Karla - Maharashtra - India

Karla Caves are rock-cut monuments from the Buddhist era dating two thousand years old. Location of the caves may have been of strategic importance since it was a major trade route during that era connecting the Arabian Sea and the Deccan region on the eastern end. The Complex consists of 16 rock cut excavations of which the grandest and the most dominant structure is the Chaitya-griha.

The Buddhist caves at Karla, built by the Buddhist monks, are one of the finest examples of ancient rock-cut caves to be found in India. Dating back from the 3rd to 2nd century BCE, the Karla caves in Lonavla, Maharashtra, were built during the Satvahahana rulers, and hosted the Theravadin Buddhist monks in the monsoons, though however they soon turned into the all time monasteries and viharas for all the sects of Buddhism.

The Karla caves comprises mainly two types of structures: Chaitya halls and viharas. The chaitya halls, which form the largest number of chaityas in the world(one being 148 feet long), were used for congregational worship whereas the viharas were the dwelling place for the monks and further included cells cut into the walls around three sides of a hall used for their residential and individual meditation. 

The pillars of the halls inside the caves have been carved with figures of men, women, flowers and elephants, though the pillars outside these halls have lions erected on them as their crowns, an emblem of Ashoka, the great Indian ruler.

The Karla Caves are on a major ancient trade route, running eastward from the Arabian sea into the Deccan. These ancient caves are the popular tourist attractions now. We can see the inscriptions and stupas at these caves .

Karla caves are one of the oldest rock-cut Buddhist caves located in Karli, at around 60 kms from Lonavala, Maharashtra, India. Being one of the popular and beautiful architectural caves, tourists from all over the world visit this place every year.

How to Reach

By Road:

If you want to go by car then it’s just about 12 km distance from Lonavala. There are frequent buses that run between Lonavala and Karla caves. The buses start at 6 am and the last bus from Karla to Lonavala leaves at 7 pm. Lonavala is also well connected from Mumbai, Pune and Nashik cities and it is a major junction where all buses traveling from/to Mumbai and Pune halts here.

By Train

Lonavala is nearest railway station to reach Karla Caves. You can catch a train for lonavala from Pune or Mumbai. Once you get down at Lonavala railway station, to reach Karla Caves from Lonavala station is very easy. You can get the local buses that take you to the Karla, as mentioned before or can hire auto.

By Air

You can fly to Pune, the major city near to Lonavala. From Pune, you need to come to Lonavala by bus or train. There are frequent buses from Lonavala to Karla. Mumbai Airport is the nearest international airport to reach Karla Caves. From Mumbai tourists can hire a private cab to Lonavala to reach Karla Caves.