Dharashiv Caves

The Dharashiv Caves are a group of seven rock-cut caves in the Balaghat hills, 8 km from Dharashiv (Osmanabad) in Maharashtra. They are believed to date from around the 5th to 7th centuries and are a protected site of the state government. James Burgess recorded them in his survey of Maharashtra's caves.

Whether they are Buddhist or Jain has long been argued. Some hold they began as Jain caves because of the many Digambara tirthankara figures in khadgasana and kayotsarga postures; Burgess concluded they were Buddhist in the 5th century, with some caves added for Jain monks under the Rashtrakutas in the 10th. Cave 1 has 20 pillars, and Cave 3 resembles it. Cave 2, one of the main caves, follows the plan of the Vakataka caves at Ajanta: an 80-foot-square hall with 14 cells for monks and a shrine holding a seated Buddha in padmasana. The later caves are Jain.