Through our meandering journey across India one of the recurring themes we have come across are ancient rock cut Buddhist caves. These monuments, which date back (in some cases) thousands of years served as settlements where monks lived and worshiped and can be found strewn all across the country. From Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh to Udaygiri outside Bhubaneshwar in Orissa, Bojjannakonda and Lingalakonda in Andhra Pradesh and even the Kanheri caves inside the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai, we have seen the remnants of the cultural and architectural style of this ancient faith in all corners of the country.

So the thought of visiting the Bhaja Caves located in the little village of Malavli, just outside of Lonavala where we were spending a couple of days was not particularly exciting. However a combination of terrible weather which made moving forward on our Maharashtra road trip slow going and the need to get out of the house and explore our surroundings made us put on our jackets and head out in the rain towards Bhaja.

Bhaja Caves is located a short walk from Malavli station. If you are driving down from Mumbai you need to take the Lonavala / Karla Exit on the expressway and make your way towards Malavli station. You need to cross the tracks and drive up to the village where you can park your car. From the car park spot it is a 5 minutes walk to the rock cut stairs which lead up to the caves.

The cluster of 22 caves carved out of the basalt mountain face date back to the the 2nd Century BC and belong to the period of the Hinayana Buddhist sect of Maharashtra. Whilst most of the caves are small and spartan comprising simply of a stone platform as a bed, Cave No XII, the chaityagrha, with its vaulted horseshoe ceiling and wooden architecture and Cave No. XVIII with its carvings and reliefs, stand out as beautiful examples of the work of the period. Also beautiful and interesting is the cluster of 14 stupas, in memory of resident monks, who died at Bhaja, some of them with relic boxes carved on the top, similar to ones we saw in Bojjannakonda and Lingalakonda, on the eastern coast of Andhra, more than a 1000 kms away.

Whilst Bhaja is a fairly well known destination and can get a bit crowded on weekends, the miserable weather meant that most people, save the occasional canoodling couple, had chosen to stay indoors and we had the centuries old caves to ourselves to walk around, clamber over and explore.  Standing by the mouth of the chaityagrha, with the ramparts of Lohagad Fort above us and the green fields of Bhaja stretching out below, we wondered why in so many years of visiting these parts outside of Lonavala we had never before taken the walk up to Bhaja.

We are glad we finally did.

Some Useful Information:

Where is it ? : Bhaja Caves are located in the village of Bhaja, which is outside of Lonavala, a couple of hours from Mumbai and Puna.

How to get there ? : The closest rail head to Bhaja is Malavli station. You can take a train to Lonavala and and take an auto to Bhaja, which should be about 20 mins away or change into a local from Lonavala and get to Malavli.

If you are driving from Mumbai or Puna you need to take the Lonavala / Karla exit on the Mumbai – Puna Expressway and drive towards Malavli. Once you reach Malavli drive across the tracks and towards Bhaja which is less than 5 minutes away from Malavli.  Don’t worry, Google Maps has your back.

Where to Stay ? : Bhaja is less than 2 hours away from Puna / Mumbai and thus you can easily do this as a day trip from either place. However if you want to spend more time exploring the region, Khandala and Lonavala have plenty of stay options for a range of budgets. Book early though, these places fill up fast.