Weekend Wanderings - Karla

The Bhaja Caves experience had been amazing. We carried the same expectations with us to Karla Caves, and were let down, to say the least. But, it had nothing to do with the caves themselves, which were, in fact, bigger, better and more elaborate.

When we had reached Bhaje, the air had been crisp, and the hills deserted - and clean. Surprisingly, very clean! It had been just nature – and us. Karla was a different story. At the end of the drive up the steep hill, we were met with commercialism, along with all its byproducts.

We paid for parking and began a tedious climb up the stone stairs, made more difficult by the sheer number of people we passed, the decibels that were flung at us from loudspeakers at every turn, and the number of times we got stopped by beggars and vendors selling flowers and sweets for offering at the temple near the caves.

We made it to the top after a grueling 15 - 20 minutes, bought tickets and stepped into the sacred space.

The Karla Caves stretch out magnificently, impressively. The only eyesore (for me, at least) was a temple built in front of the caves. That, and two huge posters of the Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray, fighting (and succeeding) for visual attention. A fleeting thought had occurred that we'd come to see the Buddha, not the buddha (read in Hindi please). But what can I say? For 5/- Rs per ticket, they'd probably tell me, "Itna paisa mein itna hi milega."

The Caves themselves are a fine specimen of rock-cut Buddhist cave architecture, developed over 2nd century BC - 2nd century AD, and again from 5th - 10th century AD. They are also strategically placed on the trade route of ancient times. Although the early caves depict the Buddha in symbols, the later, more liberal Mahayanas depicted the Buddha in physical form. 

The Karla Caves house the largest, oldest, most impressive Chaityagriha in the country. An arch marks the entrance, while the Stupa stands at the end of the prayer hall. The interior walls bear intricate sculptures of men, women and animals. A large window opposite to the stupa allows light to fall on it.

The Chaitya Hall extends to a verandah in the front, the walls of which are richly carved.

The Karla Chaityagriha has a large lion pillar at its entrance. This Asokan-type pillar has its twin in Kanheri. The four lions carved on the top of the pillar are pretty neat.

The Viharas or monasteries are built into the rocky hillside. They have large windows, and sculptures on their walls. 

We didn't stay too long at the Karla Caves. The summer sun was making its presence felt and I'd had enough wandering for the weekend. I wanted to head home to my TV and enjoy the IPL - with a big bowl of ice-cream.

 

The drive back was good fun too, although the increase in traffic on the highway slowed us down some. But we made it home, happy and hungry, and finished the trip with a humongous brunch.

Road to Nirvana

I’d been restless, and itching to ride the open road pretty much the whole of last week. The husband was happy to fulfill that wish over the weekend, with a short road trip that began without a destination in mind, and ended with renewed spirits, memories for a later day and stories to share over coffee with friends.

Starting from our home in Pune at around 6 am, we turned into NH4 towards Mumbai, and drove down the old highway, with the sun beginning its slow ascent behind us soon after.

Discussing options, Pawna Dam seemed like a fun drive, although we missed the turn for that, and had to save it for another time. An hour into the drive, we recognized Karla on the signboards and decided to check out the Buddhist caves out there instead.

Having recently researched the Karla, Bhaja and Bedse Caves, all of which lie relatively close to each other, I was especially keen on seeing them. We stopped and asked for directions to the Karla Caves but thanks to translation troubles with 'left' and 'right' in the local language, ended up on the opposite side, driving away from Karla, and towards the Bhaja Caves instead. We discovered that tiny little detail when we stopped to ask for directions again. The conversation this time was at best short, leaving no margin for error.

Karla?
Bhaje.
Bhaja?
Ho, Bhaje.
Oh, Bhaje.
 
So apparently, we're in Bhaje, with an accented 'e'. Ok, so we'll just check out the Bhaja/e caves first.

After a 10-minute wait at a railway crossing, and a ½ Km drive down the narrow road there, we bring our car to a stop at the foothills of the Sahyadris. 

We walk down a dusty path that leads to a stone-and-concrete stairway snaking up the hill into which the caves are cut. The climb wasn't too difficult, but we did secretly wish for a little less gravity.

We reach the ticketing counter, but it's closed. We carry on anyway, only to find that the gates that allow entry to the caves are locked too. What a damper! 

We’re the only people out there, so I consider climbing over the gate. Try it too, but the gate's too tall, and I'm too short. Doesn't work. But see that little space under the gate? Being short and thin doesn’t come without any advantages either, so I squeeze though quite successfully, keeping my spotlessly white tee spotlessly white!

Voilà! Here are the caves. And here I am, gleefully on the inside. 

 

One look at the caves and you know it's completely worth the effort! These Buddhist excavations are, in fact, very early Hinayana caves that date back to the 1st century BC.

The principal excavation at Bhaja is this Chaitya, at the end of which stands an impressive Stupa. 

There are Viharas on either side of this Chaitya hall, each with its rock-cut bed, while some even have windows overlooking the valley.

If the view is this good now, then you can imagine just how amazing the view will be during the rains!

I didn't linger too long because I had someone waiting patiently on the other side of the locked gate, for me. The climb down was relatively simpler, and definitely faster, and we made it to our car in less than 10 minutes.

Our next stop was Karla, and we made it there without any wrong turns, but that's another story for another day.