The rock-cut monuments at Prabhas Patan have been escaped the attention of the mainstream scholarship. They also suffer from the general neglect.
There are approximately six or seven rock-cut edifices. Until proper research is carried out it is difficult to ascertain the religious affiliation of the caves. According to the information signage placed at the site by the Department of Archaeology, Government of Gujarat, the edifices are ‘Buddhist vihara[s] from the 3rd-4th century A.D… Buddhism under Kshatrapa patronage was prevalent in this region during the early centuries of the Christian Era.’
However, during my few hours of cursory visit, I could not notice any prima facie evidence to link the caves to a particular religious or sectoral affiliation.
The site is located less than two km from the famous Somnath jyotirlinga temple near Veraval in the Gir Somnath district of Gujarat.
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