Bhaja Buddhist Caves is a street art installation in Lonavala. This place has 5427 reviews and an average rating of 4.4 of 5. This is a very good rating.
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Reviews from visitors:
Nice 1-day visit. little climbing involved but it can b done at one's own pace....quite decently maintained since it is not a tourist hotspot. But the guards and parents need to be more vigilant about kids hanging and climbing over the structures,. The strong architecture can be preserved for a millennium with slight attention.
As hundreds of people make their way up and down the #Mumbai - Pune Expressway each day, little do they realise that they are #travelling along what was once an ancient trade route, used by travelers 2000 years ago! This is the #Bhor Ghat, a strategic mountain pass that connected the Deccan to the ports on the #Konkan coast. The route was used by merchants and caravans for hundreds of years and that is why you will also find a cluster of rock cut caves all along the way. The Volcanic Basalt rock of the Deccan Traps, were ideal ground for Buddhist, Jain and even Shaivite caves that you see all the way from #Ajanta and #Ellora in the North to #Elephanta, an island just off Mumbai.small cluster of Buddhist Caves built by the Hinayana sect of #Buddhism near Lonavala in #Maharashtra. The work on these Caves started in 2nd century BC and finished in 2nd century AD. Over these 300 years, 22 Caves were made though today only a few of these are accessible for travellers.
Earlier, it was believed that these were remote monk retreats where the Buddhist monks isolated themselves from the wider world. But it was noted historian DD Kosambi, who through his research brought to light the fact that the cave complexes were always located along trade routes. This is because their chief patrons were the merchants who moved along these routes, off shoots of the Dakshinapath, (ancient trade route connecting north and south India), to the coastal ports .The most distinguishing feature of the #Bhaja caves is its unique Chaityagriha (prayer hall). It has 27 pillars around the hall with wooden beams fixed on the ceiling. What is most fascinating and almost unbelievable is that the beams on the ceiling are the original ones which the monks had installed 2200 years ago! This woodwork has survived for thousands of years and seen only minor conservation work in recent years. This must be among the oldest surviving woodwork in #Western India
Entrance fee:
Citizens of India and visitors of SAARC (Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Maldives and Afghanistan) and BIMSTEC countries (Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar): Rs. 15
Others: Rs. 200
Children: Free (up to 15 years)
Nice place to visit near pune. Best for small trip in rainy season. On weekend place is mostly crowded. Their are only few caves but it's worth to visit.
Around 80-90 km from pune and takes approximately 2 hours in private vehicle. It is actually a Buddhist temple. You can spend an hour or so to visit it and to take photos. It is in midway to Lohgadh fort. A nice one day trip away from city.
The place is 2100 years old. It is a world heritage site. It takes 10 to 15 minutes to climb the hill. Locals sale buttermilk , lemon juice kokam sharbat upstairs. Sit calm in the chaityagraha and feel the peace.
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