Archeological Survey Report. xlix 
According to the Vishnu Purana, Daseratha was the grandson of 
Asoka and the son of Suyasas; and as the son of Asoka, according 
to the Vayu Purana, reigned only eight years, the accession of Dasa- 
ratha must have taken place in 214 B. C. The age of the Nagar- 
juni caves is therefore 31 years later than that of the Karna-chopar, 
and 88 years later than that of the Sudama and Viswa caves. 
124. Fyrom the various inscriptions we learn that these caves have 
been successively occupied by Buddhists and by Brahmanists. They 
were originally excavated for the occupation of Buddhist monks by 
the Kings Asoka and Dasaratha in the 3rd century before Christ. 
About the 3rd or 4th century after Christ, the Kings Sérdula Varm- 
ma and Ananta Varmma, placed Brahmanical images of Deva-mdtd, 
of Kdtydyani, and of Mahddeva and his wife in three of the caves. At 
a somewhat later date, in the 6th or 7th century, the teacher Yoga- 
nanda recorded his adoration of the Siddheswara lingam. This occu- 
pation by Brahmans in the 7th century may account for the silence 
of the Chinese pilgrin Hwen Thsang regarding the caves, which, as 
being in the immediate neighbourhood of Gaya, would otherwise 
have attracted his attention. Ata still later date, somewhere about 
the 12th century, the Jogi-Karmamdrga and the pilgrim Bhayankara 
Natha visited the caves and inscribed their names. Still later the 
Nagarjuni caves were occupied by Musalman Pakirs. The Idgah 
outside the Gopi cave is said to be only 150 years old, but the 
numerous graves on the raised terrace in front of the Vapiya cave 
would seem to denote a much longer occupation of probably not less. 
than 300 or 400 years. 
125. During this successive occupation the caves would appear 
to have received new names, as not one of the ancient names record- 
ed in the inscriptions has been preserved. Indeed the most ancient 
names would seem to have been lost at avery early date, for the Gop 
eave of Dasaratha is designated by Ananta Varmma as “ this cavern of 
the Vindhya mountains,” and the Vadzthi cave is called simply “ this 
cave,” as if the ancient names had already been forgotten. Similarly 
the Lomas Rishi cave is called Pravara-giri-guha, or “the great 
mountain cave.” From these instances I would infer that the present 
names of the caves are all of later date than the time of Ananta 
Varmma in the 3rd or 4th century. That they were also of Brah- 
manical origin scems to me to be quite certain for the following 
an 
