cut water chutes, one on each side. Near the water chute on the left is a small pit cut on the floor. The projection of the right chute opens into a small chute cut in the floor, which leads to the pit on the left.
