Caves of Barabar and Nagarjuni

The Caves of Barabar and Nagarjuni are a group of seven rock-cut granite caves with polished interior walls situated inside the twin hills of Barabar (Lomas Rishi, Sudama, Karan Chaupuar, Visva) and Nagarjuni (Gopi-ka-Kubha, Vadithi-ka-Kubha, Vapiya-ka-Kubha) in the Makhdumpur region of Jehanabad district, Bihar, India, typically dated to the Maurya Empire (322–185 BCE) and thought to be imperially-sponsored religious sites, crafted during the reign of the third Mauryan Emperor Ashoka and his inheritors and used by members of the Ajivika school. They are believed to be the oldest surviving artificial caves of the Indian rock-cut architectural tradition.

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 * &mdash; written for the directors of the East India Company