2 May 2015

Karla Caves, Lonavala!!!

These pics of Karla caves are from my visit 8 years back to Lonavala and since I posted recently on Tiger's Point, thought of covering other places of Lonavala in few of the upcoming posts, from my different visits. Lonavala being on the way to Pune, we just drop by on most of our drives to Pune, but the visit to Karla caves was during our weekend trip. We stayed at The Adarsh, it was quite a comfortable stay. Just opposite to Adarsh is Hotel Chandralok, we couldn't get a booking there, so had to opt for Adarsh. Chandralok, serves the best Gujarati food and we used to have most of our meals there. Hotel Purohit just close by too serves very good Gujarati food.
Caves of Mumbai, India, Maharastra, Mumbai, Travelogue, Karla caves, Lonavala, Ekaveer temple
Maharashtra has many Buddhist caves, be the world famous Ajanta and Ellora caves or many of the caves well with-in Mumbai, Kanheri caves, Jogeshwari caves, Mahakali caves and Elephanta caves or Karla caves of Lonavala, with nearing Bhaja caves and Bedse caves, to name few of many caves of Maharashtra. That really proves the Buddhist influence in Maharashtra, just after Bihar and Nepal, as its origin.
Caves of Mumbai, India, Maharastra, Mumbai, Travelogue, Karla caves, Lonavala, Ekaveer temple
Its around 350 steps climb to reach the cave complex with few shops selling snacks on the way. So, if you are travelling with kids, be prepared for the climb.
Caves of Mumbai, India, Maharastra, Mumbai, Travelogue, Karla caves, Lonavala, Ekaveer temple
Dating back to 2nd century BC, Karla caves is the rock cut Buddhist cave complex, with chaitya(the prayer hall) and viharas(dwelling places of Buddhist monks). The inside walls are intricately carved with sculptures and inscriptions. You can know more about Karla Caves here on Wikipedia. Most of the complex area is occupied by hindu temple dedicated to goddess Ekveera.
Caves of Mumbai, India, Maharastra, Mumbai, Travelogue, Karla caves, Lonavala, Ekaveer temple
Travel Info:
Check out my post here for the travel guide to Lonavala. Karla caves are around 12km from Lonavala city. You can hire an auto rickshaw or taxi to visit the caves along with other tourist places of Lonavala. 
Timings: 8:30AM to 6PM
Entry Fee: Rs. 5 for adult

17 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing information about Karla Caves. Apart from it, there are many places to visit in Lonavala where the destination’s natural beauty is unraveled.

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    1. True Anjali, do check out for my other posts on Lonavala..

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  2. This is so informative! Thanks for sharing dearie 😊

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  3. Guess what I have been here, thanks for refreshing my memories :) :)

    5 ways to wear a LBD

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    Replies
    1. Good to hear that Ananya, thanks for dropping by..

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  4. Replies
    1. Oh thats great and I got to know about the near by Bhaja caves only through your blog post, need to plan sometime soon to Bhaja as well.

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  5. Everytime I read about or see caves like this, I only hope they'll be well looked after and they live a long, long life. Thank you for showing me Karla caves. I haven't been there.

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    Replies
    1. Recently ASI is taking great initiative is restoration and maintenance of heritage sites. Hope they live long :)

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  6. Magnificent architecture. I would visit it someday.

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  7. So much to discover in the world. Thank you for showing us.

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    Replies
    1. True, there is so much to discover and so less time. Thank you for dropping by :)

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  8. Great to know about Karla Caves through your post.Nice post.

    Cheers,

    Sriram & Krithiga

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