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Jogighopa Cave Temples
In short
There are good proofs that ancient states in Assam belonged to cultural realm of Indian subcontinent. One of such proofs is unusual monument at the northern bank of Brahmaputra river in Jogighopa – five rock-cut chambers – Jogighopa Cave Temples. Visually these structures are incomparable to unbelievable achievements of art and engineering in Ellora or Ajanta – these are just plain chambers cut in grey rock. But technically they are a part of Indian rock-cut temple tradition, albeit the only ones in Assam.
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In detail
These caves belong to the best-preserved examples of the architecture of the Salasthambha period or Mlechchha dynasty, ruling the ancient Assamese state of Kamarupa in 655 – 900 AD. Ascetics used these chambers for meditation also in later times. Even the name of Jogighopa comes from these caves – this name means approximately “cave of mendicants”.
The best-preserved chamber is 2.6 m wide, 1.8 m deep and up to 1.9 m high, with a slightly concave ceiling. In front of it, there is verandah – 75 cm long and 35 cm wide. In later times there has been added a platform of brick and mud. An interesting detail is a ledge around the entrance – it drains the rainwater away from the cave. Otherwise, the cave has no ancient adornment. A rock-cut flight of steps is placed in the front of the cave.
Other caves are smaller. One of the caves has flights of stone-cut steps on either side of the entrance.
References
- Jogighopi Cave Temples, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts. Image gallery.
Linked articles
Wonders of India
India is the seventh-largest country in the world by area, and, naturally, such a large area contains a huge amount of exciting attractions…
Wondermondo considers that India is the second richest center of architectural heritage in the world after Europe and maybe no single country in the world can match it in this respect.
Buddhist shrines
Buddhism is one of the world religions and at the same time is a spiritual philosophy with diverse traditions, beliefs, and practices. There exists a rich tradition of architecture expressed in Buddhist temples and monasteries.
Rock-cut architecture and sculptures
Rock-cut architecture is a very ancient form of architecture – the oldest structures are more than 5 thousand years old. The resistivity of the natural stone and the constant climate inside these structures has preserved many art values around the world.
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