Karla and Bhaja Caves

Karla holds the largest early chaitya hall in India, cut in the first century AD or thereabouts, some forty-five metres deep with an apsidal end, thirty-seven octagonal pillars carrying carved elephants and paired figures, a stone stupa at the far end, and a horseshoe window above the entrance; teak ribs fixed into its vaulted ceiling survive from the original construction, which is exceptional. Bhaja, a few kilometres away and older, is plainer and quieter, with a chaitya hall, monastic cells, a group of fourteen stupas and a waterfall in the monsoon. Both were cut beside the trade route over the ghats.

What to look for

• The Karla chaitya - a forty-five metre hall with original teak ceiling ribs.
• The carved pillars - elephants and paired figures on the capitals.
• Bhaja's stupa group - fourteen stupas in a cut recess.
• The monsoon waterfall - water falling beside the Bhaja caves in the rains.

When to go

June to February; the monsoon greens the hillsides and runs the Bhaja waterfall, which is when the setting is best, though steps are slippery. Summer is hot on the climb.

What to expect

Both sites involve a climb of many steps. A working Hindu temple sits at the mouth of the Karla cave and the approach is lined with stalls. Photography inside is restricted at Karla.

Nearby

Lonavala lies west; Pune is southeast.