Son Bhandar : Architecturally similar to the ones at Barabar

Of the two caves the western one, called Son Bhandar, consists of a large, 34’ by 17’, and is provided with a doorway and a window. It is worth noting here that, as described by Kuraishi, the door “has sloping jambs, the width at the top being about 6 inches less than the width at the base,” which is 3’4” while the height is 6’6”. The roof is of arched shape with a rise of 4’10”, making the total height of the chamber 11’4”.” These are exactly the architectural features, quite characteristic and rarely to be found only at Barabar caves, hardly 20 miles towards west of Rajgir. What is most interesting is the fact that the cave is “highly polished” inside, an important characteristic of the Mauryan era cut caves. The polish, the vaulted roof and the sloping door jambs of the entrance leave no doubt about the architectural affinities of this cave with those at Barabar. 

In the opinion of Mr. Fergusson and Dr. Burgess, their construction is attributed to the period of the Maurya dynasty. Cunningham mentions “On Mount Baibhar there are five modern Jain temples, besides the ruins of an old Saiva temple, of which four granite pillars, 10 feet in height, are still standing, and 50 or 60 smaller pillars are lying confusedly about. At the southern foot of the mountain, the rock has a natural scarp for about 100 yards in length, which, at the western end, has been smoothed to a height of 19 feet, in front of which the rock has been cut away to form a level terrace 90 feet in length by upwards of 30 feet in breadth. Two caves have been excavated out of the solid rock behind; that to the west, now called the Son Bhandar, or “Treasury of Gold”, being 34 feet long by 17 feet broad, and that to the east perhaps somewhat fallen in naturally through the decay of the rock, or, which is more probable, was blown up by a zemindar in search of treasure, as related by Major Kittoe of the other cave.”