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Site: Location and Importance
307 routes. Many of these were capital cities, while some were religious centres. Since the sites were situated on strategic locations, many of them were protected by forts, built either on the same hill as the caves or nearby. The close relationship between caves and forts is apparent in the cases of Patne, Anjaneri, Ankai-Tankai, Tringalwadi, Daulatabad, Chandor, Bhamer and Nandgiri. Though most of these forts post-date caves and appear to have been built in the Muslim period as the present day architecture indicates, the strategic significance of the site must have made them important localities from ancient times.
Apart from these materialistic factors, some psycho-symbolic factors also seem to have been responsible in considering a site a sacred place. Water, mostly in the form of a river flowing nearby seems to have been considered most sacred and played an important in the selection of a site. Dharashiva, Ambejogai, Ellora, Patne, Mohida-all these sites have rivers flowing nearby. Though river Godavari flows a little away from Pandu Lena, the sanctity attached to the area because of the river must have played a role. The source of the river was held in high esteem. Anjaneri developed as an important religious centre primarily due to its proximity to Tryambakesvara, the source of Godavari river. The hills preferred for the excavation of Jaina caves are some of the highest hills in the state, like Mangi-Tungi and Anjaneri. The distinct shapes of peaks at Mangi-Tungi and Anjaneri, the isolated conical shaped hill of Chambhar Lena, pyramid shaped triple hills in the case of Pandu Lena must have played some role in their emergence as sacred places due to their uniqueness and striking appearance in the surrounding landscape.
At least four of these cave-sites such as Dharashiva, Ellora, Mangi-Tungi and Chambhara Lena developed as tirthas. Of these, Dharashiva was probably only locally important as it is mentioned in only one text, while the other three were celebrated places and were frequented by the pilgrims from all parts of the country. Mangi-Tungi and Chambhara Lena emerged as 'siddhakşetra', a place from where monks, acharyas and other legendary personalities achieved nirvana. These sites are still popular tirthas and are associated with munis. The presence of a number of acharya figures and pādukās at these sites indicate that probably these hills were originally used by the monks for penance and some of them could have breathed their last here. The possibility of a few of them following ritual death or sallekhanā cannot be ruled out. That is why these hills acquired the sanctity and were elaborated upon by adding caves and icons and later on evolved into pilgrimage places.
While most of the sites were centres of both Brahmanism and Jainism, some of the sites like Mangi-Tungi, Chambhar Lena, Mohida were exclusively Jaina. In fact, some fifty years ago, Hindus were prohibited to go to Mangi-Tungi on the grounds that the peaks represented Siva lingas and how could any Hindu trod on them (Naravane 1995: 45). The main reason behind such a taboo appears to have been the fact that the site was exclusively Jaina.
Thus, the factors behind the selection of a site were multiple, closely inter-related and inter-dependent in most cases.
