Step through the great arched doorway at Karla and you are inside a 2,000-year-old wooden-roofed hall carved out of solid rock. Cave 8, the Great Chaitya, is the largest rock-cut Buddhist prayer hall in India, and it still has the original teak ribs curving across its ceiling. Just 11 km from Lonavala, it is one of the finest things you can see on a day out from Pune or Mumbai.
Before you go
- Expect a climb. A few hundred stone steps, lined with stalls, lead from the car park to the caves.
- Shoes come off at the top. There is a place to leave them near the ticket counter; they are not allowed in the temple or the caves.
- Weekends are busy. The Ekvira Devi temple sits at the entrance of the caves, and pilgrims come in crowds, especially on festival days. Go on a weekday morning if you can.
The Great Chaitya (Cave 8)
Karla has 16 caves, but this is the one everyone climbs for. It was made in the late 1st century CE, around 50 to 70 CE going by the inscriptions, with decoration continuing into the 2nd century. Scholars see it as the final perfection of a line of early prayer halls in western India, built after halls such as Nashik Cave 18 and Bedse Cave 7.
What to look for:
- The wooden ribs. The arched roof is lined with real timber ribs, and a wooden umbrella stands over the stupa at the far end. Wood almost never survives in rock-cut halls this old. Here it has lasted nearly two thousand years.
- The pillars. Rows of pillars run down both sides, the capitals carved with elephants and horses carrying riders.
- The great window. The big horseshoe-shaped window above the doorway lights the whole hall and the stupa.
- The veranda. Carved elephants line the side walls. The figures on the screen wall between the doors were mostly added later.
- The inscriptions. On the left of the veranda, above the elephants, a merchant named Bhutapala from Vaijayanti records completing “this rock mansion”. Beside the main door, Ushavadata, son-in-law of the Western Satrap ruler Nahapana, records the gift of a village to the monks. Facing it, the Satavahana king Vasishthiputra Pulumavi left his own gift a generation later.
The rest of the caves are monks’ cells and small halls cut into the cliff beside the Great Chaitya.
The Ekvira Devi temple
Right at the entrance of the Great Chaitya stands the temple of Ekvira Devi, the family goddess of the Koli fishing community. For many visitors the temple, not the caves, is the reason to climb. Be respectful of worshippers, and expect crowds on festival days.
Timings and tickets
- Open: 9 am to 5 pm. Some reports give later hours, so go early.
- Ticket: an ASI ticket, bought at the counter at the top of the steps. The amount is being checked.
- Managed by: the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
How to reach Karla
- From Lonavala: about 11 km east on the old Mumbai–Pune highway towards Karla village.
- From Pune: about 59 km. Drive, or take a local train to Malavli and an auto from there.
- From Mumbai: on the Mumbai–Pune expressway to Lonavala, then the old highway.
- The last stretch: park at the foot of the hill and climb the steps.
Make a day of it
- Bhaja Caves are across the valley, about 10 km by road from Karla, near Malavli station. Older and quieter, with a row of 14 stupas. Both are in my list of caves near Pune.
- Lohagad Fort is close to Bhaja. Do Karla early, Bhaja next, and climb Lohagad if your legs are fresh.
- Bedse Caves, quieter still, are near Kamshet.
Tips for the visit
- Start early. The steps are in the sun and the caves are quieter before the pilgrims arrive.
- Carry water, and keep snacks away from the monkeys.
- Do not touch the carvings or the wooden ribs.
Every cave site in the state: Caves of Maharashtra.