Lomas Rishi, the Barabar Cave with the most elaborate timber-style facade and a frieze of elephants processing toward stupas, reveals a phased construction sequence: raw chisel marks on the vault, walls partially polished, an unfinished floor. A geological crack suggests a rockslide ended work. Historian John C. Huntington documented tool marks progressing from coarse to fine. The cave does carry six lines of Ashokan text on its facade. 🏗️
Unfinished Lomas Rishi cave preserves textbook Mauryan construction sequence
IndiaArchitecture
Key facts
- Lomas Rishi has the most elaborate exterior facade, imitating timber architecture with a frieze of elephants marching in procession
- Interior ceiling retains raw heavy percussion marks from iron chisels, and the floor has not been brought to final level, with a shallow sunken channel near the dividing wall showing ongoing work
- Walls are partially polished while the ceiling above remains rough, a sequence consistent with phased excavation before finishing
- A geological crack in the ceiling indicates a rockslide ended the project; the cave was never dedicated or inscribed
- Historian John C. Huntington documented tool mark progression from coarsest bulk-removal marks in the vault to finest detailing marks near polished zones
- Of seven caves, Lomas Rishi is the only complete one without an inscription; three on Nagarjuni Hill were inscribed by Ashoka's grandson Dasharatha about 30 years after Ashoka's Barabar dedications
Site mentioned
Sources
bam-investigations.com
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lifeonweekends.com
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irna.fr
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lah.ru
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geolines.ru
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(PDF) The Lomas Rishi Cave: Another look - Academia.eduacademia.edu
Situation of the Lomas the rock face. Inside, a single rectangular chamber runs parallel to the face of the out- cropping. Lomas Rsi cave, elephant procession.
Lomas Rishi Cave - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
The hut-style facade at the entrance to the cave is the earliest survival of the ogee shaped "chaitya arch" or chandrashala that was to be an important feature
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