Ancient peoples sometimes created amazing architectural structures. You can remember Stonehenge, Colosseum, Egyptian pyramids and much more. But not everyone has heard of the Drumar caves. They are located in India.
The purpose of their creation is still unclear.
One of the caves inside.
It is believed that they were created in the last centuries BC. An important role in this was played by the emperor Ashoka, who ruled in the middle of the 3rd century. BC e. By the way, the Nagarjuna caves are located nearby. But they were built later.
There are 4 drums caves: Sudama, Vishvajopri, Lomas Rishi, Karan Chaupar. They are artificial grottoes carved into the rock. The ancient masters put a lot of effort into their construction. The inner surface has been highly polished. There are arches at the entrance. For the approach to the grottoes, steps were cut right in the stone.
This kind of work requires incredible effort. You just have to smoothly polish the inner surface. Surely years were spent on creating the grottoes.
Entrance to one of the grottoes.
Why were these caves built? It can be assumed that Emperor Ashoka wanted to emphasize his power. The Egyptian pharaohs did something similar when they tried to create large pyramids. Ashoka needed to implement a complex project. Therefore, he ordered the creation of artificial grottoes. The job was really difficult, but it was successful. The ruler managed to emphasize his strength.
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This version has a weak point. The caves were built in hard-to-reach places. The area is sparsely populated. Who would admire the achievements of a ruler?
No traces of burial were found in the caves themselves. The suggestion that they played a similar role with the pyramids in Ancient Egypt can be dismissed.
Perhaps the grottoes were made for a religious purpose? This version is more attractive. After all, the sparsely populated area was well suited for rituals that were available only to some people.
View of the cave.
Proponents of alternative hypotheses also have their own point of view on this issue. The Mahabharata refers to the use of weapons that vaguely resemble nuclear weapons. The ruins of the ancient city of Mohenjo-Daro are cited as evidence. Destruction in it was strongest in the center and weakened towards the outskirts. So a version arose that there was an explosion, similar to a nuclear one.
It can be assumed that the Barabar caves could have been built as a bomb shelter. The version is interesting, but there are many questions for the alternatives. Why polish the surface inside the grottoes? Why build arches? If we are talking about a bomb shelter, then it must, first of all, be reliable. Beauty is useless here. And a much safer hiding place in the ground. Actually, bomb shelters are built in this way. If Ashoka really feared air strikes, then he should have created something like a bunker. Alas, the grottoes are not suitable for this role.
So, before us is another riddle. Time will tell if science can answer it.