text: The use of rock-cut sanctuaries goes back to the time of Emperor Ashoka , during the third century b.c. , when itinerant Buddhist monks formed a religious order and the emperor provided them with rock-hewn cells as a vihara ( retreat ) during the monsoons .
  
  ###
  
  Rock-hewn sanctuaries are a relatively new tradition in Buddhism , dating back to about the 12th century A.D.