The Ancient Caves of Rajgir

The hills of Rajgir are dotted with numerous caves and other features which have captured the human imagination since the most ancient times. A reading of the Buddhist chronicles and the travelogues of the Chinese pilgrims has assisted all surveyors in the identification of the ancient caves.

Sone Bhandar Cave

One of the earliest rock cut caves in India with the Treasure Mystery

Of the various caves of Rajgir, the most famous ones are the Son Bhandar and the Saptaparni. During my tour of Rajgir in September, 2011, I visited the Cave of Sone Bhandar. During the visit I was not fully aware of the historicity of the caves. Only later when reading the accounts of various visitors like Buchanan, Kittoe, Cunningham, Beglar and Stein could I fully appreciate how the mystery behind the origin of the caves were analysed by successive persons, and how much of the mystery still remains unresolved. I had visited the site since it figured in the list of sites to be visited in Rajgir, and further since it was easily approachable by road. During the visit, I found that the site was not very frequently visited by the normal tourists who continuously flock Rajgir in large numbers. Most of the tourists visiting Rajgir normally visit the Vishwa Shanti Stupa, a recent construction uphill, approached by a ropeway, the site being quite picturesque, with the sole ropeway of Bihar serving as the main tourist attraction.

Only a slight detour from the normal tourist route takes the visitor to the cave which is uniquely located at the base of the small hill called Vebhara or Vyavhara, and having been cut into the hill to make two main chambers. There are two rock cut caves, adjacent to each other, excavated on the southern face of the Vaibhara Hill, facing the western portion of the valley. Of them the western one is locally called as Son Bhandar i.e. “treasury of gold” cave. 

To be continued....