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Site: Location and Importance
283 to the 16th century, also known from two inscriptions (Deo 1987: 3, 6-10). A number of Jaina icons, now kept in the recently renovated Mahavira temple, suggest that the town was an important Jaina centre in early medieval period. Two more inscriptions, a 11th century Kannada inscription on the pedestal of the Trivikrama temple, mentioning Kalachuri Mahamandalesvara Jogamarasa and a Marathi inscription of 1163 CE on a slab in the Maruti temple, mentioning some donations to the temples (Deo 1984b: 186-187) attest to the fact that the town continued to be an important centre. An 18th century mahatmya of Ter informs that the town contained tirthas on the Pipilika river, the Kalakunda, Nagavāpi and Kukulyakunda (Deo 1987: 3). Thus, the ancient city of Tagarapura with its strategic location continued to be an important city till about the 17th_ 18th centuries CE and also developed as a Brahmanical as well as Jaina tirtha. Dharasiva is very close to Ter. In fact, it was identified with Ter in medieval times. When King Siva informs Karakanda about the caves, they are said to be on the hill nearby. Some of the late Jaina icons, kept in Cave II, bear clear resemblance with the icons at Ter. Thus, the site must have been an important centre along with Ter.
Other architectural remains
The present site was an important Brahmanical religious centre as attested by a number of other caves in the surrounding hills. To the southwest of the present hill are excavated some caves, locally known as the Chambhar Lena. Most of these caves are crude excavations. One of the caves has icons of Saptamatrikas and Ganesa, while one cave houses a linga. A little away from this group is another group of caves, known as Lachandar Lena, excavated over a pool at the foot of the small waterfall. It consists of rough cells, difficult to date, but definitely ancient (Burgess 1878: 10-11). Among other architectural remains is Dhrtarashtra Nagadeva temple on the banks of river Bhogavati. which flows to the east of the Jaina caves, between two hills. This temple is said to be the 108th and the last tirtha along the river Bhogavati from its source somewhere in these hills. This tirtha is referred to in the Sahyadri khanda of the Skanda Purana and the Tuljapur mahātmya. It is a small cave like structure, housing a linga (Osmanabad District Gazetteer 1972: 792-793). However, the most important structure is a Siva temple right in front of Cave II. The temple can be dated to the Maratha period on stylistic grounds. It is an important religious centre even today. On special occasions, a large number of devotees, from Osmanabad and also far off places, flock to the site to worship the linga.
Thus, the reasons why the site was chosen were in all probability the strategic location on important route and proximity to the large city of Ter. Moreover, the region is not very hilly and whatever hills exist, are very distinct in the landscape. The ravine, in which the caves are excavated, is horseshoe-shaped and has a pond close by, which sustains water throughout the year. The river Bhogavati, with its source in these hills, must have been instrumental in attaching sanctity to the place. All these factors must have contributed in the choice of the site, which originally developed as a Jaina centre as the date of the caves suggests and eventually, emerged as a Brahmanical tirtha also.
