Vidisha Udaygiri Caves
UDAYGIRI CAVES :
13 km from Sanchi and 4 km from Vidisha are a group of rock-cut cave sanctuaries carved into a sandstone hill that stands sentinel-like on the horizon. An inscription in one of these states that it was produced during the region of Chandragupta II (382-401 AD), thus dating these caves to 4th-5th century AD. The caves possess all the distinctive features that gave Gupta art its unique vitality, vigour and richness of expression; the beautifully moulded capitals, the treatment of the inter columniation, the design of the entrance way and the system of continuing the architrave as a string-course around the structures. They have been numbered probably according to the sequence in which they were excavated, beginning with Cave 1, which has a frontage adapted out of a natural ledge of rock, thus forming both the roof of the cave and its portico. The row of four pillars bear the 'vase and foliage' pattern of which the eminent art historian Percy Brown so eloquently says: "the Gupta capital typifies a renewal of faith, the water nourishing the plant trailing from its brim, an allegory which has produced the vase and flower motif one of the most graceful forms in Indian architecture". The shrines are progressively more spacious and ornate. Cave No.9 is remarkable for its large ceiling and massive, 8 feet high pillars, its long portico and pillared hall. Throughout, there is evidence that the master craftsmen of Besnagar practised their art with skill and artistry under the Guptas, four centuries later. In Cave No.5, a massive carving depicts Vishnu in his Varaha avatar, aloft one tusk. Yet another stupendous sculptures is of the reclining Vishnu. Taken as a whole, this group is a rich representation of the vitality and strength of Gupta art and architecture.
HELIODOROUS PILLAR
HELIODOROUS PILLAR Close to the ruins are the remains of votive pillars with palm-leaf capitals; the only one that still stands is the Heliodorous Pillar, also known as Khamba Baba. A monolithic, freestanding column, the pillar bears an inscription which states that it was a Garuda Pillar, raised in honour of Vasudeva by Heliodorus, a resident of Taxila, who had been sent to the court of Bhagabhadra as an envoy of the Indo-Bactrian monarch, Antialkidas. This inscription is a particularly valuable historical record, revealing both the relations that existed between the region and the Greek kingdoms of the Punjab, and the remarkable fact that a Greek had become a follower of the Hindu god Vishnu. The inclusion of the name of Antialkidas dates the erection of the Pillar to approximately 140 BC. Architecturally, the Pillar, with its bell capital carrying a figured superstructure, resembles the Ashoka Pillar, but is much smaller in size, with more slender proportions. The lower portion of the shaft is octagonal, the upper sixteen-sided, with a panel above of thirty-two facets. The carvings have Buddhist motifs such as a border with geese in pairs as well as Hellenic ones such as the honeysuckle and the bead - moulding.
HOW TO REACH
BY AIR Nearest airport is at Bhopal (59 km via Diwanganj and 91 km via Raisen) which is connected with Delhi, Mumbai, Jabalpur, Gwalior and Indore.
BY RAIL Nearest railheads are at Vidisha (4 km) and Bhopal (91 km) which are on the Delhi-Chennai and Delhi-Mumbai mainline.
BY ROAD: Udaygiri is connected by bus with Bhopal, Vidisha, Raisen and Sanchi.
BEST SEASON
July to March.
13 km from Sanchi and 4 km from Vidisha are a group of rock-cut cave sanctuaries carved into a sandstone hill that stands sentinel-like on the horizon. An inscription in one of these states that it was produced during the region of Chandragupta II (382-401 AD), thus dating these caves to 4th-5th century AD. The caves possess all the distinctive features that gave Gupta art its unique vitality, vigour and richness of expression; the beautifully moulded capitals, the treatment of the inter columniation, the design of the entrance way and the system of continuing the architrave as a string-course around the structures. They have been numbered probably according to the sequence in which they were excavated, beginning with Cave 1, which has a frontage adapted out of a natural ledge of rock, thus forming both the roof of the cave and its portico. The row of four pillars bear the 'vase and foliage' pattern of which the eminent art historian Percy Brown so eloquently says: "the Gupta capital typifies a renewal of faith, the water nourishing the plant trailing from its brim, an allegory which has produced the vase and flower motif one of the most graceful forms in Indian architecture". The shrines are progressively more spacious and ornate. Cave No.9 is remarkable for its large ceiling and massive, 8 feet high pillars, its long portico and pillared hall. Throughout, there is evidence that the master craftsmen of Besnagar practised their art with skill and artistry under the Guptas, four centuries later. In Cave No.5, a massive carving depicts Vishnu in his Varaha avatar, aloft one tusk. Yet another stupendous sculptures is of the reclining Vishnu. Taken as a whole, this group is a rich representation of the vitality and strength of Gupta art and architecture.
HELIODOROUS PILLAR
HELIODOROUS PILLAR Close to the ruins are the remains of votive pillars with palm-leaf capitals; the only one that still stands is the Heliodorous Pillar, also known as Khamba Baba. A monolithic, freestanding column, the pillar bears an inscription which states that it was a Garuda Pillar, raised in honour of Vasudeva by Heliodorus, a resident of Taxila, who had been sent to the court of Bhagabhadra as an envoy of the Indo-Bactrian monarch, Antialkidas. This inscription is a particularly valuable historical record, revealing both the relations that existed between the region and the Greek kingdoms of the Punjab, and the remarkable fact that a Greek had become a follower of the Hindu god Vishnu. The inclusion of the name of Antialkidas dates the erection of the Pillar to approximately 140 BC. Architecturally, the Pillar, with its bell capital carrying a figured superstructure, resembles the Ashoka Pillar, but is much smaller in size, with more slender proportions. The lower portion of the shaft is octagonal, the upper sixteen-sided, with a panel above of thirty-two facets. The carvings have Buddhist motifs such as a border with geese in pairs as well as Hellenic ones such as the honeysuckle and the bead - moulding.
HOW TO REACH
BY AIR Nearest airport is at Bhopal (59 km via Diwanganj and 91 km via Raisen) which is connected with Delhi, Mumbai, Jabalpur, Gwalior and Indore.
BY RAIL Nearest railheads are at Vidisha (4 km) and Bhopal (91 km) which are on the Delhi-Chennai and Delhi-Mumbai mainline.
BY ROAD: Udaygiri is connected by bus with Bhopal, Vidisha, Raisen and Sanchi.
BEST SEASON
July to March.
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