This is a 3rd-century to 2nd-century BCE site uphill, along an ancient trail, midst the forested Ramgarh hills (Ramgiri) in north Chhattisgarh. 
<p>The site has several monuments spread over many centuries. According to the local legends, Rama, Sita and Lakshmana of Ramayana fame stopped and stayed here for a while. Thus monuments in Ramgarh hills and many others parts of Chhattisgarh are linked to a portion of the Hindu epic Ramayana. 
</p><p>The most ancient part of the Ramgarh hills site consists of two caves – a theatre shaped Sita Bengr cave and a smaller Jogimara cave with ancient frescoes.
</p><p>These caves are significant for the following reasons:
</p>
<ul><li>the Jogimara cave is about 3 m x 1.8 m x 1.8 m, entirely excavated. Inside is an inscription in Brahmi script of the early variety (c. 3rd century BCE), helping date this cave. The inscription is a non-religious and non-political note, more like modern-day love graffiti in one possible translation: "Sutunaka by name, a devadasi, the excellent among young men, Devadinna by name, a skilled sculpture, loved her." In alternate translation, instead of "loved her", the interpretation is that they built the resting place and stage together.</li>
<li>the Sita Benga is about 14 m x 5 m x 1.8 m cave, partly natural and partly excavated. In front of the Sita Benga cave are terraces of crescent-shaped rock-cut benches that focus towards a stage, with deep aisles as if they were meant to seat an audience. Further, in front are two holes hewn into rock floor of a size to possibly insert poles or some sort of screen with stand. These unusual combination of features has led scholars to propose that this was an ancient performance stage. Further, in this theory, the Jogimara cave may have been a resting or prep area for artists.</li>
<li>the Sita Benga cave has a Brahmi inscription that is poetic, and partly says, "Poets venerable by nature kindle the heart,"; this inscription helps date it to 2nd to 1st century BCE.</li>
<li>the Jogimara caves have remnants of frescoes which too have been dated to between 3rd and 1st century BCE. They were four to five colors used to make the paintings, of which the red color has survived most distinctly into the modern era. This is one of the oldest known fresco paintings in Asia.</li>
<li>The inscription is amongst oldest known in Chhattisgarh, composed by a girl and she romantically praises a boy. She starts with smaller type, then decides to write with larger type and repeats several words in the larger font. She identifies herself as a Devadasi, but scholars believe this is unlikely to have anything to do with "temple dancers" as no trace of any ancient Buddhist, Hindu or Jain temple has been found in Ramgarh hills.</li>
<li>These caves are one of the oldest known monuments in Chhattisgarh that has been dated between 3rd and 2nd-century BCE with evidence.</li></ul>
Other nearby sites further along the hiking trail include Hindu temple ruins, a modern era Ram Janaki temple, Hathi gufa and a scenic waterfall.
<a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Ms_Sarah_Welch" title="User:Ms Sarah Welch">Ms Sarah Welch</a>
2022-01-06 12:58:43
<span class="int-own-work" lang="en">Own work</span>