Bedse Caves

Nine kilometres from Bhaja and visited by a fraction of its numbers, which is the whole argument for coming. The caves were cut in the 1st century BCE above Bedse village, and the four hundred steps up end at a chaitya, a prayer hall, whose porch pillars carry superb capitals of paired animals with riders. Beside it is the vihara, a monastery cave with cells for the monks and an unusual apsidal plan with a vaulted roof; a small stupa stands outside the main caves. Morning light angles straight into the prayer hall, and photographers plan the trip around it. Entry is free, and there is nothing at the top - no stalls, no shade, no water.

Karla-grade ancient carving in total silence - the connoisseur's cave