Aug 8, 2013

India hosts nearly immense wealth of ancient rock-cut architecture for diverse tastes. One of the best is located in Karla Caves. This is one of the must see places to visit near Lonavala, also known as Karle caves.
If you are coming by road from Pune, you have to follow below route:
Pune (A) - NH4 - Khamshet - Malavali (Just before Lonavala) - Karli village - Karla Caves
If you are coming by road from Mumbai, you have to follow below route:
Mumbai (E) - Navi Mumbai - Follow Pune Mumbai expressway - Khandala (D) - Lonavala (C) - Malavali - Karli - Karla Caves (B)


Karla Caves Map
Train transport is cheaper either coming from Pune or Mumbai. Pune to Lonavala local train time table can be checked here. Lonavala to Pune local train time table can be checked here. 


We opted for train travel from Pune railway station to Malavali railway station. From Malavali railway station we traveled up-to the tail of Karla caves by auto-rickshaw @ INR 100. Though one can drive up-to the midpoint of the Karla caves up-to the parking area; well maintained staircase is always a preferred option in light drizzle. There are number of small shops, restaurants, bhutta (corn) and tea stalls throughout the trek. 


With my new SLR, I could not resist from capturing colorful bangles, hanging bottles, lovely garlands, hens, panoramic views of mountains and lush green grounds and whichever beautiful thing fell on the way. And it did not end there, we could also capture a few human faced and animal shaped rocks. These caves are declared by the Archaeological Survey of India as a National Monument.



It resides on a high spur of the chain of hills on north flank of Indrayani valley and approx 8 km away from the sister Bhaja caves towards south. As you enter the cave, you will find yourself near the Karla falls. Not to mention, it is possible only during monsoons! Some people also bathe and enjoy in this waterfall, but one should be very cautious, as some of the rocks become very much slippery. During monsoon, there are numerous waterfalls in the entire belt, thus making enough spots for people to stop by. The group of Karla includes total 16 excavations (One is Chaityagriha and 15 are Viharas) depicting artistic embellishment of Hinayana and Mahayana sects of Buddhism. Detailed information about Karla Caves can be found near Notice Board where we pay entrance fees.

Karla Caves Timings and Fees: 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.  
Indian: 5 INR; Foreign Nationals: 100 INR


Lion sculptures in top of pillar in front of chaitya, just look amazing. The hall features beautifully en-carved sculptures of people from ancient times along with royal animals - lions and elephants. There is a stupa and one can notice some interesting carvings inside the caves. The inner frontage has the sun window, ornamental arcades and sculptures, marks the culmination of the Himalaya type of Chaitya Hall. The figures of Buddha carved in relief belong to the later mahayana phase. The hall is divided into a nave and tow aisles by two rows of pillars. Inside the cave are carved a number of inscription records in Brahmi characters giving the names of donors who contributed for the excavation of this cave.

Ekveera Mata Prashannav:
Some space outside is occupied by a temple dedicated to the goddess Ekveera, where villagers and many visitors worship daily. It seems like during festive season, it attracts quite a crowd, handled in a big queue.

One can visit Karla and Bhaja Caves in a single day. In splendor these caves can be compared to Ajanta and Ellora caves but are much less popular – thus visit here is pleasant due to less crowds specially during monsoon.

Chasing the monsoon...

Other caves to visit in Maharashtra:

Worldwide famous Ajanta and Ellora caves near Aurangabad - Daulatabad
Monsoon visit to Bhaja Caves near Bhaje Village 
Lenyadri Caves near Junnar - one of the Ashtavinayak Ganpati

14 comments:

  1. nice info. ok place, but only good place to visit during raining season.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nothing like old world charm !

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for putting so much information about places near Mumbai. I love your blog. Every time I see, I found something new. Keep writing and keep helping.

    ReplyDelete
  4. There are other places near Lonavala where you can you can visit anytime. Such as Pawna Lake. The Camping facility also available near Pawna Lake. For More information call us at 9545377673 or Visit: www.pawnalakecamps.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for this informative blog. Pawna Lake camping is also the best location one must visit just to experience the night camping just beside the lakeside. for more information you can call or whatsapp us on 8381004848 or visit our website Pawna Lake camping

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great article, If you want villas on rent in Lonavala then you can reach out Leestays (Villas in lonavala) You will get private Villa with pool.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great information, but please do mention our Kamshet Paragliding A thrilling adventure one must experience.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great article Lot's of information to Read, Keep posting and update people. Paragliding at kamshet is one of the must visit place during your visits of Maharashtra

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hey,
    Its a very fabulous article, generally i don't comments on article but its really such a great article. Paragliding at kamshet is the place in maharashtra which also a great fun.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Best article. Thanks for sharing valuable information. Pawna Lake Camping

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi,
    I love your blog. Every time I see I found something new, Great article Lot's of information to Read Thanks for putting unique information about blog Keep posting and helping. Pawna Lake Camping - Pawana Explore at Pawana Nagar,Thakursai, Maharashtra must visit my Website: https://www.pawanaexplore.com/

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great article Lot's of information to Read, Keep posting and update people. Pawna lake camping is one of the most visiting place. Visit us!
    Official Website of Pawna lake camping - https://campinginpawnalake.com/

    ReplyDelete
  13. There are other places near Lonavala where you can you can visit anytime. Such as Pawna Lake. The Camping facility also available near Pawna Lake. For More information call us at 7219411292 or Visit: https://campinginpawnalake.com/

    ReplyDelete

Recent Popular Posts

What are you searching for

3D World 4D Shows 4G For the Global Garden A rainy day at Alibaag - Mini Goa A week in Goa Aai Museum Aare Ware Beach Activities in Lavasa Adlabs Imagica Aguada Fort Ajanta-Ellora Caves Alandi Alibaag Beaches Amanora Amba Ghat Arthur's Seat Ashtavinayak Temples in Maharashtra Aurangabad Baga Beach - Goa Bagmandala to Veshvi Boat Trip Beach Best Blog TV Best Blogging Tips and words Best Home Poem Best Places to visit in India Best Places to visit in Mumbai Bhaja Caves to Lohagad Fort Trek Bhigwan Bhorgiri Bibi Ka Makbara Bird Sanctuary Birds in India Boat trip Bonfire Bushi Dam Calingute Beach Watersports Camp Temgarh Camping in Maharashtra Camping near Mumbai Camping near Pune Camping sites in Maharashtra Carnival Caves in Maharashtra Dam Dapoli Beaches Day trip Devagiri Fort Devbag Devdeveshwar Temple Devrukh Diveagar Shrivardhan Harihareshwar Dona Paula - Panaji Elephant's Head Point Elphinstone Point Entertainment Event Farmhouse Festivals in India First Trip to Goa Flamingo Flea market Food For Thought Poem Fort Resorts Forts Forts in Maharashtra Ganpatipule Getting Hitched Goa Festival Goa India Goa Project Event Half Day Trips Happy New Year Poem Harihareshwar Pradakshina Marg Harnai Fish Market Harnai Port and village Harrison Folly Highest Hits on You-Tube Historical Places to visit in Pune Home - Ghar I and You I like the way I love the way I wanna Poem India's Biggest Conch ISKCON Temples around the world Jain Temples near Lonavala Jain Temples near Pune Jogeshwari Prasanna Temple Jyotirlingas in Maharashtra Jyotirlings Kaas Pathar Kanakdurg Fort Trek Karla Bhaja Caves Kashid Beach Kate's Point Khandoba Temple Khopoli Kolaba - Alibaag Fort Kondhur Konkan Beaches Konkan Museum Koregaon Park Kumbhargaon Bird Sanctuary Lake Latest Poems Lenyadri Hills Lighthouse Lion Point Lodwick Point Lonavala Lord Kartikeya Temple Pune Lord Shiva Mackie’s Saturday Night Market Mahabaleshwar Points Mahaganapati Ashtavinayak Temple - Ranjangaon Mahashivratri Malvan Maral Marleshwar Marriage Anniversary Poem Matheran Toy Train Mini Taj Miramar Beach - Panaji Monkey Point - Khandala Monsoon Moonrise Mulshi Dam Mulshi Lake Mumbai in a day Murud Janjira Fort Music My Poems Nature Needle Hole Point Neelkantheshwar Old Goa and Panaji Tour One day trip Online Darshan Booking Painted Stork Palande Murud and Karde Beach Palkhi Panchgani Points Pandav Cave Point Panshet Panshet Dam Paradise Cruise Photographs Photography Place to visit near Pune during monsoon places in maharashtra Places in Malvan Places near Ahmadnagar Places near Aurangabad Places near Baramati Places near Bhimashankar Places near Calangute Places near Daulatabad places near devrukh Places near Ganpatipule Places near Khadakwasla Places near Lavasa Places near Mahabaleshwar Places near Mulshi Places near Mumbai Places near Nasik Places near Panchgani Places near Pune Places near Ratnagiri places near sangmeshwar Places near Satara Places near Shirdi Places near Tapola Places to visit in Goa places to visit in pune Places to visit in Shirur Places to visit in Shivneri Fort - Junnar Places to visit near Dapoli Places to visit near Lonavala Places to visit near Nasik Places to Visit near Pune Places to Visit near Pune - Mumbai Places to visit near Ratnagiri Places to visit near Shirur Poem about 'Life is Beautiful' Poem about Food for Thought Poem about Home Poem about Thanks You Poem about You Poem writing Poetic Rhymes Poetry - The Poem Points to visit in Matheran Potholes near Takli Haji Power Of You Pratapgad Prati Shirdi Pre wedding shoot Pune Celebrations Pune Events Pune Gardens Pune in a day Pune to Alibaag Trip Pune to Lavasa Purinder Fort Raga Lawns Raigad Raigarh Fort Rainy Season Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park Rajmachi Garden Rameshwar Temple - Chaul Ramling Temple Ratnadurga Fort Ratnagiri Remember Me Replica Temples in India Saaswad Changavteshwar Temple Purandar Fort Trek Sach Poems Sai Baba Temple SaiBaba Temple Map Saint Dnyaneshwar Sangmeshwar Sarasbaag Satara scuba diving Seven Deadly Threats to Humanity Seven Wonders Parks Shirdi Shirdi SaiBaba Temple Shirgaon Shiv Sagar Shiv Temples Shivaji Maharaj Shivneri Fort Shravan Month Shree Pabal Tirth Shri Girijatmaj Lenyadri Ganapati Shrivardhan-Harihareshwar Trip Shwetamber Digambar Jain Temples Sindhudurg Sindhudurg Fort Snake Park Katraj snorkeling Star Gazing Stork Garden Pune Sunrise sunset Supermoon 2016 Supermoon Photography Supermoon Photos Swimming Pool at Fort Swine Flu Helpline Numbers Swine Flu Information Swiss Tent Table Land Tapola tarkarli Team Events Temghar Dam Temple Temple near Pune Temples in Pune Temples near Pune Thanks Poem Theme Park Thibaw Palace Things to do in Goa Thoseghar Three D will rule the world Three Magic Words Time waited for my first blog. Tomb Tourists Places to Visit near Pune - Mumbai Travel Trek Trek in Pune Trip To North Goa Trip To South Goa Ujjani Dam Valley Vday Velneshwar Venna Lake Vetal Temple Vighanahar Temple Ojhar waterfall We have a long way to go Weekend Trips What is Swine Flu When the earth will end? Whenever Wherever Poem wild wildlife sanctuary windmills Wonders of the world Yamai Devi Yenpe ZaPalooza
copyright@placesinmaharashtra. Powered by Blogger.

LENS (Like! Enjoy! Navigate! Share!)

Follow me @ sachinkgupta.com