Bengaluru: Ancient humans of various civilisations have left pretty elaborate and eloquent testimonies of their fascination with and ability to give shape to rocks.
Historically, human ability to build or enhance the beauty of this world through their creativity has been near miraculous. What is particularly awe-inspiring is the human ability to build and carve with bare hands stunning edifices that often compliment divine creation.
Invariably reserving this ability of moulding the rocks to express their devotion to the divine or the appreciation of the departed, humans have carved out many memorable monuments.
From Petra and Madain Saleh in Jordan and Saudi Arabia respectively to Abu Simbel in Egypt and China’s Longmen and Yungang Grottoes, the hands that reshaped living rocks have left the connoisseurs of archaeology and laymen alike in awe.
Turkey’s Lycian Tombs and Churches of Goreme are no less fascinating either, while India’s Ajanta and Ellora caves leave the visitors simply speechless.
A cursory look at history shows that humans have always inherently felt the need to acknowledge the divine and express their gratitude and this urge has been expressed in the form of some of the most magnificent structures.
Man’s devotion to devotional architecture is evident in the most stunning manmade structures across history that have survived the test to time.
From burial chambers and monasteries to temples and meditation centres, some of the greatest surviving heritage structures have invariably been religious monuments or buildings dedicated to the expression of spirituality and India leads in this by far!
No nation even comes close to India in the spiritual heritage it has inherited. And none has the diversity in spiritual heritage like India, with great monuments dedicated to all most all of the world’s greatest spiritual traditions.
However, the most unique among India’s spiritual structures is the caves of devotion. India is known for its vast networks of manmade cave systems such as Ajanta, Elephanta and Ellora in Maharashtra, Udayagiri and Khandagiri in Odisha, Badami in Karnataka and many other smaller rock-cut chambers of spirituality in other parts of the country.
Spiritual harmony
Among the lesser known rock-cut wonders is a set of caves in the village of Undavalli, near the city of Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh.
Depicting an uncanny resemblance to many of the similar cave monuments in India and beyond, particularly the Buddhist cave carvings of China and Southeast Asia, the sculpted rocks of Undavalli speak volumes not just of the skills of the local sculptors, but also about the spiritual connect with the larger world.
Overlooking the alluring Krishna river and surrounded by lush greenery, this sandstone wonder stands out not just in stark contrast to what is around it, but also for what it represents.
It is a tribute to the human ability to express its devotion or make spaces for its spirituality in shapes only a human being can imagine.
Though, much simpler in design and considerably smaller in scale when compared to India’s more famous caves, these multi-storied structures are no less significant.
Originally carved out for Jain monks, these caves began takin shape in the fourth century and kept on expanding, getting more elaborate expressions with time.
And with time, the religious inclinations also seemed to have shifted, with Buddhist and Hindu influences adding to the spiritual harmony of the place.
Associated with the fourth century Vishnukundina Kingdom, this archeological marvel has architectural influences from the Gupta and Chalukya period as well.
Dedicated to Ananta Padmanabha and Narasimha, the carvings depict many stories from Ramayana as well.
Monolithic marvel
A monolithic structure with dozens of caves and meditation chambers dedicated to deities of different faiths, Undavalli’s biggest attraction is the idol of Vishnu carved out of a single granite in a reclining position.
The four-storey structure, with underground cells and rock cut Buddhist meditations spaces carved into sand stone, is in a decent state of conservation.
However, fine details of many of its carvings on the outer rocks seem quite weather-beaten and need the attention of conservationists.
Undavalli Caves and other ancient monuments in different parts of India demonstrate the great human ability to be creative while respecting the delicate balance that is the essence of nature.
In fact, the whole idea of carving out these elaborate chambers from bare rocks was to be in sync with nature, to be mindful of the divine energy that moulded these rocks in the first place and to pay tribute to the powers of nature.
However, modern building activities across the world have become increasingly destructive and subversive of the natural order, quite out of mould from the long-held building heritage of ancient humans.
Despite the unimaginable recent progress, modern humans have a thing or two to learn about the art of sustainable building from their more industrious and skilful ancestors.
