Maharashtra is a state full of hidden treasures of historical places with amazing scenic views. One of these places is the caves in Maharashtra. There are three famous caves that make a trio near Pune. These are Bedsa caves, Karla caves and Bajha caves. These caves show the presence of Buddhism in the country.
Bedsa cavesIt is 70 kilometers from Pune and 15 kilometers from Kamshet railway station. There is a village near the caves that is called Bedsa. May be that is why these caves are called Bedsa caves. These are one of the oldest caves in Maharashtra around 1000 years old. Exact figures are not known. The best time to see these caves is in the morning hours as in the evening the interiors can’t be seen properly due to lack of light. These caves are situated on a stiff hill. It is a small place of ancient Buddhist monks but enough to attract visitors due to its breathtaking surroundings. It has a chaitya, a big Vihara and many small chambers may be used by Monks to take rest. It is near the new Pune Mumbai expressway. It is one interesting place to visit in a day trip.
Karla cavesThe Karla caves are just 40 kilometres away from Pune. These are one of the oldest caves in the state but internal architecture is still strong enough and defeated the time line. The caves are not visible from down but when you go up you can’t imagine that the visible stones from outside can be such beautifully carved structures from inside. There are many heighted pillars with beautiful carvings on top, chaitya hall, one big stupa and extremely well designed roof top that is made of teakwood. The stupa has pictures of men, women and elephants on it. It gives the reflection of Buddhism period and we can’t resist going into deep of the history. One of these pillars has four lions on the top. We can enjoy the human life representation inside the cave in the form of rock carvings and structures. It is surprising that there are many halls, viharas, chaityas, and many chambers for monks to use or rest but there is not a single statue or rock cut of lord Buddha only the symbols represent Buddhism strongly. In short it is a must see as the fabulous interiors tell the hidden history of Buddhism period and people of that time.
Bhaja CavesThe third one is Bhaja caves which complets the trio caves. It is 60 kilometres from Pune city falls under Aurangabad district of Maharashtra state. The Bhaja caves consist of eighteen caves and all of them are very beautifully carved showing the magnificent architecture of ancient period. These are supposed to be constructed in the 2nd century that is quite a long time ago. All these caves are totally dedicated to Lord Buddha as all of them have images of Buddha and incidents of his life time. They have stupas, viharas, chaityas and big halls equally ornamented. One can see the Bodhi tree under which lord Buddha attained Nirvana, carved on the rocks. Among the eighteen caves the twelfth cave is the biggest cave having a big prayer hall for monks. The last cave has a dancing couple carved in the rocks that is worth seeing. There are lotuses and elephants carved that are said to show the birth of Lord Buddha and a mound showing his death. It is a wonderful experience to visit these caves as they take you way back in the 2nd century. These are the excellent example of magnificent architecture and fine sculptures of ancient period.There is a nominal fees is charged to see the caves. The state transport and railway services are available to reach these caves. There are some temples also. The nearest station is Malavali station.Ruchi Mahajan
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