Bhadravati Vijjasan Buddhist Caves, Chandrapur

Bhadravati Vijjasan Buddhist Caves, Chandrapur

---------Dr. Surjeet Kumar Singh.

Bhadravati (formerly Bhandak) is a city and a municipal council in Chandrapur district in the state of Maharashtra, India. It lies 26 km from Chandrapur city. It has a major ordnance factory and several open-cast coal mines. There are about 20 villages in thetaluka. Also there are 2000 years old Buddhist caves, popularly known as Vijasan Tekdi. It is located at Vijasan village. These caves have hosted International Buddha Dhamma conventions. Several leaders and Monks of Buddha Dhamma from all over the world represent at the convention.The Vākāṭaka Empire (Marathi: वाकाटक) was a royal Indian dynasty that originated from the Deccan in the mid-third century CE. Their state is believed to have extended from the southern edges of Malwa and Gujarat in the north to the Tungabhadra River in the south as well as from the Arabian Sea in the western to the edges of Chhattisgarh in the east. They were the most important successors of the Satavahanas in the Deccan and contemporaneous with the Guptas in northern India. The Vākāṭakas, like many coeval dynasties of the Deccan, claimed Buddhist origin. Little is known about Vindhyaśakti (C. 250–270 CE), the founder of the family. Territorial expansion began in the reign of his son Pravarasena I. It is generally believed that the Vākāṭaka dynasty was divided into four branches after Pravarsena I. Two branches are known and two are unknown. The known branches are the Pravarpura-Nandivardhana branch and the Vatsagulma branch. The Gupta emperor Chandragupta II married his daughter into Vakataka royal family and with their support annexed Gujarat from the Saka Satraps in fourth century CE. The Vakataka power was followed by that of the Chalukyas of Badami in Deccan. The Vakatakas are noted for having been patrons of the arts, architecture and literature. They led public works and their monuments are a visible legacy. The rock-cut Buddhist viharas and chaityas of Ajanta Caves (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) were built under the patronage of Vakataka Emperor Harishena.