The Age of the Bagh Caves
Summary
The article "The Age of the Bagh Caves" by V.V. Mirashi reviews previous estimates for the age of the rock‑cut Bagh caves and uses newly discovered epigraphic evidence to refine the chronology. Scholars such as Fergusson, Burgess, and Vincent Smith had dated the caves anywhere between A.D. 350 and 500, often by comparing their style and decoration with those of Ajanta. Mirashi notes that earlier estimates were speculative because there were no local inscriptions. He highlights a copper‑plate grant found in Cave I of Bagh, issued by a king named Subandhu of Mahismati, which records the donation of the village Dasithakapalli to Buddhist monks. The plate is dated to year 167 of the Kalachuri‑Chedi era, corresponding to around A.D. 416–417, suggesting that at least some of the caves were already excavated by the early fifth century. Mirashi compares the paleography and terminology of this inscription with other grants from the Khandesh region to argue that Subandhu likely ruled independently after the decline of Abhira power and that his dating does not fit the Gupta era. The article examines the political context of the region, noting that the Gupta Empire’s influence weakened in Central India after the Hun invasions and that the Kalachuris subsequently controlled the area. Mirashi also situates the Bagh caves within the broader development of rock‑cut architecture, showing that they occupy an intermediate stage between the earlier Buddhist viharas at Nasik and the later richly ornamented caves at Ajanta. The presence of a chapel and a caitya (stupa) in Cave 2, with figures of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas along the vestibule walls, indicates a transitional design. By integrating architectural analysis with epigraphy, the article concludes that the Bagh caves were probably excavated toward the end of the fourth century or very early in the fifth century. This new chronology pushes their date back by nearly a century compared with earlier assessments and helps explain stylistic features that prefigure the Ajanta caves.
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Conclusion
Using a newly discovered copper‑plate grant of Subandhu, Mirashi refines the dating of the Bagh caves to around A.D. 400. The grant, issued in year 167 of the Kalachuri‑Chedi era, shows that Buddhist monasteries already existed at Bagh in the early fifth century. Mirashi argues that Gupta influence had declined in the region and that the caves belong to a period when local dynasties like the Abhiras and Kalachuris were ascendant. Architecturally the caves form a transitional stage between the early vihara‑style caves at Nasik and the more elaborate Ajanta caves.