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During successive occupation, the caves received new names, as not one of the ancient names recorded in the inscriptions has been preserved. Indeed the most ancient names were lost at an early date, since the Gopi cave is designated by Ananta Varma as “the cavern of the Vindhya mountains” and the Vadathi Cave as simply the “cave”. Similarly the Lomas Rishi Cave is called Pravara Giri Guha or “the great mountain cave”. The present names of the caves seem to be of a later date than Ananta Varma in 3rd or 4th century AD, and seem to be of Brahmanical origin. Karna is the ruler of Anga in the Mahabharat, while Lomas seems to be the same as Loma-Pada which is a descriptive appellation of a prince called Dasratha. The origin of the names remains mysterious.
The Karna Chopar Cave is situated in the northern face of the Barabar ridge of granite. The entrance faces the north. The Cave is about 33 feet 6.5 inches in length, by 14 feet in width and 10 feet 9 inches in height. The interior is polished and still gives a fresh feeling on being touched. On the outside, at the western corner of the entrance is a sunken tablet containing an inscription of five lines recording the excavation to the 19th regnal year of Asoka. The inscription has been highly damaged in several parts.
The Sudama Cave bears an inscription of two lines in ancient Pali. The inscription records the dedication of the Nigoha Cave by Asoka in his 12th regnal year. The cave consists of two chambers, of which the inner one is nearly circular with a hemispherical domed roof.
To be continued.....