Pandavleni Caves

Pandavleni Caves

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Located high in the mountains of Pandavleni are a group of 24 Hinayana Buddhist Caves, dating from around the 1st century BC. Situated about 8-km south of Nasik on a tableland atop the Trivashmi Hill, the 2000-year-old caves were built as homes for the Jain saints by the Jain rulers of the time. Steps lead up to the ancient caves from the bottom of the hill. Some of the caves are intricately connected by stone-cut ladders that join them to the other caves. A 20 minute trek by a dangerous path leads you up to the peak of the Pandavleni. Amongst all the caves, the most significant ones are Caves eighteen and twenty. All the caves with the exception of cave 18 are viharas (monasteries) and are counted amongst the oldest structures situated in the vicinity of Nasik. Cave 3 is a large Vihara with some interesting sculptures. Cave 10 is an older Vihara, almost identical in design to cave 3, but much finer in detail. The cave is adorned with splendid sculptural designs and has a beautifully adorned portico. It houses magnificent idols of Buddha and Bodhisatva, along with icons of some of the Jain Teerthankaras. The interiors of these chambers were once alive with the sermons of saints and the prayers of young disciples. The caves had an excellent arrangement for water, with skillfully chiseled water tanks, exquisitely carved into the rocks. The climb up to the caves might be arduous but once there you will be awestruck with the simple beauty of the viharas in the caves.