All language subtitles for Who Made the BARABAR CAVES.en

For regular videos on ancient cultures and
forgotten civilizations, please subscribe.

The Barabar caves, located in Bihar, Northeastern
India, have been a source of a large number

of surprising claims on the internet, which
often link the caves to a supposed universal,

hi-tech, ancient society in prehistoric times.

Today, I am going to examine suppositions
made about the caves in a film that many people

consider to contain the most convincing evidence
that the caves were constructed more than

10 thousand years ago, or at least that the
conclusions of historians and archaeologists

about its age are poorly supported.

The film I am talking about is BAM: Builders
of the Ancient Mysteries, first made in French

and then later dubbed in English.

Perhaps you’ve heard of it.

Let’s look at the evidence presented in
this film and see what kind of case is made.

I will also use this opportunity to discuss
in general the Barabar caves, their purpose,

who built them, and the techniques used in
their construction.

Welcome to the Myths of Ancient History series,
which looks at popular misinformation on YouTube

and the internet about ancient history,

not to put down the people who make these
unusual claims, but to address their questions

and propositions directly,

to explain why historians and archaeologists
have come to the conclusions that they have,

and to help you to see and avoid common pitfalls
in historical inquiry.

On BAM’s website, the authors write, “The
powers that be rather than discuss our findings

they disparage it and oppose anything new
that may come from advanced scientific research.

The question is why?

May it be because if we are right, they will
need to rewrite all history books?“ As you

can see, some approach these issues somewhat
aggressively.

But BAM has invited discussion of their findings,
so that is exactly what I am going to do regarding

their findings on the Barabar Caves.

But I will say this: if you ever run across
someone, anyone, who feels assured that their

own findings are going to rewrite all the
history books or revolutionize our understanding

of the world, take such claims with a grain
of salt.

True pioneers do not overestimate their own
importance, because they know progress in

knowledge is incremental and achieved through
collaboration.

- We find seven caves entirely excavated from
massive granite blocks spread across two main

sites, four at Barabar, and three at Nagarjuni.

Amongst them, two remain unfinished.

- A little background information: historians
are of the opinion these caves were made in

the period of the Maurya Empire.

The four rulers we need to know about when
discussing the Barabar caves are Chandragupta

Maurya, Bindusara, Ashoka, and Ashoka’s
grandson Dasharatha.

Unlike Chandragupta and his son Bindusara,
Ashoka (whose coronation is dated to 269 BCE,

though he succeeded to the Imperial Throne
of Magadha three years earlier) and his grandson

Dasharatha were big fans of carving things
into rock.

Ashoka has numerous rock and pillar edicts
attributed to him (42 have been found so far),

which lay out his idea of proper moral conduct
for subjects under the Maurya empire.

While hollowing out a cave may seem like an
exorbitantly time-consuming undertaking, (and

it likely was) it probably would have taken
less time than constructing a freestanding

stone temple.

And these caves are small compared to temples.

In this period, they were used as viharas
(living quarters) for ascetics, that is, people

who deny themselves pleasures and indulgences
to achieve greater spirituality.

The development of rock-hewn architecture
was a perfect compromise between keeping ancient

ascetic traditions while not yielding to the
comfortable environment of a freestanding

monastery.

Caves also had the advantage of being less
prone to vandalism, destruction from wars,

and earthquake damage, they were easy to maintain
and could provide shelter from heat, wild

animals, and rain.

And they couldn’t be burnt down.

All of these factors probably contributed
to their popularity.

- They are considered to be the oldest caves
in India, and they may have been built around

2,300 years ago under the reign of King Ashoka,
according to the inscriptions carved at the

entrances of certain caves.

- The main way we date some of the Barabar
caves to the reign of Ashoka is through their

inscriptions.

These inscriptions,
just as with Ashoka’s inscriptions on stone

pillars, bear his name (Devanampriya Priyadarshin,
“the beloved of the Gods who glances graciously

upon all”.

Only the Gujarra and Maski versions of minor
rock edict refer to him by his name Ashoka.

Ashoka states in his edicts (ex.

Delhi-Topra Pillar edict VII from 242 BCE)
that these dharma pillars were erected by

him.

These inscriptions are mainly in the Pali
language, a form of Prakrit, and written in

the Brahmi script (at least for the pillars
in the greater part of his empire).

The pillars are carved in sandstone but bear
the same Maurya polish as in the caves, and

the writing style of the inscriptions is the
same.

The Sudama cave, dated to 257 BCE, has an
inscription which reads, “When King Priyadarsin

had been anointed twelve years, this Nigoha
Cave [Banyan tree cave] was given to the Ajivika.”

In metric measurement, the barrel-vaulted
cave measures approximately 10 meters long,

6 meters wide, and 3.5 meters high, and also
contains a circular cell that is about 6 meters

in diameter.

Visvakarma cave also is dated to 257 BCE and
has an inscription which reads, “When King

Priyadarsin had been anointed twelve years,
this cave in the Khalatika Mountain was given

to the Ajivika.”

Visvakarma cave has a flat ceiling, with socket
holes in the entrance floor, likely for a

wooden screen wall or door.

Note that the Sudama and Visvakarma caves
were donations to a heterodox sect of Indian

philosophy known as the Ajivikas.

Despite converting to Buddhism, Ashoka never
forced conversion of his subjects to Buddhism,

and nowhere in his edicts does he record any
desire for his people to convert to Buddhism.

This is important because his name is associated
with many non-Buddhist temple donations, including

these two caves.

Ashoka’s generous donations to other sects,
despite his conversion to Buddhism, demonstrates

his acceptance of all religions.

The Karan Chopar cave is dated to 250 BCE,
and has an inscription that reads, “When

King Priyadarsin had been anointed nineteen
years, this cave in the very pleasant Khalatika

Mountain was given by me for the rainy season”
(meaning for shelter).

There are also swastikas with daggers connected
to the inscription, which, coupled with the

lack of mention of Ajivikas, might indicate
the cave was donated to a Buddhist sect.

No inscriptions exist in the Lomas Rishi cave,
probably because it was never finished, but

it does have the most intricate carving of
all the caves on its exterior.

The chamber measures roughly 11 meters wide,
2.4 meters deep, and 3.4 meters high.

This cave also became the model for later
Buddhist caityagrihas (Prayer Halls) in the

Deccan region.

So it may have been intended as a Buddhist
cave.

While exhibiting the characteristics of a
Maurya period cave, it may have been constructed

after Ashoka’s time, perhaps under the supervision
of his grandson Dasharatha.

Now let’s consider the Nagarjuni caves,
which are found along the old trade route

running southwestward from ancient Magadha,
then the seat of the Maurya Empire.

The Gopika, or milkmaid cave is dated to 214
BCE and has an inscription that reads, “The

Gopika Cave, an adobe lasting as the Sun and
Moon, was caused to be excavated by Devanampriya

Dasaratha on his ascension to the throne as
a hermitage for the most devoted Ajivika”.

This cave is the largest of the Nagarjuni
group, and is about 12.3 meters long and 5.2

meters wide, with a 6.5 meter barrel vaulted
ceiling and semicircular wall-ends.

The Vadathi and Vapiya caves bear the same
inscription as the Gopika cave, with the names

of the cave adjusted.

The Vapiya cave means “well cave”, and
may have referred to a dried up well in its

front which no longer exists.

The Vapiya cave consists of one rectangular
room, measuring at about 5 by 3 meters, with

a barrel-vaulted ceiling and straight walls,
and it has the classic Maurya polish finish

work.

The Vadathi Cave has more of a circular vaulted
chamber, where the defining line between the

wall and the ceiling is less obvious than
the other caves.

All three of these caves also contain additional
inscriptions dated to the fifth century CE,

during the period of the Gupta empire.

The Vadathi cave’s inscription is rather
lengthy.

Now some might say, “Doesn’t that prove
that inscriptions can be added later?

And the Ashoka inscriptions don’t explicitly
say that Ashoka’s people excavated the caves.

Couldn’t these have been added long after
the original construction?”

Yes, it’s possible.

But the Dasharatha caves are explicit that
Dasharatha’s people excavated them, which

places the creation of those caves in the
Maurya period and shows the workers’ capability

to make them.

The Ashoka caves are so similar that it is
reasonable to conclude that they also come

from the Maurya period.

- There are many other caves in India, but
these are unique, because of their precision.

You can observe a recurring theme that the
more ancient the structure, the more modern

it looks.

- It’s interesting that she says, “the
more modern it looks,” because on the one

hand, BAM is trying to associate the word
“modern” with technological progress.

In other words, the more modern it is, the
higher the technology needed to make it.

But on the other hand, their version of “modern”
is being associated with the modernist movement

in architecture, specifically the style known
as brutalism, which became popular in the

1950s.

Brutalist architecture is characterized by
the showcasing of basic structural elements

and the minimization of decorative design.

It is a bare bones style, known for monochrome
and unpainted concrete or brick, and angular

geometric shapes.

Now in the case of the caves, we are talking
about stone, not concrete or brick, but only

someone who has lived in the late 20th century
would characterize the style of the Barabar

Caves as modern.

Nowadays when you look at brutalist buildings,
they appear dated.

But take a look here at the work done at the
Ellora cave temples.

These were made centuries after the ones at
Barabar.

Yes, this work does look less “modern”
than Barabar, in the sense that it lacks the

simple brutalism of Barabar.

But you tell me: Which took more time and
skill and which less?

Which are more basic and which more complex?

Which more primitive and which more advanced?

I think it is obvious that the Ellora cave
temples are superior in design, complexity,

and refinement, and took greater artisanal
prowess to produce.

- They were dug into granite rocks, a material
harder than hardened steel.

- By saying that granite is harder than hardened
steel, BAM is trying to convince you that

only something harder than hardened steel
could carve it, but this is not the case.

First of all, it is not hardness that determines
whether a stone can be carved.

Hardness refers to how easy it is to scratch
it.

Toughness refers to how resistant it is to
fracturing.

Toughness is a material’s ability to absorb
shocks without breaking, like from the blow

of a hammer or a pick.

Hardness and toughness have an inverse relationship.

The harder a material is, the less tough it
is, and the more tough it is, the less hard

it is.

Hardened steel, for example, is more brittle
than regular steel.

It has lower toughness.

So whenever you hear people talking about
how hard granite is as a way to cast doubt

on whether it can be chipped away, keep this
in mind.

A sharp iron pickaxe can break away granite
with relative ease, as can be seen from the

unfinished ceiling in the Lomas Rishi Cave.

You can see the pickaxe marks on it, so you
know that a pickaxe can do the job.

The sites for these rock hewn caves were chosen
by masons, who used iron pickaxes and chisels

to cut into the stone from front to back/top
to bottom.

This method allowed the workers to avoid any
rockfall from above while working.

Excavation of granite caves continued unabated
from this time for many centuries.

There is absolutely no doubt that granite
carving was a tried and true industry in ancient

and medieval South Asia.

- Here the surfaces appear to be cement, but
that’s an optical illusion, due to the extreme

transparency of the granite crystal when polished
to the extreme.

In reality, they are like this everywhere.

We asked the late Jean-Louis Boistel, an experienced
stone cutter, who has been working with granite

for over 40 years without any modern tools.

- I am happy to see that they asked someone
who is experienced in working by hand.

Usually we get stone cutters who only work
with power tools telling us that it can be

done only with power tools.

So this is better.

- We didn’t even have the time to tell him
that these images have been taken with a highly

sensitive camera that allows us to film in
the dark as if in full light.

In fact, with a normal camera, this is what
we got.

Boistel: “Here they are extremely accurate,
extremely precise.

It means they had powerful lights, because
to work in this type of area, you would need

more than just torches.

Also, with torches you would suffocate.

- I am not sure how much experience Boistel
has had working in caves, but his point about

proper lighting being needed is valid.

He doesn’t seem to know anything about ancient
lighting, however.

Yes, ancient artisans would have lit the caves
so that they could see well enough to do quality

work.

They had lighting.

Torches or oil lamps.

If you can use a torch or a single lamp to
read, you can use them to see the work you

are performing.

No, torches would not suffocate the workers
if you have ventilation.

They used to do mining, for heaven’s sake.

To ask us to believe they didn’t know how
to ventilate tunnels and caves is a big ask.

- To get people to work in such an environment,
they would need to be able to breathe.

The dust coming from the stone itself is considerable
in an environment like this one, especially

when you work with picks.”

Gonthier: “The granite produces sand shards.

This is a problem of granulometry, but more
importantly, it produces a lot of dust silica

that leads to silicosis.

I would have liked to know how they ventilated
the work site to achieve something as perfect

as this.”

Boistel: “The production of dust, already
on the outside, covers us entirely.

We inhale it if we do not wear a mask, and
we drink a lot, and we are outside.

So on the inside, if you add up the smoke
from the torches, it becomes quickly unbreathable

and unworkable.”

- They seem to think that these points about
lighting and dust are gotchas.

The implication is that an advanced society
of prehistoric times would have had special

industrial lights and air filters of some
kind, and that is the only way it could have

been done.

But to think that the ancient Indians of this
time were too ignorant to be able to work

in a cave with proper light and airflow shows
a low opinion of the people of this time and

a lack of knowledge of the culture they’re
talking about.

Do they really assume that the workers wouldn’t
even have thought of wearing masks or drinking

water?

Gonthier: “The feeling to that is it is
made of glass.

It is rather surprising.

It is absolutely incredible.

It seems to be laser-made.

- Do they polish rock with lasers?

- I mean, no, it is not laser-made.

It is hand-made.

But you would need thousands and thousands
of hours to obtain a polish like this one.”

- Since Gonthier is not a stone polishing
expert, I don’t think we need to take his

off-the-cuff calculation too seriously.

Boistel: “A perfect gloss obtained by a
sanding of the surface, very hard to get with

a classical sanding with a stone and water
that we can get with an abrasive, very fine

sand.

There is a shine equivalent to that obtained
by modern technique.”

- Unlike Gontier, Boistel does know about
stone polishing.

His point, that the workers would have used
a fine sand as an abrasive, is worth noting.

This is all we get of Boistel on the caves.

I would like to have heard what he had to
say about the actual process of cutting stone

by hand.

But the only thing the editors wanted to use
extensively was his comments about lighting

and dust.

- Yet these caves are at least 2,300 years
old.

This dating relies on the inscriptions carved
at the entrance of three of them.

However, when looking at these inscriptions
in detail, we can see the work is far from

being as clean as inside the cave.

- Let’s say you were at an art museum looking
at a famous painting, and the painting was

signed by the artist.

One of your friends, who is with you, turns
to you and says, “I don’t think that artist

could have painted such a great painting.

I think it was painted by someone else, and
then he added his signature to it.

I mean, look, the signature is so much messier
than the rest of the painting.

It can’t be original.”

Would that alone be enough to convince you?

- I don’t think it would.

Instead, you would examine all of the works
attributed to the artist to get a comprehensive

idea of what the artist was like.

You would look also at the works you know
were created by the person whose signature

was on there to see if there was a difference.

Studying artifacts in isolation will not give
you an accurate picture.

This is one of the most important standards
of archaeology.

And in the case of the inscriptions on these
caves, there is another factor to consider:

the caves were produced by a group of workers
and not a single artist.

Each of these workers had different abilities
and skills.

The ones who created the inscriptions are
hardly likely to have been the same ones who

carved out the caves, and these in turn may
have been different from the ones who polished

the caves.

So to point to a difference in quality between
various parts of these structures and to claim

that they indicate different time periods
doesn’t take into consideration the existence

of many specialists and workers of varying
abilities and experience, and it assumes quality

is connected to technology rather than to
skill.

While BAM is encouraging you to study these
caves in isolation, it is extremely important

that we consider their context, because we
don’t want to miss the forest for the trees.

So let me give you some of that context.

The Maurya dynasty’s expansionist policy
and vast empire brought India into close contact

with Greeks, Persians, the Near East, and
North Africa.

Both Indian and Greek historians (like Megasthenes)
document this cultural and artistic exchange

between India and its western counterparts.

We can see evidence of this cultural diffusion
or intermingling in Ashoka’s use of Aramaic

and Greek on his edicts.

King Darius of Persia and King Ashoka both
use the words dipi and lipi in inscriptions

to refer to writing, letters, documents, tablets
etc.

Both rulers open their inscriptions using
the third person and then move to the first

person.

Similarities between Mauryan and Persian art
include use of similar animal motifs (stiffly

posed lions and depictions of the lotus flower).

They both used the method of swelling wood
when quarrying stone (a method used in many

parts of the ancient world).

The stone pillars of Ashoka show a progression
in their refinement throughout the period

of their creation.

The earliest pillar, the Vaishali pillar is
short, heavy, and static with a square abacus

(an abacus is a flat slab forming the uppermost
member or division of the capital of a column)

that is incongruous and does not harmonize
or smoothly integrate into the round shaft

that it is connected to.

However, the latest pillar dated to Ashoka’s
reign, the Sarnath pillar, is tall, with a

self-rotating circular abacus that shows no
sign of incongruity.

These columns also bear a striking resemblance
to the Persian columns at Persepolis, and

the royal tombs of Artaxerxes and Darius.

The tongues of the lions that protrude from
Ashoka’s pillars also closely resemble the

open mouth and large canine teeth found in
Persian depictions of lions.

There seems to have been a major advancement
in sculpting and finishing techniques around

this time.

The Achaemenid stone finishing process was
also highly technical, involving five different

phases of stonework, from shaping and trimming
with a rough punch, then a toothed chisel,

down to smoothing and polishing with finer
and finer toothed chisels and rasps.

The Indians, however, did not use a toothed
chisel.

The Persians had been using different polishing
techniques, first using gypsum, and later

using a combination of phosphorus and calcium
fluorapatite.

But knowing this helps explain a lot about
the Maurya polishing technique and what influenced

it.

Ultimately, the Barabar caves seem to blend
the architectural practices of India’s past

together with the artistic renaissance occurring
under the Maurya empire and the explosion

in architectural techniques from the Near
East to suit the specific needs of India’s

various local ascetic groups.

- In the most complex cave, the granite has
literally become flaky in some parts, suggesting

these caves may be older than we think.

- Let’s think about that for a second.

If granite is flaky in some parts and not
in other parts of the same cave, which was

built at a specific time, this means that
granite flakes at different rates depending

on factors other than time.

It therefore cannot be used to indicate age,
as the vast majority of geologists will tell

you.

But you might say, “Yeah, but if it has
flaked, it can’t be very recent.”

It can, in fact.

You can find granite flaking even in modern
installations.

Flaking or spalling is usually caused by effloresence
or sub-florescence, a condition in which mineral

salts are carried into the stone by moisture
and accumulate beneath the stone's surface,

creating stress within the pores of the stone.

- In this massive stone hill, two caves have
been carved on one side.

The one one the left is fully completed inside,
and the first one, according to archaeologists.

The one on the right displays a curved porch,
Buddhist style, coinciding with the era of

Ashoka, but the inside is unfinished.

The floor is polished, but the ceiling and
the ground is still raw.

We don’t understand why the completed cave
is not the one with the porch, obviously special,

as it is the only cave to have one.

- I am having a hard time following the logic.

They do not understand why the cave with the
fancy porch is incomplete, because the porch

indicates it is special, and I suppose maybe
it does a little.

But specialness does not guarantee completion,
because whether the workers finish a job is

not dependent on how special it is.

It is dependent on money and resources and
whether the people who gave the original orders

are still around.

Special constructions sometimes are never
finished.

And in this case we have fractures inside,
which almost certainly would have prevented

the work from continuing.

By the way, this grand chaitya-arch became
the defining characteristic of all Buddhist

chaityagrihas in the subsequent Deccan caves.

It is the first known one of its kind.

- But why was it not completed?

When looking at the porch more closely, we
can see the work is easy on the eyes, so to

speak, but as useful as it may look, it cannot
be compared to the work accomplished inside

the walls of the cave.

Gonthier: “You stand slightly to the side,
you can see the holes and deformations here.

There are no sharp edges.

It is completely damaged.

This is second class work.

Here the relief goes back up, and then it
goes down again, downward, and there are no

finished edges.

Everything is round inside.

So here we are facing a much later work.

We cannot associate this work with what has
been done previously inside the sound rooms.”

- By acknowledging that this granite doorway
was carved in the historic period, Gonthier

seems to know that granite carving was possible
then.

It was not too hard for the people of the
time to work with.

On that point we all can agree.

What he is trying to do here is suggest that
the work on the outside is not as good as

the work on the inside.

Therefore the work on the outside was done
not only by different workers, but in an entirely

different time period by an entirely different
civilization.

“He didn’t actually say that,” some
might object.

Not here.

But that is what this BAM movie is about.

To me, it seems unreasonable from an aesthetic
point of view for them to have carved such

an intricate facade after the interior had
been abandoned in a ruinous condition with

noticeable large cracks.

It seems more reasonable that the entrance
was being worked on at the same time as the

interior and was finished before the interior
was done.

- This porch is off center, not vertical.

It is nothing compared to the precision and
the construction of the caves.

- Take a look at this doorway.

This is on one of the caves, and it doesn’t
have the elaborate facade.

Does it look straight to you?

How about this one?

The fact is that slanted doorways are characteristic
of the Barabar caves, and they are an intentional

part of the design.

- According to some archaeologists, this uncompleted
cave could explain in detail how the other

caves could have been constructed.

- That’s a reasonable conclusion.

We can see the work in its earlier stages.

The walls of its antechamber were polished
shiny,

while the outer wall of the circular chamber
was smoothened but not polished,

and the remaining surfaces in the circular
chamber and the floor and ceiling of the antechamber

were left rough.

- It’s hard, when looking at this work,
to imagine it might look like this.

Gonthier: “The work is really very badly
initiated.

It could not result in anything, looking at
the state it is in at this stage.”

- So here again he is pointing out shoddy
work and suggesting it was not done by the

original builders.

To him this is not merely an unfinished job,
it’s also a bad job.

I really would have liked to have gotten an
actual experienced stonecarver’s opinion,

one who regularly works by hand.

- Even more impossible, as some cuts on the
ceiling go too deep.

Gonthier: “When you have a perfectly polished
plane, as is the case here, it is out of the

question to exceed this surface and to produce
dents lower than the surface, or they would

have to do it all again.

- Okay, so he is claiming that the grooves
go deeper into the rock than the surface of

the polished wall.

Therefore it is a mistake.

But do they really go too deep into the wall?

I’m not so sure.

Take a look at the polished wall.

What do you see here?

Yes, you can see remnants of grooves.

The grooves from the picks clearly went all
the way down the wall, and the grooves were

made before the wall was flattened and polished.

- But when resuming the work here, there is
splinter, which broke, a big splinter that

is gone, leaving a hole.

Irrecoverable.”

- When that piece was broken off, no one knows.

It could have been a mistake early on.

Or it could have been damaged by anyone in
the centuries since.

- This cave seems to show a failed attempt,
maybe done on a cave that was discovered unfinished.

- So Gonthier is suggesting that the original
builders left the ceiling unfinished, and

then later workers came in to try to finish
it, made these grooves, and then stopped.

It seems like more people and more steps are
being added to the assumed process than is

necessary.

- A king would not take over a cave already
completed but would more likely finish a cave

with some modifications, which would explain
the difference of the levels on the ground.

And maybe his men did not succeed.

- I don’t know how they could say a king
would not take over a cave already completed.

These caves were used continuously through
the reigns of many kings, most of whom made

no modifications whatsoever.

If a cave was perfectly serviceable, why spend
extra money?

The cave in its current condition is incomplete,
and yet it probably was used.

- Of course, this is pure speculation.

The contrast between the polished wall and
the rough ceiling seems to confirm the idea

of a reuse.

- The remains of the grooves on the polished
wall seem to confirm the use of picks in this

fashion were part of the original design.

- We measured the surfaces with a roughness
measuring device.

Gonthier: “The device analyzes the micro
flaws, but otherwise, to the touch and the

naked eye, it is perfectly flat.”

- This device measures roughness, not flatness.

There is a difference.

You can have a smooth surface that isn’t
flat.

In fact, it could be round or have waves or
be any shape without corners.

If they want to make a claim about smoothness
based on the measurements of this device,

that’s one thing.

But they can’t use it to demonstrate that
the walls are perfectly flat.

It’s not that kind of tool.

- There is an average difference of a few
microns.

These surfaces are almost as smooth as glass.

The precision tolerance varies between 2 to
5 millimeters.

- Note here she says that the precision tolerance
varies between 2 and 5 millimeters, which

is how much the smoothness deviates from the
ideal standard.

She also says that the average difference
is of a few microns.

The average difference between what?

I don’t understand how those two claims
fit together.

Do you?

Maybe I am missing something.

But if the tolerance varies between 2 and
5 millimeters, that is only moderately precise.

It certainly isn’t a precision so astounding
that it couldn’t have been done without

advanced technology.

In a truly scientific study, they would take
comprehensive measurements and provide us

with a table of all the data.

But they do not do that.

It’s possible that they have all the data,
and it confirms their assertions, but there

is no way for anyone to check it.

It’s also possible that they didn’t take
comprehensive measurements, or that they don’t

want us to see all the data, and just want
to show us only what supports their own claims.

- The taking of measurements with a range
finder is difficult, because the walls are

slightly tilted.

What tools were used to accomplish such an
exact work?

- Because the range finder, which uses a laser,
is straight, they are wondering what tools

were used to measure curved surfaces.

Maybe some of you construction folks can let
us know how curved surfaces can be measured

without advanced tools in the comments.

- Some defects in the polishing do confirm
that these caves were hand made, which makes

the need for accuracy even more pronounced.

- Okay, so here they acknowledge that there
are defects, and these defects indicate that

the caves were handmade.

That seems like a reasonable conclusion to
me, and yet it contradicts their earlier claims

of amazing precision.

- Handmade could mean the use of power tools
guided by hand, instead of chisels and hammers.

- Sure, the same lack of precision could be
achieved with power tools, I suppose.

But it also could be achieved without power
tools.

- But why such precision?

What’s the point?

- As I am sure any architect or contractor
or anyone in construction would tell you,

accuracy is important, because inexact measurements
can negatively affect the entire process.

Precise work saves huge amounts of time, labor
and money.

- A gap of a few centimeters would be difficult
to see with the naked eye and in full light.

- Would it?

I think a gap of a few centimeters would be
very easy to see.

What do you think?

- We decided to go back, this time with a
3D scanner, a sound level meter for acoustic

studies, and a laser level to measure the
cave’s preciseness.

- There are all kinds of tools and gauges
that could have been used for measuring precision.

I am curious why they brought only a laser
level.

- The images you are about to see are the
results of the 3D scans done by our laser

with a rotating beam over all the surfaces.

They are the equivalent of an MRI scan.

The lasers determine millions of points, allowing
us to display the exact shapes recorded with

a precision close to a millimeter.

We collected tri-dimensional images, which
we will show you in the raw format, no touch-ups.

Let’s start with the two unfinished caves.

- Hold it.

Look at that.

You can actually see the defects.

- Then on to the complicated caves.

We can see the logical evolution of the shapes.

The first one is a trapeze-shaped cave with
a curved ceiling, with an entryway at the

end.

- There again, notice the clear lack of precision.

- The second one is trapeze-shaped with a
curved ceiling and an entryway at the side.

Again, note the imperfections.

Surely they must have noticed this.

- The third one is entirely curved.

The entryway at the end and the back wall
is also curved.

- A lack of precision there again.

- The fourth one is trapeze-shaped with a
curved ceiling, entryway at the side, and

curved at each of its extremities.

- Imperfections.

- The fifth one is more complex.

Trapeze-shaped with a curved ceiling, a conical
dome, cuffed at one end.

- More imperfections.

- Using a material harder than reinforced
steel, complex shapes were built with a degree

of precision ranging from 2 to 8 millimeters
over a length exceeding 13 meters.

This is more than good enough for the eye
kind of work.

These caves are almost vertically symmetrical,
a real accomplishment, considering the tools

at the time.

- Yes, it was a real accomplishment.

An accuracy ranging between 2 and 8 millimeters
is excellent for having done it by hand, but

it is terrible if you are using advanced precision
measuring tools.

- Let’s put to one side the questions about
the tools that constructed the cave, and let’s

discuss about the geometry of the shapes.

- This might be a good spot to stop and give
you some background information on the state

of knowledge of geometry in the Mauryan period.

We can get an idea from the Shulba sutras,
which are part of the Vedangas.

Their language is late Vedic Sanskrit, so
they come from around the 1st millennium BCE,

which also is the time of the Mauryan Empire.

They are concerned with sacrificial altars,
but geometry comes into play.

We can tell from the texts that the mathematicians
of the time divided circles by drawing its

diameters,

divided rectangles by its diagonals into four
parts equal in all respects,

and divided isosceles triangles into two equal
halves by a straight line that joins the middle

point of the opposite side with the vertex.

The Shulba sutras also deal with parallelograms
and the area of a square inscribed within

a circle and touching the circumference.

They provide rules that enable a person to
construct a straight line perpendicular to

another straight line,

to draw a square with a given side or a rectangle
with given sides,

to construct a parallelogram and rectangle
on the same base and within the same parallels

having the same area,

to draw the diagonals of a rhombus bisecting
each other at right angles,

to construct a quadrilateral formed by the
lines joining the middle points of the sides

of a rectangle, which also is a rhombus whose
area is half of that of the rectangle,

and to construct a square equal to the sum
of two different squares.

These sutras have knowledge of what we call
the Pythagorean theorem.

They show how to “square a circle,” that
is to construct a square, using only a ruler

and compass, whose area is that of a given
circle.

They also show how to circle a square.

Even today, this cannot be done exactly, but
it can be done approximately.

They had the concept of pi, which they approximated
to 3.0885.

Algebraic ideas emerge from the knowledge
expressed here too.

Keep in mind that this is not a geometry textbook.

It just uses geometry for a specific purpose.

But it is lucid and accurate.

Is it so far fetched then that the people
of this time could design these caves?

- In the rooms with trapezoidal sections,
the ceilings are shaped into roughly half

cylinders, whose central axis height varies
from one cave to the other.

In Vapiyaka the axis is located roughly 13
centimeters above the floor.

In Karan Chopar it’s approximately 1 meter
20 cm above the floor.

In Sudama, the axis is located approximately
1 meter 13 cm above the floor.

But in Gopika, it is more complicated, since
the axis is located approximately 47 centimeters

under the floor.

Building an arc whose axis is located under
the floor greatly complicates the taking of

measurements during its construction, a requirement
to verify correct curvature.

Meaning you wouldn’t choose to make a ceiling
like this unless someone specifically asked

you to.

- No workers do anything unless someone specifically
asks them to.

It seems to me that calculating the arc from
a supposed point below the floor wouldn’t

be difficult for anyone who knows basic geometry,
and we know the people of the Maurya period

did.

And keep in mind that all of the measurements
would have been determined beforehand and

recorded in diagrams, so it wouldn’t be
necessary to take a measurement inside the

cave that would extend below the floor.

The measurements from the floor would be right
there in the specs.

- And everything has been made with a glass
finish.

It is certainly glossy.

But a glass finish?

In some parts and in certain lighting you
can see a hazy outline of yourself.

This apparently is something the guides like
to show the tourists.

This claim about a glass or mirror finish
is discussed in detail in a video over on

the Sacred Geometry Decoded channel.

Check it out when you get a chance.

But here are some pertinent excerpts.

SGD: "Here are some common images on the left.

This is the most common image, and on the
right we see the same thing.

Notice anything similar in those two?

Well, okay, let's look a bit further.

So here are a couple of others.

Well, okay, let's examine these.

Okay, perfect flatness: that must be it.

It must be advanced machining technology.

Precision.

Precision machining technique.

You cannot do this by hand.

Well, skeptical pipe deployed.

If it's so flat, why are there such obvious
distortions in the reflection?

Now focus on the one on the left.

Now notice on the floor how the light comes
in through the door.

Light comes in through the door.

It seems to be a straight line.

But the reflection is very warped, very distorted.

If it's so flat and perfect, these caves,
and obvious machining technology, why are

photos always taken from the same location?

If it's so flat, why are there such obvious
distortions in the reflection?

Because it is not flat.

I do not need precision advanced modern machining
to tell me that.

I can look at that with the eye and see that
this is not flat.

There you can see on the left hand side: obviously
not flat.

Like no, no, there is no sane, experienced
person who has any basic knowledge in this

matter, who would look at this image and declare
it to be flat.

You do not need a surface roughness indicator,
which is not even a measurement of flatness

to begin with, to see that you don't need
a repeat meter (what is actually used to measure

flatness).

You do not need these to note that it is not.

Same thing on the image n the right.

Even the floor is not flat.

The walls are not flat.

Take this to the bank.

On the left hand side, we see a flat steel
plate.

Oh, is it polished?

It might be polished aluminium or polished
steel.

And on the lower left, we see an example of
bad body work.

I do not need a precision advanced modern
machine measure tool to tell me that that

steel metal plate is not flat.

Just by looking at the reflections, I can
absolutely with 100% certainty tell you it

is not flat to a precision level.

The light will not lie.

The reflections will not lie.

- The builders wouldn’t aim for such precision
without a reason.

It must have been a necessary part of the
architectural specifications.

- It is necessary for all professional architectural
specifications.

Isn’t it?

- Studying them, we can deduce the incredible
skills needed for their construction, which

would have required at least one engineer
and several highly-skilled laborers.

- Absolutely.

- With respect to the Ashoka builders, the
finished results here appear to be too advanced

when compared to the knowledge and technical
means available during the period.

- That has not yet been demonstrated.

What part of it is too advanced?

We have seen great work, yes, but with imperfections
that indicate a construction that was done

by hand.

For an argument like this to work, we need
to be shown what the Ashoka builders were

capable of and then compare that to the work
done here.

But nowhere in the BAM video is the technology,
knowledge or skills of the Maurya period discussed.

- Okay, but why construct such peculiar rooms.

Something surprising about the caves is the
sound, and the way it reverberates due to

the slight inclination of the walls.

It leads to a suppression of echo in favor
of acoustic resonance.

This can’t be a coincidence.

- Caves with walls this close cannot make
an echo.

That is why.

In order to hear an echo, the time gap between
the original sound and the reflected sound

must at least be .1 second.

If the obstacle is close, the reflection will
return quickly, less than .1 second.

And your brain will not be able to distinguish
between the original sound and the reflected

sound.

So you won't hear an echo.

- But if so, where did they learn to do it?

Where is the evidence of the process?

Once again, like with the Antikythera Mechanism,
it is necessary to experiment to conceive

prototypes.

Caves of such precision are not created without
first becoming an expert.

Yet no prototype is found anywhere, other
than these two incomplete caves.

- Acoustic resonance in these caves would
certainly have an aesthetic benefit for those

reciting mantras out loud.

It would maintain a chant for several seconds,
and if a new sound was added before the old

one died away, each sound would be added together
for a fabulous experience.

If the caves were constructed that way intentionally,
I am certain experiments could first have

been performed in other kinds of buildings.

Although we haven’t found much, stone architecture
did exist prior to the Maurya dynasty.

We have monuments like the Piprahwa Stupa
that existed long before the Maurya dynasty.

The earliest Buddhist construction in Rajgir
India, the ruin of Jivakavanarama, is said

to have also contained barrel-vaulted ceilings,
such as we see in the Barabar caves.

If so, surely this can be seen as a prototype.

That being said, prior to the Maurya Empire,
most Indian architecture was made from timber.

Some early timber buildings can be seen depicted
on early Buddhist Stupas (Dome shaped Buddhist

shrines).

Even wooden buildings allow for acoustic experiments.

We have enough information about these wooden
buildings that it seems clear these early

aniconic caves were faithful replications
of contemporary freestanding timber buildings.

But while the caves have survived intact,
their wooden counterparts have long since

perished.

- And the work performed in the following
centuries in India would never equal or even

come close to the level or work here.

- It surpassed it.

Take a look at these cave temples that were
constructed after the ones at Barabar.

The Barabar caves are wonderful, but they
do not equal or even come close to the level

of work you find at these temples.

BAM keeps trying to make the Barabar caves
seem like an oasis of technology in a desert

of mediocrity, but this portrayal does not
fit the material record.

That being said, there is a series of Deccan
caves that came immediately after the Ashoka

and Dasharatha caves that appears cruder and
stylistically unrelated to the Barabar caves,

but their inferior quality is believed to
be due to a lack of patronage of Buddhism

at that time, which was still new in the area.

They were probably paid for by commoners.

And a comparison between the Maurya caves
and some of the earliest Deccan caves has

demonstrated architectural continuity between
them.

New features and innovations are evident in
the Deccan caves.

And when Buddhist patronage increased, the
quality of caves increased.

There are thousands of caves that were carved
out in the centuries that followed, many of

them in granite.

- These spaces behave like resonance chambers.

Tests conducted in the Sudama cave show that
when you stand in the center of the dome,

certain frequencies make precise body parts
vibrate.

- Cool.

This would have added to the spiritual experience.

Yes, when the frequency of the applied force
is equal to the natural frequency of the body,

the body vibrates.

This can be done with the voice.

- Data analysis using a sonometer gives incredible
results for three of the caves.

Measurements in the last two are not sufficient
at the moment and will need further completion.

- Scientific research is not usually published
before a full set of data is taken, but pop

documentaries have no such standard.

They want to be interesting, and they can
draw far-reaching conclusions on fragmentary

data.

Be wary of that when investigating any topic.

- Let us start with Karan Chopar.

The cave resonates at a frequency of 200 hz,
as well as at multiples of this frequency:

400 hz, 800 hz, 1000 hz, and 1200 hz.

Gopika resonates at 200 hz, 400 hz, 800 hz,
and 1200 hz.

And Vadathika resonates at 200 and 1000 hz.

- I wish we could see the full results with
the exact measurements.

Are these round figures?

What is the margin of error here?

BAM does not provide this information.

Also please note: the measurements are taken
in hertz, a modern unit of measurement.

If the measurements were taken using a different
unit of measurement, then you wouldn’t get

those nice 00s at the end.

- Do you realize what this means?

Those who conceived and built these caves
made them with specific shapes and dimensions

to resonate at different frequencies.

Can we call this a coincidence?

Precise sound calculations 2,300 years ago.

How did they calculate those dimensions?

At this point, we have no idea, but we will
continue to investigate.

- Let’s think for a moment on the reasoning
employed here.

Measurements were taken of sound frequency.

Such measurements can be taken anywhere, of
course.

So how do we tell whether the frequencies
we measure are of intentional design?

If it has a pattern, you might say.

Possibly, but keep in mind that patterns exist
in nature too.

And when we are measuring human constructed
rooms with specific geometrical shapes, those

shapes are likely to cause certain patterns
in the soundscape, whether it was planned

that way or not.

So when judging this set of information I
would keep several things in mind:

BAM’s measurements are incomplete.

BAM has not provided the exact measurements.

BAM has provided measurements in hertz, which
we cannot assume was the unit used at the

time of construction, which makes the neat
number pattern an illusion.

The frequencies may be an accidental byproduct
of the shape of the caves.

That being said, I would not rule out the
possibility that the specialists of the Maurya

period had a sonometer of some kind.

They are not difficult to make.

- In regards to Sudama, the circular diameter
on the ground of the chamber measures 6 meters

to the millimeter.

- One of the strange assertions made in BAM
is that the meter was used as a unit of measurement

in the time before the presumed great cataclysm
of 12,000 years ago.

Yes, the meter.

So here they are trying to show that the Barabar
caves used the meter as a unit of measurement.

If you don’t know already, the meter was
invented by the French in the late 1700s,

based on an inaccurate measurement of the
size of the earth.

Unless you think that people more than 12,000
years ago chose the same arbitrary definition

and made the same mistake, it is impossible
for the meter to have existed back then.

In order to determine what units of measurements
were used in the construction of a building,

what a scientist would do is take comprehensive
measurements, compare them all, and see what

commonalities these measurements have in order
to see what basic units are employed.

What BAM does is take measurements until something
resembling a meter or a fraction of a meter

shows up, highlights it, and disregards the
rest.

So, for example, here.

The diameter of the main Sudama chamber comes
out to 6 meters, so this is what is emphasized.

I provided measurements for several other
of the caves earlier, and they did not come

out to even meters or to even divisions of
meters.

- On this complex shape of a dome, they placed
half a sphere about 3 meters in radius with

a 5 centimeter difference this time.

The center is at 1 meter above the ground,
give or take 1 centimeter.

- There seems to be some sleight of hand here.

They claim the center of the room is here
and is exactly one meter from the floor.

It doesn’t look quite like the center to
me.

And then the radius they say is 5 centimeters
off from 3 meters.

If it is 5 centimeters off, then it isn’t
a match.

- The length of the room is 6 meters, as is
the diameter of the ceiling.

We can’t say for sure, but it is starting
to look like they used the meter.

- This small number of cherry-picked measurements
is insufficient to establish a pattern.

- Now, it might be wise to ask ourselves why
they took the measurement this way.

6 meters in diameter means 18.8496 meters
in parameter.

Divided by 6, the arc equal pi in meters.

- This would work with any measuring system,
and as we know, they knew about pi in the

Maurya period.

- What if I told you these granite caves are
also located over a discontinuity point in

the earth’s crust?

- I had never heard of a discontinuity point,
so I looked it up.

All I could find that might apply is that
in geology, a “discontinuity” is a zone

deep within the earth where the velocity of
earthquake waves changes radically.

But I have not been able to find any scientific
study that indicates such a zone lies directly

under the Barabar caves.

So I don’t know where BAM is getting this
from.

- It’s up to each of you to conclude what
you want when you are looking at these masterpieces.

With the help of chisels and goodwill, builders
might have accomplished this random miracle.

Or maybe we’re looking at an example of
a science totally unknown to us.

- So after considering the evidence, Do you
think BAM has shown that the caves were made

with a science unknown to the artisans of
the Maurya empire?

Do you think that BAM has demonstrated successfully
that the specialists of that time would not

have been able or for any other reason were
not likely to have constructed these caves?

Let me know in the comments below.

Thank you for watching all the way to the
end.

If you like what I am doing on this channel,
and you want to support it, you can do so

for as little as $2 per month at patreon.com/worldofantiquity.

You might like my little e-booklet, "Why Ancient
History Matters."

It's designed to persuade people that the
subject is important, even in the modern world.

You might also wish to use it to help spread
the word, so feel free to share it with someone

you know.

It's free for anyone who wants it.

I've left the link in the description box
below the video for you to grab a copy.

Catch you later.