Immediately to the south of the Barabar Peak there lies a small valley, or basin, nearly square in shape, and entirely surrounded by hills, except at two points on the north east and south east where walls have been built to complete the enclosure.

Towards the southern corner of the basin, there are two small sheets of clear water, which find an outlet under ground to the south east and re-appear in the sacred spring called as the Patal Ganga, where an annual fair is held in the month of Bhadrapada for the purpose of bathing. On this side is the principal entrance to the valley, which lies over large rounded masses of granite. One has to ascend a distance to reach the caves. Several buildings once adorned the pathway which is now in ruins. The caves in the Barabar hills are usually known as the Sapt-griha or sat-ghara.

There are four caves called as the Karna Chopar Cave, Sudama Cave, Lomas Rishi Cave and Vishwa Mitra or Vishwa Jhopri Cave on the Barabar hills. Three caves are on the adjoining Nagarjuni Hills of which the Gopi Cave is the largest. The other two are the Vapiya Cave and the Vadathi Cave.

To be continued.....