Bandhavgarh Ancient Caves

There are 39 historical caves in the Bandhavgarh National Park hills. Among them some of the caves are natural and some are man-made. While doing the park safari, especially during Bandhavgarh Fort Safari, one can notice such caves made on sand-stone hillocks. Caves are of varying sizes. Natural caves are narrow & small used by tigers & other wild animals for shelter. If we see the man-made caves, we can notice that they are broad & large enough to make room for human beings to stand. The oldest caves appear to be as ancient as the first century A.D.

Some of the caves carry inscriptions in Brahmi script (prevails in ancient India). Some caves also have embossed figures such as those of tiger, wild boar, elephant and horsemen. Presence of Elephant figures proves that this forest was natural habitat of wild elephants. Badi gufa, the largest of the caves with a broad entrance, has nine small rooms and several pillars. It has been dated back to the 10th century AD. it is spacious and has adequate vertical room for a person of average height to stand and walk. It is visible from the fort, which probably signifies its strategic location. The cave appears to be primitive , lacking the elaborate statues and carvings seen in the caves of the Buddhist period. Its purpose remains a mystery, although initially it could have been used by monks for spiritual pursuits and later by the army for strategic purposes. On the way to fort, we can notice small caves which are not so deep, such caves are used for lightening the way to fort during darkness. As hills in the tiger reserves are of sand-stone, they are cool from inside and offers comfortable stay during summers with plenty of water sources around it. At present, most of the caves are being used by wildlife - from bats to tigers.