'The whole world is but one family' - Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia

Evolution of Cave Temples
The presence of so many cave temples
dedicated to Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism
in Western Maharashtra point to the fact that
true religion is faith and living in the presence of God.
These caves also tell us that all religions are equal in
the sense that they try to meet the felt need of humans
for spiritual progress.
The question that comes up in one’s mind is why
there is concentration of so many cave temples in one
area and how long has the evolution been going on.
As all the three main prevailing religions of India
co-existed, some of the striking similarities in terms
of architecture as well as icons seem to suggest that
all of them were tolerated, accepted or welcomed
by all. What is it that has caused this religious
tolerance and how did the architectural and iconic
similarity permeate each other’s field? Before going
into the details, it is necessary to walk through the
evolutionary path that man took to reach the stage of
carving a permanent shelter in existing rocks or hills.
Starting with the evolution of human beings, evolution
of human dwelling also was taking place. As the
human being evolved into a different social animal,
he chose to protect himself and his family from the
wild animals, the harsh climates and the blazing sun.
This he did by erecting a roof over him. Over a period,
this plain roof became a mud, mortar and wooden
architecture. The improvement in the architectural
design of mud and wooden/thatched homes also
influenced the temple architecture, though made of
the same material.
In the beginning, it was functional, just to provide
a home. Later, the sunlight and ventilation were
controlled and windows were added. Then a place of
worship was added, at a higher level, as God should
be at a higher level than the human being. Therefore,
temples became more ornate and were placed on an
elevation. Another reason for elevating the abode of
God was, the notion that God lives in heaven, which
is supposed to be high above. This was the religious
zeal along with man’s need for aesthetic beauty in the
house as well as outside his house, i.e., his relation
with God.
What better place can there be than a hill or mountain
to give that desired elevation for God’s abode to
signify his superior existence? Also to indicate that
one has to make an effort to get to God, all these cave
temples were situated away from the town or city,
neither too close nor too far.
Perhaps another reason was to maintain a distance
-Rajeswari Raghu
from the laymen. Or was it a test for the monks and
the sanyasis who lived closer to the Hindu caves?
Interestingly, some of the Hindu caves have Mithuna
couples in the main temples, a self test whether the
grahasthashrama period is over, or some worldly
desires were still left. As the sculptors became more
adept in ornated figures and structures, a permanent
and secure place was needed to express the devotion
or bhakti on a permanent basis. Granites, marbles and
other soft stones were already in experimental use
along with different wood.
Another happy situation was that India was going
through a prosperous period. There was political
stability, religious freedom, tolerance towards other
religions and above all, there was royal patronage. A
new type of artists and the guild system came up which
wanted them to try their hands at different things.
The followers of all the three religions, i.e., Hinduism,
Buddhism and Jainism were rich in religious scriptures,
and were also competing with each other in selecting
and establishing or building places of worship. The
prosperity also encouraged trade with far off places.
These trades resulted in “trade routes”, which also
connected the Buddhist cultural centres. There is a
suggestion that the land trade routes covered Lumbini
(present Nepal), Samarkand (present Afganisthan) and
Dvarkavrata (present Dwarka). The Buddhist monks
travelled to other centres so did the traders. Both
needed each other. There were sea routes also through
which business was carried out with Sri Lanka, and
Arab countries.
Why Cave Temples?
As India was becoming prosperous through trade,
more people had to travel from place to place. These
trade travels took a long time to complete and on the