Uparkot Caves

Plan of Uparkot caves; lower floor (left) and upper floor (right)

Upper floor of the Uperkot caves

Uparkot caves are ancient man-made caverns. The caves are a part of the Junagadh Buddhist Cave Groups situated in the eastern part of Junagadh of the Indian state of Gujarat.

Caves

These caves located at Uperkot beyond the 300 ft deep moat, close to Adi Kadi vav, were carved in 2nd–3rd century A.D. These caves have influence of Satvahana architecture with combination of Graeco- Scythian style.

According to ASI “The cave group is in three tiers, with all members of each galleries shown in semi-relief, but only two storeys having regular floors. The caves at Uparkot are cut into two floors. On the first floor, there is a Kunda, a deep tank about 11 feet square, with a covered verandah round three sides of it. There is a big chamber with six pillars supporting the roof adjoining it. Under the corridor, in the rest of the area, in the walls on the north-east and west sides are stone bench-recesses, divided into long compartments with a base moulded in architectural courses below, and a frieze above, ornamented with horseshoe shaped chaitya windows and checker carvings. On the lower floor, there are similar rooms, having a corridor, pillars supporting the floor above, stone bench-recesses and above them, the chaitya-window ornament.^[1][2][3]

The lower floor has exquisitely carved pillars whose base, shaft and capital carry unique decorative design. These caves are gilded with beautiful pillars and entrances, water cisterns, horseshoe shaped chaitya windows, an assembly hall and cell for meditation.^[1]

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Indian Buddhist caves
Andhra Pradesh	Adapur Caves Belum Caves Chandavaram Erravaram Caves Guntupalli Caves Kotturu Dhanadibbalu Pandavula Metta Caves Ramatheertham Caves Sankaram Undavalli caves
Bihar	Barabar Caves Lomas Rishi Cave Saptaparni Cave
Gujarat	Dhank Caves Junagadh Buddhist Cave Groups Bava Pyara caves Uparkot Caves Kadia Dungar caves Khambhalida Caves Sana Caves Siyot caves Talaja Caves
Karnataka	Aihole Badami cave temples Pandava caves Mangalore
Madhya Pradesh	Bagh Caves Dhamnar Caves Dharmrajeshwar Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary
Maharashtra	Ajanta Caves Bedse Caves Bhaja Caves Dharashiv Caves Elephanta Caves Ellora Caves Gandharpale Caves Ghorawadi Caves Jogeshwari Caves Kanheri Caves Karla Caves Karad Caves Kondana Caves Kuda Caves Lenyadri Mahakali Caves Mandapeshwar Caves Nadsur Caves Nenavali Caves Pandavleni Caves Panhalakaji Caves Pitalkhora Shelarwadi Caves Shirwal Caves Shivneri Caves Thanale Caves Tulja Caves Wai Caves
Odisha	Udayagiri, Odisha
Rajasthan	Binnayaga Buddhist caves Hathiagor Buddhist Caves Kolvi Caves
Tamil Nadu	Cave Temples of Mahabalipuram

References