Cavernas de Marabar

A group of seven rock-cut caves in Bihar's Jehanabad district, India, recognized as the oldest surviving rock-cut caves in the country, dating to the Maurya Empire (3rd century BCE). Four caves sit on Barabar Hill (Karan Chaupar, Lomas Rishi, Sudama, Visvakarma) and three on nearby Nagarjuni Hill. Inscriptions record that Emperor Ashoka granted the Sudama Cave to Ajivika monks in 261 BCE. The interiors display the distinctive highly polished 'Mauryan polish' that creates remarkable acoustic effects. The Lomas Rishi Cave features the oldest chaitya arch in India, an architectural form that profoundly influenced later Buddhist rock-cut design.