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The Satghara Caves were excavated in the 12th and 19th regnal years of Asoka. Those of Nagarjuni were excavated by Dasratha, grandson of Asoka. From the various inscriptions it is learnt that the caves were successively occupied by Buddhists and the Brahminists. They were originally excavated for occupation of Buddhist monks by Asoka and Dasratha, in the third century BC. About the third or fourth century AD, the kings Sardula Varma and Ananta Varma, placed images of Deva Mata Katyayani and of Mahadeva in three of the caves. At a somewhat later date, in the sixth or the seventh century, the teacher Yogananda recorded his adoration of the Siddheshwara Lingam. The occupation by Brahmins may account for the silence of Hieun Tsang regarding the caves, which being in the vicinity of Gaya, should have attracted his attention.
At a still later date, somewhere about the twelfth century, the Jogi-Karmamarga and the pilgrim Bhayankar Nath visited the caves and inscribed their names. Still later, the Nagarjuni Caves was occupied by Muslim Fakirs. The Idgah outside the Gopi Caves was said to be 150 years old when Cunningham visited in 1861, but the numerous graves on the raised terrace in front of the Vapiya Cave would seem to denote a much longer occupation of probably not less than 450 or 500 years. Even though Hieun Tsang has been silent about the caves, he has mentioned about a spring which can be identified as the Patal Ganga.
To be continued.....