KSeraphin · Bhaja Caves Exteriors.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Bhaja Caves
Twenty-two caves of the 2nd century BCE, with perhaps the earliest surviving chaitya hall.
Bhaja Caves
Bhaja is a group of twenty-two rock-cut caves above Malavli, cut in the second century BCE and protected as a Monument of National Importance. Cave XII is the reason to make the climb: perhaps the earliest surviving chaitya hall anywhere, with a vaulted horseshoe ceiling whose ribs imitate timber so closely that it is read as evidence of what the wooden buildings of the period looked like. Around the site are fourteen stupas, five inside an irregular excavation and nine outside, holding the relics of monks who died at Bhaja — an unusually direct record of the community that lived here. Inscriptions put the caves at least twenty-two centuries old. Beside the last cave a waterfall runs through the monsoon into a pool below.
Explore Bhaja Caves on the map
City locations, drawn from our published destination data. Attractions, hotels and restaurants are not mapped yet.
What to see
An early chaitya, a group of stupas and a seasonal fall, all on one hillside.
The caves
- Cave XII, perhaps the earliest surviving chaitya hall, with its vaulted horseshoe ceiling.
- The timber-imitating ribs, which are why the hall matters to architectural history.
- The viharas along the row, cut as monastic cells.
The stupas and the fall
- Fourteen stupas — five inside an irregular excavation, nine outside — holding relics of monks who died here.
- The waterfall beside the last cave, which runs into a small pool in the monsoon and is dry outside it.
- The carved reliefs near the southern end of the group.
Getting there
Above Malavli, one station along from Lonavala.
Arriving
- Malavli, on the Mumbai–Pune line, is the station; the caves are a climb above the village.
- By road it is a short drive from Lonavala, then a stepped path on foot.
- It pairs with Lohagad, which rises from the same side of the valley.
Best time
Two different visits, and they are not the same trip.
When to go
- October to February for the caves themselves — dry steps and usable light inside the chaitya.
- The monsoon for the waterfall and the green, with a slippery approach as the price.
- Mornings, in either season, for the light along the cave row.
Visitor intelligence
A hillside site with a real climb.
Practical
- The approach is a stepped climb from the village — allow for it and wear the right shoes.
- There is little shade on the path; go early outside the monsoon.
- The waterfall is seasonal. Outside the monsoon it is not running at all.
Nearby
The rest of the series, and the fort above.
Frequently asked
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