Itsmyblog: Panhalekaji caves

Panhalekaji caves

Panhalekaji Caves are located in a small village in Konkan region of Maharashtra and are a collection of twenty-nine Buddhist and Hindu caves. It's a protected monument but it's not at all well developed. Absence of tourists has ensured that the place is still not commercialized and relatively quite clean.

These famous rock-cut caves are situated on the bank of the river Kotjai which further meets the Dabhol creek. These historical manmade caves are believed to be more than 1000 years old and are the great examples of ancient cultural and architecture. There are a total 29 rock cut-caves, both big and small spread along the river bank. You can find Buddhist as well as Hindu religious rock hewn sculptures similar to Anjantha caves. There are sculptures of Ganesh, Saraswati and scenes from the Mahabharata and Ramayana on the walls.

The carvings in these rock-cut caves create a unique blend of history of that period and natural beauty. It may take couple of hours to see all these caves in detail. One can also relax in the shadow of Mango trees, enjoy a refreshing swim in the river or simply stop and admire the outstanding scenery that this area has to offer. You can also take a walk along the river bank to enjoy the flora and fauna on both sides. Jungle covered mountains lie on both sides of the river. There is also a fort called "Pranaldurg" at top of the mountain. Every visitor feels in harmony with the nature, which breathtakingly unfolds around the river. In this remote area you can see variety of birds flying around and you may also get chance to spot Asian river otters.

Discovered in 1970 Panhalekaji is a complex of 28 - 29 caves filled with exquisite art value wrt architecture and quality of craftmanship. These budhist caves have a few inscriptions in Brahmi and Devanagari and also remnants of statues from 3 AD. Panhalekaji is about 35 Kms from Dapoli and the drive will take just over hour from Dapoli but well worth it.