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.
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