The Son Bhandar caves, also Sonebhandar, are two artificial caves belong to Jainism are located in Rajgir in the state of Bihar in India. The caves are generally dated to the 3rd or 4th century CE, based on the dedicatory inscription found in the largest cave which uses Gupta script of the 4th century CE, although some authors have suggested the caves could actually go back to the period of the Maurya empire from 319 to 180 BCE. The main cave is rectangular with a pointed ceiling, and the entrance is trapezoidal, reminiscent of the structure of the Barabar Caves. The quality of the "Mauryan polish" and the finish are nevertheless much inferior. The stone of Son Bhandar is also much less hard than the granite of the Barabar caves, and therefore did not require the same degree of effort and technique.
Dedicatory inscription of the 4th century CE
An inscription in the rock at the entrance of the cave inGupta characters of the 4th century of our era mentions the construction of the cellar by a Jain Muni named Vairadeva. This inscription naturally led to date the cave to the same period of the 4th century CE.: According to Gupta, however, this inscription may be ambiguous and, for him, might only mean that the cave was the subject of re-development work at that time. For this reason, he tends to date the cave on the basis of its similarities with the caves of Barabar to the time of Ashoka, or even a little earlier, making it the possible precursor of all artificial caves in India such as the Barabar Caves. Le Huu Phuoc also entertains the possibility, to challenge the traditional idea that stone mirror-polishing techniques were imported from the Near East. The consensus, however, favours the traditional datation of 2nd to 4th century of our era, based on the epigraphic evidence. The ancientSaptaparni Cave, a natural cave dating back to the days of the Buddha, is only a few kilometers away.
Main Cave
The cave dates were built during rule of Maurya empire during 319 to 180 BCE. File:Son Bhandar cave outside.jpg|Outside of the cave. File:Son Bhandar cave entrance.jpg|Trapezoidal Entrance File:Son Bhandar cave shrine Rajgir.jpg|Inside the cave, with votiveJain stele. File:Son Bhandar Jain votive stele.jpg|The Jain stele. File:Son Bhandar polished surface.jpg|Partially polished surface. File:IA Son Bhandar cave.jpg|Volume map of the main cave. File:Son Bhandar cave plan.jpg|Plan the main cave and the second small cave next to it.
Second cave
The second cave, adjacent to the main cave, is largely destroyed, but it has some beautiful Jains reliefs. This cave dates back to the 3rd and 4th century AD. Son Bhandar Cave 1 and Cave 2.jpg|Main cave and second cave in the background. Son Bhandar second cave.jpg|Facade of the second cave. Son Bhandar second cave sculptures.jpg|Inside wall of the second cave, with sculptures. Son Bhandar sculptures.jpg|Jain sculptures of the second cave. Son Bhandar Jain sculptures.jpg|Jain sculptures of the second cave.
