UNDAVALLI CAVES

These monolithic caves of the^5th century would have been cut to accomodate a Buddhist monastery before becoming a Hindu temple in the 7th century. The main cave, 4 stories high, is one of the first testimonies of the Gupta architecture. It shelters a statue carved in the rock of Vishnu lying down. The sculptures and interior ornamentation mix Buddhist, Jain and Hindu styles. One thus passes from a sculpture of Buddha, to the representation of a tirthankar (holy man of Jainism) to the statue of the god Vishnu.