IP's Travel Journal

It was after 'Her', the movie, (at 1pm) that I decided to go to the Karla Caves.



How I reached: Took the train to Lonavala from Shivajinagar. Got down at Malavali, walked through the Karla village for almost 5 kms to reach the foot of the stairs.

What's in Karla? I loved the Bedse caves. There were 2 more- Karla and Bhaje (sister caves) that I had to cover, after falling for the silent and serene atmosphere in Bedse.  But Karla had something very unexpected.


The road was straight, lonely and deserted. I took the company of the villagers who were walking along, for chatting, safety and directions. I had to walk a very long way, my legs were tired as I reached the foot of the hill.

The climb is fair enough, a bit steeper than Bedse, I'd say. Hardly a 15-20 minute climb. You'll find too many shops playing loud music and selling peda/prashad/kumkum/kada/and stuff.

The caves were crowded, so full of people, too noisy and dirty. Should I say it was because of the Ekvira temple, which was on the same hill, yes.

Inside the cave. BTW,. I've cropped the crowd from the pic.

Right outside the cave

Pillars and the light through it. Who would not love that?

A view from the top of the hill

Blue-Green-Blue. A beautiful sight on my way back.

A panoramic view from the middle of the climb.

A tired smile for the selfie.

I left the Karla caves after spending almost 2 hours. Back to Malavali,. this time I walked only 2 kms. Took an auto from halfway at 40 bucks. Took the 5:30pm train back to Pune. I had my tired legs feel the force of the wind, due to lack of space in the local.

Tell me that's a good picture ;)