Cave Dedication by the Mauryan Kings

Summary

This article examines a series of inscriptions recording the dedication of rock-cut caves by Mauryan rulers and explores what these dedications reveal about early religious patronage. The author first discusses Emperor Aśoka’s donations. In his twelfth regnal year, Aśoka dedicated the Sudamā and Viśva Jhopari caves in the Barabar Hills to the Ājīvikas, a heterodox ascetic sectfile:///home/oai/share/jain_journal_1987_10_520088_hr6_ocred.pdf#:~:text=Cave%20Dedication%20by%20the%20Mauryan,The%20Sudama%20cave%20seems%2010. The dedicatory inscriptions are among the earliest known Indian cave records. In his nineteenth year, Aśoka dedicated two more caves—Kāraṇ Chaupar and Lomas Ṛṣi—again specifying that they were for Ājīvika asceticsfile:///home/oai/share/jain_journal_1987_10_520088_hr6_ocred.pdf#:~:text=Cave%20Dedication%20by%20the%20Mauryan,The%20Sudama%20cave%20seems%2010. The inscriptions often wish that the retreats should last “as long as the sun and moon endure,” indicating both the ruler’s devotion and his desire for the caves to serve as permanent sanctuariesfile:///home/oai/share/jain_journal_1987_10_520088_hr6_ocred.pdf#:~:text=Dasaratha%2C%20the%20other%20king%20of,The. After Aśoka, his grandson Daśaratha continued the tradition. Inscriptions at Nāgārjunī Hills record that Daśaratha donated three caves to the Ājīvikas and to “the saints,” suggesting an openness to multiple sects and perhaps an early connection with Jain monksfile:///home/oai/share/jain_journal_1987_10_520088_hr6_ocred.pdf#:~:text=Dasaratha%2C%20the%20other%20king%20of,The. The author argues that the similarity between Ājīvika and Jain austerities—both emphasize strict asceticism and non-possessiveness—facilitated the sharing of monastic shelters and may have led some Ājīvikas to merge into Jainismfile:///home/oai/share/jain_journal_1987_10_520088_hr6_ocred.pdf#:~:text=Now%20a%20natural%20question%20arises,in%20support%20of%20their%20evidences. The article situates these dedications within the broader context of Mauryan religious policy. While Aśoka is famous for his support of Buddhism, the cave inscriptions show that he also patronized other ascetic communities. By providing permanent dwellings in the granite hills of Barabar and Nāgārjunī, the Mauryas pioneered Indian rock-cut architecture, using iron tools to excavate polished chambers with barrel-vaulted ceilings. The author notes that the Barabar caves served as prototypes for later Buddhist and Jain caves at places like Ajanta and Ellora. Through epigraphic analysis, the article reconstructs chronology: the sequence of Aśoka’s inscriptions indicates a sustained relationship with the Ājīvikas over at least seven years, and Daśaratha’s inscriptions suggest continuity of patronage. The article concludes that these cave dedications demonstrate both the religious tolerance of the Maurya dynasty and the importance of the Ājīvika movement in early Indian asceticism.