xlvili Archaeological Survey Report. 
to the age of the Guptas. According to Buchanan this cave is called 
Mirza Mandai, or the “ Mirza’s house.” 
122. The third cave of the Nagarjuni group is situated imme- 
diatly to the westward of the last cave, in a gap, or natural cleft of 
the rock, which has probably been enlarged by art. ‘The entrance to 
the cave les in this gap facing the east. It is a mere passage, only 
2 feet 10 inches in width and 6 feet 14 inch in height, with a 
length of 7 feet 2 inches on the northern side, and of 5 feet 9 inches 
on the southern side. There are socket holes both above and below 
for the reception of a wooden door. The cave itself is 16 feet 4 
inches by 4 feet 3 inches; but it has been divided into two rooms by 
a rude brick wall. This must have been the work of some ascetic 
of former days, as the only opening to the inner room appears to be 
too small for the passage of any grown-up man, and could only have 
been used by the occupant for the reception of food. On the right 
hand jamb of the door-way there is an inscription of four lines in the 
old Pali characters of Asoka’s edicts, in which this cave is called 
the Vadithikd-kubha. The remainder of the record is letter for 
letter the same as those of the Gopt and Vapiya caves. The mean- 
ing of the name of Vaditht I am not able to explain. The root Vada 
means to separate or divide, to surround or encompass, and also to 
cover. Any one of these meanings might be appropriately applied as 
descriptive of the peculiar position of this cave, for it is entirely 
separated from the other cave, it is encompassed by the bluff rocks 
of the gap in which it is situated, and is so effectually covered or 
screened from view, that it altogether escaped the notice of Mr. 
Hathorne when he made copies of the inscriptions in the Gopi and 
Vapiya caves for James Prinsep. I think therefore that the term 
secluded would be descriptive of the position of the cave, and I would 
suggest that Vadithika may probably be a vernacular form of vada 
+ arthika, the whole meaning simply the cave of the “secluded 
mendicants.” According to Buchanan this cave is called the abode 
of Haji Harmayan. 
123. From the foregoing account of the Bardbar caves it will 
be seen that the two groups are separated by date as well as by posi- 
tion, the Satghara caves having been excavated in the 12th and 19th 
years of Raja Piyadasi (or Asoka) while those of Nagdrjuni were 
excavated in the first year of Dasaratha, the beloved of the Devas. 
