page_title: Kondana Caves
section_title: Cave No.2: Vihara
hierarchical_section_title: Kondana Caves / Description / Cave No.2: Vihara
caption_attribution_description: English: Kondana caves vihara veranda
context_page_description: The Kondana Caves are located in the small village of Kondana, 33 km north of Lonavala and 16 km northwest of Karla Caves. This cave group has 16 Buddhist caves. The caves were excavated in first century B.C. The construction on wooden pattern is notable. One can reach the cave by descending from Rajmachi village.
  The cave only one inscription on the front of the Chaitya, which gives information about donors.
context_section_description: A little to north-east is No. II., a Vihara, of which the front of the veranda is totally destroyed except the left end. This verandah was 5 feet 8 inches wide and 18 feet long, with the unique number of five octagon pillars and two antae. In the end of this veranda is a raised recess, and under a Chaitya arch is a small dagoba in half relief, apparently the only object of worship when these caves were excavated. Inside, the hall is 23 feet wide by 29 deep, and 8 feet 3 inches high, with 15 pillars arranged about 3 feet apart and from the side and back walls, but none across the front. The upper portions of these pillars are square, but about 1.5 feet from the top they are octagonal: the bases of all are gone, but they also were probably square. 
  The roof is panelled in imitation of a structural hall with beams 19 inches deep by 8 thick, 3.5 feet apart, running across through the heads of the pillars, and the spaces between divided by smaller false rafters, 5 inches broad by 2 deep. There are three wide doors into the hall, though most of the front 
  wall is broken away, and on each side six cells in all, each with the monk's bed in it, and the first on each side with two. Over the doors of 14 of these cells are carved Chaitya or horse-shoe arches, connected by a string course projecting 6 or 7 inches and carved with the rail pattern.
caption: Veranda of the vihara.
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