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Jaina Rock-cut Caves in Western India dharmaśālā with all the modern facilities. Regular staffs are maintained at the dharmaśālā, who looks after the needs of the pilgrims. A number of people visit the site regularly from far off places. The local population of the Bhilwad village now sustains largely on these pilgrims, besides their regular occupations. A small booklet eulogising the site has been published and is distributed to the pilgrims by the Jaina organisation at the base of the hill. This booklet makes an interesting reading, revealing how a web of legends, stories and miracles are woven around a tirtha to emphasis its 'sacredness' and popularise it among the laity. Apart from providing brief description of the site, information about the surrounding area, details of the road routes to the site from important cities nearby, railway as well as bus time-table, ritual instructions and tracing the antiquity and history of the site, this book also narrates the miraculous experiences of some of the pilgrims like hearing mysterious musical sounds, encountering a lion and meeting dead relatives on the hills. The popular practice of keeping vows to fulfil desires is also encouraged and is proclaimed that blinds have received eyesight and handicapped people have started walking after keeping vow of this tirtha. One has to, of course, revisit the site after the desires are fulfilled and make elaborate donations. Interestingly, the site is said to have been visited by legendary Bhadrabahu of 4th century BC, while migrating to south India during the famous episode of famine in Magadha, a very commonly used device to attach sanctity to Jaina sites south of Vindhya. Another common practice is identifying the site with the most sacred tirtha of Jainas, Samedsikhara in Bihar and thus this site is called 'Samedsikhara of South'. Gradually, it is gaining popularity and more and more pilgrims visit it every year.
PANDU LENA
The conversion of a Buddhist cave to Jainism at the famous Buddhist site of Pandu Lena, took place in around 10th century CE. The site had been an important centre as attested by as many as twenty-four Buddhist excavations, many of which having obtained royal patronage (Fergusson and Burgess 1880: 270, 276, 278), belonging to both Hinayāna and Mahāyāna sects and stretching over a period of around 2nd century BC to 6th-7th century CE. However, when Jaina conversion took place, along with some Brahmanical additions, the site had ceased to be an active Buddhist centre.
The site held importance, mainly due to the fact that it was very close to Nasik, an important city throughout history, both as a commercial centre and more so as a pilgrimage centre. The town formed part of the Mulaka janapada during the reign of the Satavahanas (Mahajan 1989: 73). The city is mentioned in a number of early inscriptions from the western Indian caves, including two 125-100 FC inscriptions in the caves at Pandu Lena itself. In Chalukya and Rashtrakuta inscriptions, this region is mentioned as Nasikya visaya and Nasik deśa (Mahajan 1989: 98, 116, 134). The city was possibly the northern capital of the Chalukyas as suggested by the description of Hiuen Tsang (Sastri 1960: 218-219). The city held very strategic position as a number of routes passed through it such as the routes from Sopara to Bahal, Thane to Kolhapur etc. (Maurya 1998: 122)
More than this strategic location and urban nature, the sanctity of the town was held in high esteem. Situated on both banks of the river Godavari, the town is considered
