Son Bhandar Caves, Rajgir

The Son Bhandar caves, also Sonebhandar, are two artificial caves located in Rajgir in the state of Bihar in India. They belong to the Jains. The caves are generally dated to the 3rd or 4th century CE, based on the dedicatory inscription found in the largest cave which uses Gupta script of the 4th century CE, although some authors have suggested the caves could actually go back to the period of the Maurya empire from 319 to 180 BCE. The main cave is rectangular with a pointed ceiling, and the entrance is trapezoidal, reminiscent of the structure of the Barabar Caves. The quality of the polish and the finish are nevertheless much inferior ot that of the Barabar Caves. The stone of Son Bhandar is also much less hard than the granite of the Barabar caves, and therefore did not require the same degree of effort and technique. ()