Cave-1

It is one of the most important rock-cut vihara caves in India (late 5th century) and has some of the most beautiful mural paintings and sculpture. Its plan consist of a porch (destroyed) giving access to a verandah preceding the main hall; at the rear are a centrally placed antechamber and the shrine beyond. The hall has twenty finely carved and painted pillars, with an outer aisle on all four sides. Along the left and right sides and to the left and right of the antechamber at the rear of the main hall are doorways providing access to fourteen small cells. The entrances to two further chambers are at either end of the verandah, which is 64 ft long, 9 ft 3 wide and 13 ft 6 in. from floor to ceiling.

The main hall is square in plan, the length of each side being the same as that of the verandah.

• The left wall of the hall shows scenes from the Mahajanaka Jataka.
• To the right of the rear wall are episodes from the Champeyya Jataka.
• Sibi jataka on the front wall to the left of main entrance
• Story of the conversion of Nanda on the front wall beyond Sibi jataka.
• Sankhapala jataka on left wall after the palace scene
• Mahajanaka jataka on left wall extending on to the back wall
• The bodhisattva Padmapani on the back wall to the left of the antechamber
• The temptation of the Buddha by Mara in the antechamber, on left wall
• The bodhisattva Avalokitesvara in the antechamber, on back wall to the right of the entrance to the shrine
• The miracle of Shravasti in the antechamber, on the right wall
• The offering of lotus flowers to the bodhisattva Vajrapani on the back wall, to right antechamber.