Nestled on the Pune-Mumbai Road in the Aurangabad District of Maharashtra, Karla Caves are quite near to the Bhaja Caves and are approximately 40 km away from the city of Pune. The caves were imprinted somewhere around the 2nd century BC, the time when Buddhist was at its climax in India i.e. the Golden Age of Buddhism. One of the major structures positioned inside Karla Caves is that of a Chaitya Hall (prayer hall of the Buddhists), which has been decorated with elegantly carved sculptures.

Adding to the exquisiteness and appeal of the Chaitya Hall, there are number of pillars that have been built as per graceful architectural styles. In-fact, it is the grand and overwhelming structural design of the wonderful Chaitya Hall that draws attention of tourists as well as architecture students to the Karla Caves. The roof of the hall has been built out of teakwood and serves as the ideal proof of the outstanding carving skills of the artisans of those times. There are many other chaitya halls inside the caves that have been delightfully carved.

The interiors of the caves have been bejeweled with sculptures cut out of rocks, which have been imprinted to represent the shapes of animals and various other forms of human life. The stone stupa placed inside the Karla Caves is also counted amongst one of its major draws. Carved on the stupa are the figures of men, women and elephants. It has been placed under a stone umbrella. The caves have 37 pillars inside their compound that serve as the perfect adornment for the stone surroundings.

Since Karla Caves also has been used as the house of the monks, a number of viharas (dwelling places) with arched entrances and arched interiors can be seen inside them. Lord Buddha has not been shown in the form of image inside the caves rather only in symbolical forms. The entrance of Karla Caves has been chiseled in such a way that it seems as if it has been made of wood. Visit Karla Caves during your Pune tour and appreciate their magnificent architecture.

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