Category:Udayagiri Caves, Madhya Pradesh, Cave 1

Udayagiri Caves, Madhya Pradesh, Cave 1 

One of the oldest rock-cut Hindu temple for Surya (c. 375–415 CE)
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Instance of	architectural structure
Location	Vidisha district, Bhopal division, Madhya Pradesh, India
Architectural style	rock-cut architecture
23° 31′ 57.3″ N, 77° 46′ 14.6″ E
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Udayagiri Cave 1 near Vidisha is also called the Surya cave or Suraj gupha. The cave with its mandapa is one of earliest excavations of Udayagiri site, and it stands in solitude to the south of the groups of other caves and monuments.

The pillars and mandapa of Cave 1 are notable landmarks in the history of Hindu temple architecture. They are dated between 375 to 415 CE by various scholars, with a few dating it even earlier or about mid 5th-century. The cave features a relief that is either unfinished (more probable), or chiseled out to leave an imprint of the original dedication, or a combination of both. The closest match to the outline is of Surya (Sun god), one standing with two lotuses and seven horses at the bottom. This is corroborated with the temple facing east, as well the 19th-century locals calling it Suraj gupha (Sun god cave) when this cave came to the attention of the scholars. The current cave has a standing Tirthankara statue in a corner of the sanctum. It has its own pedestal, is of a different stone than the material found in any Udayagiri Hindu or Jain cave, and an insertion in a later century.