English: The Rakhetra caves are located near a river valley and farmlands of rural north Madhya Pradesh, along river Aur (Orr, Urvasi) close to Gadhelna and Danga Bairasiya villages. They contain several remarkable reliefs and 10th century inscriptions. The oldest group here is of Hindu artwork, while the Jaina reliefs and statues were added here centuries later. It is also referred to as the Bhimasena, Bhiyamdanta or Bhiyadant caves, or as the Rakshetra, Rakhatera site.
The caves and reliefs are along the side of a cliff. The Hindu reliefs and inscriptions are from 9th to 10th century in Pratihara era style. They include Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Ganesha and Hara-Gauri (Shiva-Parvati). The Jaina reliefs include a colossal Adinatha image are from the 15th century. The site has several important Jaina inscriptions from the 15th century.
This site was likely a much larger complex on a river-based trading route before the 13th century and less significant through the 16th-century. The site destruction in the 16th or 17th century ended its regional prominence. The forest and hilly terrain help preserve these reliefs and caves. It is likely that the first wave of mutilation and damage occurred before the 15th century because the lower level easy-to-reach Hindu reliefs are defaced, more broken and some gouged out, while the Jaina reliefs are largely intact.
For scholarly discussion of these caves: Peter Flügel (2019),
Riddles of the Rock-Carved Hindu and Jaina Sculptures and Inscriptions at Rakhetra, CoJS Newsletter, Vol 14