Bhaja Caves

Twenty-two caves cut above Malavli village in the 2nd century BCE, among the oldest sanctuaries of the Deccan and noticeably calmer than Karla nearby. Ancient wooden beams survive in the ceiling of the chaitya, the prayer hall; the veranda of Cave 18 carries reliefs traditionally read as Surya and Indra, and a cluster of fourteen rock stupas remembers the monks who lived here. In the monsoon a waterfall runs beside the stairway and the whole slope turns green. Ticket from the Archaeological Survey of India: ₹25 for citizens of India, SAARC and BIMSTEC countries, ₹300 for other foreign visitors (₹20 and ₹250 online), children under 15 free; easy to combine with Karla and Lohagad in a single day.

Older, greener and far quieter than Karla - the atmospheric half of the cave pair