A visit to Bhaje Caves

Welcome to Bhaje caves, one of the Karla-Bhaje-Bedasa caves complex.

Dating back to the second century BC, the group of 22 Hinayan Buddhist caves at Bhaje are cut and carved in mountain rocks. These caves are located on an ancient trade route running from Arabic Sea into the Deccan Plateau of Maharashtra state, India. These caves are situated 400 meters atop village Bhaje. 

Depending on the route you take, from Pune it is an hour and half long ride for 60-75 km mostly on smooth highway with a small stretch of mountain pass on the way. 

You need to take a slightly bumpy road from Karla-Bhaje square to reach to the base of the caves. From the base, you can either choose to walk on the stairs or trek to the top. There is a minimal entry fee of Rs. 15 for Indian visitors and Rs. 200/- for foreign visitors. The best part is you can click as many pictures of the caves and the sculptures and parts of the caves as you want.

The verandah leads to the most prominent excavation its Chaitya Vihara i.e. prayer hall. Another notable feature is the use of horse-shoe styled wooden architecture structure as the ceiling in Chaitya Vihara. The prayer hall has pillar structure adorned with reliefs and beautifully carved external façade is quite a visual. I could spot some holes in the ground. This might have been used for some religious purposes. There are a few designs itched on the floor. A few pillars have inscriptions indicating names of the donors. The scripts seem to be lost in time and thus the writing is illegible to us as well as to the natives. 

There are quite a few small rooms with a bed made of stone slabs, a small alcove just beneath the bed. This might have been used to keep bed-sheets, clothing and utensils. A small trench outside might have been filled with water to wash feet. These tiny, dingy rooms might have been used by resident and travelling Buddhist monks. The rooms are arranged on the ground and first floor and there are a few connecting stairs. Below the ground floor, there seems to be a water tank which might have been used for daily usage. The monks might have used this water to nurture a garden. But, this is just my assumption. Nowadays, religious visitors, mostly Hindus throw a few coins in it with a hope of getting blessed with some luck. This, I find quite superstitious. 

I could also spot a Shivalinga in the complex. This raised a question in my mind if Shaivaites or worshippers of Shiva from Hindu belief systems were allowed to practice here or sculptors adhered to Hinduism and both the philosophies co-existed peacefully. I also wondered if the rulers of the time promoted peaceful co-existence of multiple thoughts, philosophies and religions. 

The caves have a number of stupas i.e. a mound like hemispherical structures that are used as places for meditation. There are inscriptions on the stupas as well. A few broken structures might have been caused by the action of nature. A sanctum is now closed and flash photography is not allowed. 

There are sculptures depicting acts of entertainment and human interactions. When closely observed, I could see Tabla, Indian percussion instrument in one of the sculptures. Thus, music seems to be an integral part of the then lives. Animals, mythical creatures, events, chariots and people’s idols are parts of the sculptures. 

Although a quick tour can end in 10-15 minutes, only a casual visitor does that. Someone who wishes to know more, wonder about ancient people’s lives and make an attempt to understand culture, I recommend spending 2-3 hours. If you are even more interested, sit in the Chaitya Griha, the prayer hall. Listen to humming of bumble bees and meditate. The next time I visit again, I am definitely going to do just that.

Do let me know how you feel about visiting this place. 

You may also like to view a video I posted on Youtube. Youtube link:visit to bhaje caves