To the north of the city of Gaya, located in the Indian state of Bihar, there is a rocky ridge over 3 kilometers long. It is in this ridge that the oldest preserved in India cave monastery Barabar is located. 4 caves have been carved into the rock, dating back to the reign of the first monarch to adopt Buddhism as the official religion, King Ashoka the Great (268-232 BC) and his successor Dasharatha (232-225 BC).
Along with the two Son Bhandar Caves in Rajgir, they are the oldest cave temples in India.
Barabar Monastery is considered Buddhist. This monastery originally belonged to the Ajivika sect, which is a direct competitor to Buddhism, during the reign of King Ashoka. However, these 4 caves were donated by King Ashoka to this sect. This is evidenced by the records made on the walls. One of the most important mysteries of the Barabar caves is the origin of perfectly flat walls, semicircular in shape.
The first to the entrance, on the southern side of the rock, is the western cave. It is located almost symmetrically to the longitudinal axis of the rock and is called Sudama. The entrance to Sudama is a perfectly rectangular and at the same time simple opening. Inside the cave, tourists will find themselves in two rooms. The first room is 3.5 meters high and 10 by 5.8 meters in size.
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The eastern wall of this hall is rectilinear, while the western one, on the contrary, is convex with an arched dome. Such an unusual shape of the wall appeared due to the second room, completely round, with a diameter of 5.8 m. Soudam Cave is the best preserved, it looks perfect, and the polishing of the walls is of the highest quality.
To the right of Sudama is the Lomas Rishi Cave. This cave is the only one that has a carved entrance. This cave dates back to the Buddhist period. Lomas Rishi also consists of two rooms, but the second room was not completed and therefore it is not round, but oval. Lomas Rishi was conceived as an exact copy of Sudama.