Thursday was a holiday here so the institute was closed. Some friends and I decided to get out of the city and go visit the caves in Karla and Bhaja. Karla was our first stop. There were seven of us piled into the mini-van. Eight including the driver. And we headed out of town and toward the caves. Driving around India is non-stop entertainment. People are always blowing their horn and speeding. We made it to the caves in one piece and started climbing the many many steps up to the cave and temple. According to my guide book this is a rock cut Buddhist chaitya hall, is the largest in the country, and dates from the first century AD.
Although Karla was clearly more popular I liked our second stop best. Bhaja. This group of 18 caves is the oldest in the country dating from the first century BC. Most of the caves are small cells with stone bed used by the devotees. There were places in the caves for dinning, bathing, worship and of course, meditation. The views were spectacular and so was the heat. Can't figure out how to post more than one picture or I'd show one of these caves as well. Who knows...
2 comments:
Your second stop sounds like my kind of town! Except for the stone beds, that is! Have a great time, Aaron.
Dee from DC
Hi Aaron: I too loved both the caves and Bhaja. I loved to imagine what the monks would be thinking about while trying to fall asleep on those stone beds. Perhaps a strong meditative practice allowed them to move beyond the discomfits of the rock. I found the view from there to be marvelous.
I love reading your blog and seeing India through your eyes. When you have a moment, please share the name of the person or company that you used to transport you from the airport to Pune. I still have to figure out that piece. Are you and Sunill sharing space or do you have separate accommodations? Take care and enjoy all the moments that you are in India. Namaste! Betty Lewis
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