Description of the attraction
Mainly Goa attracts tourists by the sea and its beautiful beaches, but this state is also famous for a huge number of cultural, historical and religious monuments. So, for example, on its territory, in the northern part, not far from the city of Bikolem, there is a unique place - the Arval Caves.
They represent a kind of man-made catacombs with which the local population associates many legends. According to the most common, these caves were built by the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahabharata - the five Pandava brothers who took refuge in this place during their 12-year exile. Therefore, these caves are sometimes called Pandavas. According to another theory, the creation of the Arvalem caves is attributed to itinerant Buddhist monks. Most scientists are inclined towards this version of the origin of the caves, since in their structure they resemble a typical Buddhist monastery.
The caves are divided into five main sections, each of which contains the sacred linga stone - not an anthropomorphic symbol of God Shiva - an upright stone with a hemispherical or rounded top. One of these "linga" has an inscription made in Sanskrit using the symbols of the Indian brahmi syllabic script. In addition, each winding passage in the caves leads to Vihara - this is how in ancient times they called the cell or temporary shelter of wandering monks, where they slept and ate, later this term began to denote monasteries and temple complexes, in which thousands of monks sometimes lived.
According to archaeological research, the age of this structure is about 15-16 centuries, as they were created around the 5th or 6th century.
