There are three groups of caves in the precipitous scarp of the hills to the north of Aurangabad, scattered over a distance of a mile and a half. The 1st and 2nd groups are Buddhist and of late date; but it is not clearly known to what faith the 3rd group belongs, as the caves are unfinished and have no sculpture. The 1st group consists of five caves, situated about 300 feet above the plain. Commencing from the west, Cave I. has a front 74 feet long, and had four advanced pillars forming a porch. The verandah is 76 feet 5 inches by 9 feet, and has eight pillars, each with square bases, round or polygonal shafts of four different patterns, and bracket capitals with struts under each wing carved mostly with female figures. The style is similar to what is found in Cave I. and in other excavations near the eastern extremity at Ajanta, belonging to the seventh century A.D. The cave was intended for a twenty-eight pillared vihara, but only 9 feet of the front aisle was cleared out. The back wall of the verandah is pierced with three doors and two windows. The centre door has a good deal of carving on the jambs, and male and female figures stand on the ends of the threshold. The windows also are carved. The architrave and lintel are divided into a number of compartments, each containing a pair of figures in amative relations. A semicircular roll member comes next, and beyond it is a broader one of leaves. At the west end, between the window and the door, is Buddha on the lotus seat, attended by chauri-bearers. The lotus seat is supported by figures having five snake hoods over their heads. A row of seven sitting Buddhas is at the left end of the wall outside the verandah, with a standing Bodhisattva at each end.
