UPARKOT

The Buddhist caves of Uparkot in Gujarat’s Junagarh town date back to over 2,000 years ago. Evidence of the time of its origins can be found in the scribbles etched on the caves’ walls. They are separate sites of rooms, designed to be monks’ quarters that have been carved out of stone. The oldest, the Khapara Kodia caves, trace their origins to sometime between the 3rd and 4th centuries AD, and are also the plainest when it comes to design. Located in the northern part of Uparkot, the Khapara Kodia caves’ chambers are divided into an east-west longitudinal crest. The important parts of these caves include the rectangle western wing and the L-shaped wing used by monks as a shelter during the rains. These are counted among the area’s earliest monastic settlements.
Across Uparkot are the caves of Baba Pyara. These are located in close proximity to Modhimath, which has four caves in its northern section. There’s also a south set of caves comprising a unified plan with a spacious court and chaitya hall. The caves’ pillars and door jambs hearken back to the artistic traditions of the Satavahanas period. They date back to sometime between the 1st and 2ndcenturies AD. These caves have 13 rooms spread out across three stories which are cut into a rock about 150 feet high. They flaunt carvings of Buddhist symbology on their walls, making them an awe-inspiring place for mythology and architecture lovers.
The final set of caves is next to the Adi-KadiVav. These structures, at 1, 900 years, are the youngest from the entire collection!