Caves Near Pune

Pune sits in the middle of the richest cave country in India. Maharashtra has about a thousand of India’s twelve hundred rock-cut caves, and some of the oldest and finest are within a day’s drive of the city. Buddhist monks cut most of them more than 2,000 years ago, along the old trade routes from the coast to the Deccan. Here are the eleven I would send you to, from a 15-minute ride in the city to the cave town of Junnar.

The 11 caves at a glance

Distances are by road from central Pune and rounded. Fees change: at the last reports the ASI charged about ₹25 for Indians and ₹300 for foreign visitors, with children under 15 free.

In the city

1. Pataleshwar Caves. A whole Shiva temple cut down into the rock, right on busy JM Road in Shivajinagar. The Rashtrakutas carved it around 750 CE. Look for the round Nandi pavilion in the courtyard, cut from the same rock, which is unusual for a cave temple. The Archaeological Survey of India looks after it, entry is free and it opens daily from about 8 am to 5:30 pm. Give it 30 minutes on any day you are in Pune.

On the old Mumbai road (Talegaon and Dehu)

2. Ghorawadi Caves (Ghoradeshwar, Shelarwadi). Small Buddhist caves from the 3rd–4th century CE on a hill beside the old Mumbai–Pune highway, just before the Somatane toll plaza. The main prayer hall is now the Ghorawadeshwar Shiva temple, with nine meditation cells beside it. Sant Tukaram is said to have meditated here. About 350 steps take 30 minutes. The same hill hides something rarer still: a natural lava cave, the first in the Deccan’s lava flows to be studied in detail.

3. Bhandara Dongar. A hilltop near Induri, off the Talegaon–Chakan road, sacred to the Varkaris: Sant Tukaram meditated and wrote here. Below the Tukaram temple are Buddhist caves about 1,800 years old, cut as meditation rooms. You can drive up; the trail to the caves starts behind the first building on the left of the temple complex. Talegaon is the nearest railway station.

4. Bhamchandra Caves. One small rock-cut temple and two unfinished caves on Bhamchandra hill near Chakan. The temple holds a Shiva linga today; the 19th-century scholar James Fergusson wondered whether Jains first cut it. Sant Tukaram is said to have meditated here too, so it pairs well with Ghorawadi and Bhandara for a morning on the Tukaram trail.

Near Lonavala (the Maval caves)

5. Bedse Caves. The quietest of the three Maval caves, cut in the 1st century BCE under the Satavahanas. A short walk from Bedse village, then 350–400 well-laid steps, about 20 minutes. Both caves face east, so go early, when the morning sun lights the carvings. The road turns off at Kamshet towards Pavananagar. Sources disagree on the fee, so carry a little cash.

6. Karla Caves. The one not to miss. Cave 8, the great prayer hall, is one of the largest and finest rock-cut chaityas in India, carved between the 2nd century BCE and the 2nd century CE. The Ekvira Devi temple stands at its entrance, so weekends are busy. About 11 km from Lonavala; a few hundred steps take around 20 minutes. Open 9 am to 5 pm; ASI ticket.

7. Bhaja Caves. 22 caves from the 2nd century BCE, among the earliest in Maharashtra, with a striking cluster of 14 stupas. Take the local train to Malavli and walk about 2.5 km, or drive to the foot of the 200–250 steps. Open 9 am to 5 pm; ASI ticket. Lohagad Fort is about 5 km away, so you can make a full day of it.

Junnar: over 200 caves around one town

Junnar, about 90 km north of Pune, has more than 200 caves on four hills around the town, cut from the 1st century BCE to the 3rd century CE. Some carry inscriptions left by Yavana (Greek) donors. Plan a full day.

8. Lenyadri (Ganesh Lena). About 30 caves on a hill 5 km north of Junnar, 26 of them numbered. Cave 7 holds the Girijatmaj Ganesh, one of the eight Ashtavinayak temples. About 300 steps (283 by the classic count) lead up; a doli (palanquin) is available at the base for those who cannot climb. ASI ticket. Watch out for the monkeys.

9. Shivneri Caves. Around 50 to 60 caves cut into the cliffs of Shivneri hill, in five groups at different heights. The fort above is where Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was born; see my Shivneri Fort guide for the climb.

10. Tulja Lena. The smallest and one of the oldest groups, about 4 km west of Junnar, cut around 50 BCE. Its round prayer hall has twelve octagonal pillars circling a stupa. One cave is now a shrine to Tulja Devi.

11. Manmodi Caves. About 3 km south of Junnar, in three groups along the hill: Bhimashankar, Amba-Ambika and Bhutling. One inscription names a minister of the Western Satrap Nahapana and is dated 124 CE. The Amba-Ambika group is named after a carving of the Jain goddess Ambika.

Three day trips from Pune

1. The Maval caves (one day). Leave by 7 am. Bedse first while the light is on its east-facing carvings, then Karla, then Bhaja in the afternoon. Add Lohagad if your legs are fresh.

2. The Tukaram trail (half day). Ghorawadi at sunrise, then Bhandara Dongar and Bhamchandra, with a stop at Dehu, Sant Tukaram’s birthplace. Back in Pune by lunch.

3. Junnar (one long day or an overnight). Lenyadri in the morning, Shivneri fort and its caves at midday, Tulja Lena or Manmodi in the late afternoon.

Before you go

• Start early. The steps are in full sun by late morning, and the east-facing caves look best in the morning light.
• Wear shoes with grip. In the monsoon, waterfalls run beside the steps at Bhaja and Bedse; it is beautiful, but the stone gets slippery.
• Carry water and a little cash. Some sites have no shops at the top.
• Respect the carvings. These are protected monuments: no touching, climbing or writing on the walls.
• Ticket prices change. I give the fees as last reported; check at the counter.

In Mumbai? See my list of caves in Mumbai, from Kanheri to Elephanta.