Barabar caves, Bihar, India

Lomas Rishi cave
Barabar

This post is in continuation to my earlier post on my Bihar trip. Our next stop was Kumrahar excavation site which happens to be the site of ancient Pataliputra. We spent some time going through excavations. We set off from there around 1.30 pm. After doing another  60 kms, we reached Jehanabad at around 2.30 pm. Barabar caves are located in Jehanabad district of Bihar.

Barabar caves, are believed to be the oldest surviving rock-cut caves from the Mauryan period. Some the caves have Ashokan inscriptions on them. The amazing part of these caves were the inside walls, they looked so new and were shining as if they were recently polished. It is unbelievable that something so old (322-185 BC) can look so new! I think the answer lies in the fact that it is carved out of granite and therefore looks so new and polished!

Out of the four caves of Barabar hill, we saw The Lomas Rishi and Sudama caves. A must visit if you like ancient structures; after all, these caves are one of a kind. The only thing you need to consider is the roads, while returning from Barabar, we decided to take a shorter route because it was getting dark and we had to reach, Bodh Gaya, our next destination. We made a huge mistake, we took a road that was almost non-existent, negotiating through it was really tough and we reached Bodh Gaya after 10 pm! After that experience, we decided not to take any short cuts:)

On the way to Barabar hills

Barabar caves

Entrance to the cave

work on the arch

Inscription on the
entrance arch