By Sanyukta Iyer
Excavations from the Buddhist era including architectural structures that are 2000 years old are a must visit for all people visiting Pune or any other newspapers nearby. 65kms from Pune, 144 kms from Mumbai, after taking a turn on the Mumbai – Pune Highway for a 3kms ghat climb one has to trek for 30 more minutes on foot before having the privilege of enjoying the blissful sight of the Karla caves in Maharashtra.

The Karla caves, situated on the top of a mountain, gives one a bird’s eye view of highway 4 and Lonavala. It also gives you a good trekking experience.

One can reach this place by:
• Air: The closest airport is the Pune airport. 65kms from Karla.
• Bus: Any bus on route to Lonavala or Mumbai.
• Rickshaw: 8 passengers share one rickshaw; the journey becomes fun when accompanied with songs. The Rickshaw can be taken from Lonavala or Pune city.
• Car or a two wheeler
• Rail: Closest Station, 8 kms, Lonavala railway station
Before beginning the trek there are several food joints where one can halt for a snack, the speciality being ‘vada pav,’ the best and cheapest diet throughout Maharashtra. During the trek one can pause to sip kala khatta juice, or other freshly prepared fruit juices.
Places to see:
• The Buddhist Monument: Spiral rings on the high ceiling, and huge pillars along the sides of the monument from the inside, this monument represents power and beauty both. A Huge gate binds this heritage structure which has elephant and human sculptures on the pillars and the walls right at the entrance.

• The temple: Outside the caves lies a beautiful Buddhist temple. People trek bare foot all the way to the temple to pray. On the trek pilgrims purchase all sorts of worship goods like flowers and coconuts.

• The Caves: The caves are excavations of ancient Buddhist monasteries. They are beautifully carved in Chaityas and Viharas that take people back in time.
Climate:
Karla enjoys a pleasant weather throughout the year. Though, best times to visit are during the winters.
What to wear:
Comfortable cotton clothing and preferably sports shoes for the trek
Surrounding tourist destinations:
Khandala and Lonavala: 2 hill stations famous for their sweets and chikkis. Weather is pleasant throughout the year. They are famous for:
• Monkey point
• Echo point
• Horse riding
• Sunset point
Languages Spoken:
English, Hindi, Marathi