Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Undavalli Caves

The Undavalli Caves is an example of Indian rock-cut architecture and a finest testimonial of ancient vishwakarma sthapathis, are located in the village of Undavalli in Tadepalli Mandal in Guntur District, near the southern bank of Krishna river, in the state of Andhra PradeshIndia.
These caves have been carved out of solid sandsone on a hillside in the 4th to 5th centuries A.D. Undavalli caves are associated with the Vishnukundina  kings of 420 to 620 A.D. They are dedicated to Anantapadmanabha Swamy and Narisimha Swamy
Main cave belongs to the earliest examples of Gupta  architecture, primarily primitive rock-cut monastery cells carved into the sandstone hills. Initially caves were shaped as a Buddhist monastery and the first floor still retains style of Buddhist vihara, including some Buddhist sculptures