Tag: tribal societies

Gautama Buddha found that people everywhere were miserable and in conflict with each other. He began to think, how can we get rid of this misery? Gautama also left his family and home in search of answers to such questions. He became a Parivrajaka, and after years of penance and meditation arrived at some answers to these questions. The teachings of Buddha came to be known as Buddhism.

The Kanheri Caves comprise a large basaltic rock outcrop into which 109 caves have been cut, dating from the 1st century BCE to the 10th century CE. By the 3rd century, the Kanheri Caves had become an important Buddhist institution for congregational practice, study, and meditation, and were considered a Buddhist educational center. The sculptural embellishments include representations of various Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

Many people went to live in the forests in ashrams. In these ashrams, they meditated and pondered over several questions. They also had discussions with people who came to visit them and shared their teachings with others. People who lived in ashrams like this were called Rishis and Munis (sages).

The Chaitya at Karla is the largest of the cave temples. It is situated at Karle in Pune district of Maharashtra. It is said to have been sculptured between 100-125 A.D. The Chaitya was built like caves on hill sides. Stone workers using chisel and hammer carved living rocks and reproduced structures which carpenters and wood workers had made.They made large prayer halls, stupas and small rooms for monks all in the rock.They also carved beautiful images of people and animals and some times of the Buddha.

Today we use machines, tractors and tools made of steel etc. The earliest people also used tools; but these were made of stones, bones and wood. Initially, large stones were given sharp edges by very careful breaking with another stone. This gave the people a tool which enabled them to cut flesh, dig the earth for tubers and hunt animals.

The earliest people made fine, small pieces from hard stone. These pieces were called Microliths. They were fixed to wooden or bone handles which then served as knives, arrows, sickles etc. These weapons were used to dig soil, chop the trees for the bark, remove the skins of animals, clean the skins, stitch clothes out of the skin, cut meat and bone, chop fruit and roots and hunt the animals easily.

Parivrajakas were seekers of truth who did not live permanently in any one place. They left their homes and wandered from village to village and forest to forest.Hence they were called Parivrajakas(wanderers) or Bhikshus (mendicants or those who begged). Among these Parivrajakas, Vardhamana Mahavira, Gautama Buddha, Makhkhali Goshala and Ajita Keshkambalin became very famous.