This study analyzes physical remains dating from the second century BCE through the third century CE from early Buddhist rock-cut sites in Maharashtra State, India. Based on inscriptional evidence combined with the analysis of architectural and sculptural features, it provides a classification system for the various cave types and caves composed of combinations of these types. By extrapolating from inscribed examples, it classifies nearly all of the interior spaces found at early Buddhist sites and assesses the various permutations of caves according to utilization, patronage, and ornamentation. The inclusion of all cave forms, not only the largest and most elaborately decorated, provides a comprehensive portrait of early Buddhist cave sites as living monasteries with interiors for the veneration of relics, rooms for monastic habitation in isolation, pairs, or in groups, and spaces utilizable for many other purposes, including religious instruction, meditation, the preparation and consumption of meals, and receptions. This study demonstrates that the diverse architectural forms at cave sites are the result of both the needs of the Buddhist community and patronage patterns at the early Buddhist monastery. Thus, the picture created from these details broadens our knowledge of early Buddhist practices, patronage, architecture, and how the architecture served the western Indian Buddhist community.
