|
KARLA & BHAJA CAVES |
Bhaja Caves
Reaching Bhaja by road requires to drive down the same route along the highway as Karla but instead of turning left you must take the road on the right and drive past Malavali station and follow a quite road a further 3km to Bhaja village, There is no bus service to Bhaja but you can take a local train to Malavali station.From the village it is a 250 feet climb to the caves.There are 18 caves, twelth being a chaitya hall with finest carving in the cave complex. First cave appears to be the dwelling of the master architect while 10 others are viharas for priests.Remaining seven caves have inscription about donors.
KARLA CAVES
These are among the oldest
caves in India and date back all the way to 160 B.C To get to Karla you have to take a
12km drive along the highway towards Pune and turn left a little after passing MTDC's
Holiday home and then drive further 3km down a narrow road. Regular S.T bus services are
available. From the base it is a stiff 600 feet climb to the top and it is recommended
that adequate water is carried along by you.
The principal cave is the largest Chaitya
among Buddhist cave in the country, Being 15meters wide and 16 meters high. The most
remarkable feature of the cave is its arched roof supported by wooden beams which have
astonishingly survived the onslaught of elements for more than 2,000 years. The Wooden
Umbrella above the Chaitya is unique in the Buddhist caves around the world. There is
absolutely no sign of any corrosion. It is the finest example of the kind perhaps in the
world.At the entrance of the principal cave is the temple of Goddess Ekvira visited by
thousands of devotees from the coastal region around Mumbai during the annual fair falling
in April (chaitra) and also during Navratri. Ekvira temple is on the right side of the
main cave while at the left side is a lofty column with three lions on its top.
 |