Barabar Caves Barābār, Satgharva, Satgharwa
—  protected resources  —
Barabar Caves Location of Barabar Caves in Bihar and India
Coordinates	25°00′18″N 85°03′47″E / 25.005°N 85.063°E / 25.005; 85.063Coordinates: 25°00′18″N 85°03′47″E / 25.005°N 85.063°E / 25.005; 85.063
Country	India
State	Bihar
District(s)	Gaya
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)

The Barabar Caves are the oldest surviving rock-cut caves in India,^[1] mostly dating from the Mauryan period (322–185 BCE), and some with Ashokan inscriptions, located in the Jehanabad District of Bihar, India, 24 km north of Gaya.

These caves are situated in the twin hills of Barabar (four caves) and Nagarjuni (three caves) - caves of the 1.6 km distant Nagarjuni Hill sometimes are singled out as Nagarjuni Caves. These rock-cut chambers date back to the 3rd century BC, Maurya period^[2], of Ashoka (r. 273 BC to 232 BC.) and his son, Dasaratha. Though Buddhists themselves, they ^[1] allowed various Jain sects to flourish under a policy of religious tolerance. These caves were used by ascetics from the Ajivika sect ^[3], founded by Makkhali Gosala, a contemporary of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, and of Mahavira, the last and 24th Tirthankara of Jainism ^[4]. Also found at the site were several rock-cut Buddhist and Hindu sculptures ^[5].

The area was also the setting for the opening of E.M. Forster's book, A Passage to India, while the caves themselves are the site of a crucial, though ambiguous, scene at the book's symbolic core. The author visited the site, and later used it, as the Marabar caves in his book ^[3][6][7].

Most caves at Barabar consist of two chambers, carved entirely out of granite, with a highly polished internal surface and exciting echo effect. The first chamber was meant for worshippers to congregate in a large rectangular hall, and the second, a small, circular, domed chamber for worship, this inner chamber probably had a small stupa like structure, at some point, though they are now empty.

Caves at Barabar Hill[link]

Barabar Hill contains four caves, namely, Karan Chaupar, Lomas Rishi, Sudama and Visva Zopri. Sudama and Lomas Rishi Caves are the earliest examples of rock-cut architecture in India ^[2][8], with architectural detailing, made in the Mauryan period, and became a trend the subsequent centuries ^[9], like the larger Buddhist Chaitya, that were found in Maharashtra, such as in Ajanta and Karla Caves, and greatly influenced the tradition of South Asian rock-cut architecture ^[3].

• Lomas Rishi cave: The arch-like shape facade of Lomas Rishi Caves, imitate the contemporary timber architecture. On the doorway, a row of elephants proceed towards stupa emblems, along the curved architrave ^[10].

• Sudama cave: This cave was dedicated by Mauryan Emperor, Ashoka in 261 BC, and consist of a circular vaulted chamber with a rectangular mandapa ^[11].

• Karan Chaupar (Karna Chaupar) ^[12]: Consists of single rectangular room with polished surfaces, contains inscription which could be dated to 245 BC.

• Visva Zopri: Reachable by Asoka steps hewn in cliff, consists of two rectangular rooms.

Nagarjuni Caves[link]

Nearby caves of Nagarjuna are smaller and younger than Barabar caves ^[13] The three caves are:

• Gopi (Gopi-ka-Kubha): According to inscription, devoted by the king Dasaratha to Ajivika followers circa 232 BC.

• Vadithi-ka-Kubha cave (Vedathika Kubha): Located in crevice.

• Vapiya-ka-Kubha cave ^[14] (Mirza Mandi): Also devoted to Ajivika followers by Dasaratha.

See also[link]

• Kumhrar

Further reading[link]

• Mauryan Architecture and Art - Rock cut architecture The Archaeology of Early Historic South Asia: The Emergence of Cities and States, by Frank Raymond Allchin, George Erdosy. Cambridge University Press, 1995, ISBN 0-521-37695-5. Page 247
• History of Rock cut caves in India
• Introduction The Cambridge Companion to E.M. Forster, by David Bradshaw, Contributor David Bradshaw, Cambridge University Press, 2007, ISBN 0-521-83475-9. Page 188.

References[link]

1. ^ ^{a b} Culture of peace Frontline, Volume 25 - Issue 18 :: Aug. 30-Sep. 12, 2008.
2. ^ ^{a b} Sculptured doorway, Lomas Rishi cave, Barabar, Gaya British Library.
3. ^ ^{a b c} Entrance to one of the Barabar Hill caves British Library.
4. ^ Barabar Hills: Where the Buddhist Emperor Asoka built caves for the Ajivakas www.buddhanet.net.
5. ^ Rock sculptures at Barabar British Library.
6. ^ Barabar caves Times of India, 16 June 2007.
7. ^ The Structure of E. M. Forster's "A Passage to India" "he visited India beforehand in 1912 and in 1921."
8. ^ Architectural history www.indian-architecture.info.
9. ^ An overview of archaeological importance of Bihar Directorate of Archaeology, Govt. of Bihar.
10. ^ Part of the elephant frieze over the doorway at the Barabar caves. 1790 British Library.
11. ^ Sudama and Lomas Rishi Caves at Barabar Hills, Gaya British Library.
12. ^ Karna Chowpar cave, Barabar Hills. British Library.
13. ^ Barabar and Nagarjuna Caves.
14. ^ Gopi & Kalpi caves, Barabar, Gaya. British Library.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Barabar Caves

• Series of images of Barabar Caves
• Detailed notes on The Barabar Caves and its use as Marabar Caves in E.M. Fosters Passage to India
• Barabar Caves and Nagarjuni Caves, description by Wondermondo

Edward Theodore "Ted" Cooper (November 11, 1920—December 5, 1999) was a long-time United States television scenic designer and creative consultant. Cooper is best known as the production designer and creative consultant for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions, the leading producer of American TV game shows. He joined the firm in 1960 and was associated with it until his death at age 79.

Cooper was hired as a TV art director for NBC in 1950 where he worked on various shows including Your Show of Shows, the Martin and Lewis Show (until it moved to Los Angeles), The Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney Show, The Jimmy Durante Show and the game shows Haggis Baggis and Charge Account, among others. Through his association with NBC he knew Fred Rogers of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood fame and contributed to the first version of that show. He was also responsible for the sets for the 1956 Orson Welles Broadway production of King Lear which lasted for only 21 performances.[1]

Cooper's best-known achievements were in creating set designs and game displays for TV quiz shows. He is credited with being the motivating force behind taking game shows from a simple table set in front of a drape to a full set designed for the show. The Goodson-Todman shows for which Cooper served as art director or creative consultant after 1960 include The Price Is Right, The Match Game (including The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour), What's My Line?, I've Got a Secret, To Tell the Truth, He Said, She Said (and its successor Tattletales), Family Feud, Beat the Clock, Password (and its revivals Password Plus and Super Password), Say When!!, Double Dare, Card Sharks, Mindreaders, The Better Sex, Now You See It, Blockbusters, Child's Play, Body Language, and Trivia Trap, as well as assorted pilots. In addition to being the scenic designer of Say When!!, he was also the associate producer of that show. Cooper's design for "Say When" included the first use of alpha-numeric electronic readouts on TV and in the U.S., and helped the Split-flap display to become so popular for a time on TV and in other venues. Cooper's designs typically included technology not only for displaying numbers and letters, but also technology for controlling electromechanical devices such as lights and sound effects. Most of his designs were executed without the benefit of computer-generated special effects for which the industry is known today, but one of his shows, Classic Concentration, was one of the earliest shows to implement its game board on a fully computerized display. Many of his sets utilized rotating elements: Family Feud, Match Game, Card Sharks and The Price Is Right with its well-known turntable. Game show producer Dan Enright, whose shows competed with those of Goodson-Todman, once referred to Cooper as "Mark Goodson's secret weapon".

For the 1958 Barry and Enright game show Concentration, which aired on NBC for 15 years before moving into syndication, he created the prize display that showed the list of prizes as the contestants matched them. The display did not show a stagehand slipping in the name of the prize on the side; it had the prize name in place obscured by a front cover which would then be pulled to the side to reveal the prize name. For the syndicated version of Concentration, Cooper devised the "Head Start" feature in which four prizes were revealed prior to the start of the game. The prizes revealed were "fee items" for which the producers received a fee for being plugged on the show. "Head Start" guaranteed that the copy for those fee items was read and the fee collected regardless of whether or not the prizes were won during the game. For the 1972 version of The Price Is Right Cooper created the pricing games Any Number and Range Game. The physical game devices and other set pieces used on that version of the show prior to 2000 were designed by Cooper himself or under his supervision.

Cooper designed the psychedelic set for the 1969 syndicated revival of To Tell the Truth. The brightly-colored panels and elegant lettering he supervised for the show’s set in the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York gave a modern, youthful feel to a show that had already been a success for 12 years on CBS.

Cooper was a gold card member of IATSE Local 829, the United Scenic Artists, and for several years until his retirement was the oldest working member of that union.