Bhaja Caves
Bhaja Caves
4
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.0
278 reviews
Excellent
100
Very good
132
Average
40
Poor
3
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3
tushar_pai
Milton Keynes, UK4,187 contributions
Aug 2022 • Family
Buddhist caves from 2nd century BC that have stood the test of time and are now preserved by the Archaeological Society of India.
The climb is not too difficult and there is a small entrance fee to pay.
The main attraction is the Chaityagrha with a vaulted horseshoe ceiling and pillared entrance with the stupa at the back.
There are multiple caves carved out of the rock and not all are accessible. Wonderful reliefs can be seen carved into the rocks in all the caves and entrances. During the monsoon the whole area gets a surreal feel with waterfalls all around, lush greenery and mist coming down the mountains … it’s a lovely sight to behold.
The climb is not too difficult and there is a small entrance fee to pay.
The main attraction is the Chaityagrha with a vaulted horseshoe ceiling and pillared entrance with the stupa at the back.
There are multiple caves carved out of the rock and not all are accessible. Wonderful reliefs can be seen carved into the rocks in all the caves and entrances. During the monsoon the whole area gets a surreal feel with waterfalls all around, lush greenery and mist coming down the mountains … it’s a lovely sight to behold.
Written June 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ruska B
Tbilisi, Georgia30 contributions
Nov 2023 • Friends
We hired a driver in Pune and we saw three places together: first bhaja caves (2nd century BC), second lohagad fort and lastly Birla Ganesh Temple. Definitely worth to visit! The Bhaja cave is truly impressive, you go uphill for about 15-20 minutes, INR 100 for foreigners and that's it.
,,Buddhist cave architecture
Bhaja Caves are the best example of Buddhist cave architecture in India. They are located on a hill village Bhaja in Pune district near Lonavala, Mumbai. Bhaja Caves can be dated back to the 2nd century BC and are among the oldest caves in Western India"
Keep in mind that It's better to have a bottle of water with you.
PS Photos are from Bhaja Caves.
,,Buddhist cave architecture
Bhaja Caves are the best example of Buddhist cave architecture in India. They are located on a hill village Bhaja in Pune district near Lonavala, Mumbai. Bhaja Caves can be dated back to the 2nd century BC and are among the oldest caves in Western India"
Keep in mind that It's better to have a bottle of water with you.
PS Photos are from Bhaja Caves.
Written December 2, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dhananjay Kulkarni
3 contributions
Dec 2021
A Nice Climb on stone stairs to reach this place & check the artistry of people in the past centuries. Really amazing....A must visit during Rainy season & in winter (however early in the morning or in the evening in sun light).
Written December 27, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Srinidhi Ramachandra
Pune, India95 contributions
Oct 2019
Buddhist culture caves, nice place for a half day weekend visit from Pune. If you have already seen Ajanta, there is nothing much special about this place. If Ajanta is the movie, this is just a trailer :)
Written January 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
138500423
Pune, India1,985 contributions
Nov 2019
A) Date of Visit: 9th Oct 2019.
B) Route: Old Pune Mumbai route.
Pune Bibvewadi to Wakdewadi to Khadki to Nigdi to Talegaon to Bhaja Cave
C) Road Toll: After Dehu, one way Rs.70 & Two way Rs.105 for car.
D) Distance: 67 km
E) Directions: At 62 km is the junction of Bhaja & Karla cave.
Landmarks at this junction: Signboard arch of Ekvira Devi on your right.
On your left: Sarthak Snacks Center (we had breakfast here) & Hotel Ekvira Snacks Center
On your right: Hotel Karla Gate (we had lunch here after visiting Karla cave)
At this Bhaja Karla junction:
a) Right turn takes to Karla cave
b) Left left turn takes you to Bhaja Cave passing railway crossing
It is 5 km distance from Bhaja Karla cave junction to Bhaja cave.
F) Parking:
Entry fee Rs.30/- for car by village grampanchayat.
a) There is ample space at Bhaja village 100 meters before Bhaja foothill
I parked car here. No parking fee
b) At the foothill of Bhaja Cave
G) Short Trek
From the foothills there are steps till Bhaja Cave.
10 to 20 minutes walk depending on your speed.
H) Entry Ticket:
Buy the entry ticket on your left side counter 50 meter before Bhaja Cave entry gate.
a) Rs.25 per person for adult Indians
b) Free for 3 to 15 years age category
c) Rs.300 for foreigners
I) Timings:
9 am to 5.30 pm
J) Food:
a) Plenty of restaurants on old Pune Mumbai highway
b) Few restaurants at the Bhaja Karla junction
c) Couple of restaurant & snacks center at Bhaja village parking
H) Washrooms
No washroom on Bhaja cave
Better you make use of it in the restaurants on the highway or at the Bhaja Karla junction.
J) We were on following one day trip:
1. Gaatha Mandir at Dehu
2. Shirdi Saibaba Temple at Shirgaon
3. Bhaja Cave
4. Karla Cave
5. Tiger Point Lonavla
6. Bhooshi Dam
7. Rajmachi Garden at Khandala
8. Sunset Point at Khandala
K) Now on Bhaja Cave
a) While walking on the trek to Bhaja cave, it provides scenic views all around
b) You can see Visapur fort on top or behind Bhaja cave & Lohgadh fort on the right of Bhaja cave
c) 30 minutes are more than enough to visit the complete set of caves
d) For me, Bhaja is the best amongst Karla & Bedse cave
e) Karla attract huge crowd on account of Ekvira devi temple beside one of the cave, Bhaja attracts less crowd & Bedse attracts very less crowd
f) There is water fall before the foothill of Bhaja cave & at the end of the Bhaja cave
L) Photos
You are allowed to take the photo graphs as you wish.
You can see the photos attached in this review plus on tripadvisor to get the feel of this place.
M) Best Time to Visit
Rainy & Monsoon season is the best.
June to January is the best time
It is a nice picnic place.
B) Route: Old Pune Mumbai route.
Pune Bibvewadi to Wakdewadi to Khadki to Nigdi to Talegaon to Bhaja Cave
C) Road Toll: After Dehu, one way Rs.70 & Two way Rs.105 for car.
D) Distance: 67 km
E) Directions: At 62 km is the junction of Bhaja & Karla cave.
Landmarks at this junction: Signboard arch of Ekvira Devi on your right.
On your left: Sarthak Snacks Center (we had breakfast here) & Hotel Ekvira Snacks Center
On your right: Hotel Karla Gate (we had lunch here after visiting Karla cave)
At this Bhaja Karla junction:
a) Right turn takes to Karla cave
b) Left left turn takes you to Bhaja Cave passing railway crossing
It is 5 km distance from Bhaja Karla cave junction to Bhaja cave.
F) Parking:
Entry fee Rs.30/- for car by village grampanchayat.
a) There is ample space at Bhaja village 100 meters before Bhaja foothill
I parked car here. No parking fee
b) At the foothill of Bhaja Cave
G) Short Trek
From the foothills there are steps till Bhaja Cave.
10 to 20 minutes walk depending on your speed.
H) Entry Ticket:
Buy the entry ticket on your left side counter 50 meter before Bhaja Cave entry gate.
a) Rs.25 per person for adult Indians
b) Free for 3 to 15 years age category
c) Rs.300 for foreigners
I) Timings:
9 am to 5.30 pm
J) Food:
a) Plenty of restaurants on old Pune Mumbai highway
b) Few restaurants at the Bhaja Karla junction
c) Couple of restaurant & snacks center at Bhaja village parking
H) Washrooms
No washroom on Bhaja cave
Better you make use of it in the restaurants on the highway or at the Bhaja Karla junction.
J) We were on following one day trip:
1. Gaatha Mandir at Dehu
2. Shirdi Saibaba Temple at Shirgaon
3. Bhaja Cave
4. Karla Cave
5. Tiger Point Lonavla
6. Bhooshi Dam
7. Rajmachi Garden at Khandala
8. Sunset Point at Khandala
K) Now on Bhaja Cave
a) While walking on the trek to Bhaja cave, it provides scenic views all around
b) You can see Visapur fort on top or behind Bhaja cave & Lohgadh fort on the right of Bhaja cave
c) 30 minutes are more than enough to visit the complete set of caves
d) For me, Bhaja is the best amongst Karla & Bedse cave
e) Karla attract huge crowd on account of Ekvira devi temple beside one of the cave, Bhaja attracts less crowd & Bedse attracts very less crowd
f) There is water fall before the foothill of Bhaja cave & at the end of the Bhaja cave
L) Photos
You are allowed to take the photo graphs as you wish.
You can see the photos attached in this review plus on tripadvisor to get the feel of this place.
M) Best Time to Visit
Rainy & Monsoon season is the best.
June to January is the best time
It is a nice picnic place.
Written November 11, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
P2B17
Pune, Maharashtra, India34 contributions
Feb 2014 • Couples
Bhaja Cave is a Heritage Site, Monument dating back to 2nd Century B.C.
We took a train from Pune Station to Lonavla.First Local to lonavla at 05:45am.But we decided to get down at Malavli Station at 06:45 am.As,Bhaje Caves are just 1.5 kms or so and is easily walkable from this station.Also,You can get tea stalls near the station.
If you need to use loo in Malavli Station you have to collect keys from Station Master's room.They keep it locked.
Take the Exit (next to the Ticket Counter)to get out of the station for Bhaje Caves.Cross the express way(there is a over bridge).Get down n keep walking, its a straight road.It was such a cool, and beautiful Morning.Pollution Free.Waooohh..
We clicked some pics...and waved to the school going kids. We were having fun.Taking pics of Mountains,Birds, and puppies...
Finally we reached our first destination foothills Bhaja Caves at 07:45.We had to climb few steep stairs to get to the ticket counter,and few more to get to the entrance.But to our surprise it was closed.We had to wait till 08:20am, when we saw an elderly man climbing up the stairs.We asked him the time the Gate Opens,He said 09:00am.But, our good luck, he opened it by 08:30 as he had to do the cleaning.We gave him the entry fee.So,now we know that the Caves Opens at 09:00am.They charge rs.5 per person.Once we entered it was such a wonderful experience, to see a monument dating back to 2nd Century B.C.
The inscriptions and cave temple are protected as a National Monument, by the Archaeological Survey of India.It was well maintained.
NOTE:
Trains for Lonavla: Local at 05:45, Deccan Express (11008), Pragati Express (12126), Intercity Exp (12128), Sinhagad Exp (11010), Deccan Queen (12124).
visit: http://indiarailinfo.com/search/pune-pune-to-lonavala-lnl/76/0/74
By road: It is about 55 km away from the city of Pune, 139 km away from the city Mumbai and 39 km from Chinchwad.
Help to keep it CLEAN.....
We took a train from Pune Station to Lonavla.First Local to lonavla at 05:45am.But we decided to get down at Malavli Station at 06:45 am.As,Bhaje Caves are just 1.5 kms or so and is easily walkable from this station.Also,You can get tea stalls near the station.
If you need to use loo in Malavli Station you have to collect keys from Station Master's room.They keep it locked.
Take the Exit (next to the Ticket Counter)to get out of the station for Bhaje Caves.Cross the express way(there is a over bridge).Get down n keep walking, its a straight road.It was such a cool, and beautiful Morning.Pollution Free.Waooohh..
We clicked some pics...and waved to the school going kids. We were having fun.Taking pics of Mountains,Birds, and puppies...
Finally we reached our first destination foothills Bhaja Caves at 07:45.We had to climb few steep stairs to get to the ticket counter,and few more to get to the entrance.But to our surprise it was closed.We had to wait till 08:20am, when we saw an elderly man climbing up the stairs.We asked him the time the Gate Opens,He said 09:00am.But, our good luck, he opened it by 08:30 as he had to do the cleaning.We gave him the entry fee.So,now we know that the Caves Opens at 09:00am.They charge rs.5 per person.Once we entered it was such a wonderful experience, to see a monument dating back to 2nd Century B.C.
The inscriptions and cave temple are protected as a National Monument, by the Archaeological Survey of India.It was well maintained.
NOTE:
Trains for Lonavla: Local at 05:45, Deccan Express (11008), Pragati Express (12126), Intercity Exp (12128), Sinhagad Exp (11010), Deccan Queen (12124).
visit: http://indiarailinfo.com/search/pune-pune-to-lonavala-lnl/76/0/74
By road: It is about 55 km away from the city of Pune, 139 km away from the city Mumbai and 39 km from Chinchwad.
Help to keep it CLEAN.....
Written February 18, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mini R
72 contributions
Jun 2018 • Family
The treck to bhaja caves is not as treacherous as lohagarh it's easy. Once on top you are transformed into the world of monks who built these caves they are very old. One uniqueness about there's caves is that on one side there are lot of stupas placed in a straight line then inside there are still more one wonders what was the thought behind it. From the top the hills n the valley offers great view n during this season the clouds add to the attraction
Written June 12, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Shrinidhi Hande
Udupi, India920 contributions
Mar 2015 • Family
Bhaja caves houses a series of caves- the main one is worth all the climb up (some 100+ steps), which houses a big stupa housed in large cave reinforced with wood and steel
Most of the other caves seem to be sleeping barracks, as they didn't have much left to see
Bhaja caves can be clubbed with Lohgad fort and will be very scenic during monsoon. Drive involves sharp narrow roads, so be careful. Watch out for two wheelers.
There is a Rs 5 per person entry ticket. Not much facilities are available. Public transportation is poor.
Most of the other caves seem to be sleeping barracks, as they didn't have much left to see
Bhaja caves can be clubbed with Lohgad fort and will be very scenic during monsoon. Drive involves sharp narrow roads, so be careful. Watch out for two wheelers.
There is a Rs 5 per person entry ticket. Not much facilities are available. Public transportation is poor.
Written April 4, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SatishKallem
Somerset, NJ7 contributions
Mar 2015 • Couples
Not well maintained. It was average - not much of art to see there. You have to climb about 150-200 steps to reach the place. The fact that I went there on a hot sunny day may contribute to my average rating for this place. I recommend it to be visited during early morning or evening - definitely not on a hot/sunny day.
Written March 16, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Abhithedude
Bengaluru, India46 contributions
Feb 2015 • Friends
Compare to Karla Caves, This is the best and neatly maintained..... You dont have street vendors on the way to Bhaja Caves unlike Karla caves..... People who visit here also less compare to Karla...... Ideal Location for Photography.....Spent almost 2 + hours in this caves......
Written February 23, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi, I m planning to go to bhaja caves by car from Pune. Can you please guide where can I park my car nearest to bhaja caves?
Written July 28, 2023
I am planning to go with my 2 year old son and parents (near 60yr age). Can we take car near to the place ?
Written October 3, 2019
car cannot reach upto caves. you have to park them at base and climb small hill. There are steps though, they are not covered.
Written October 4, 2019
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