Cycle ride to Karla Caves, Lonavala, Maharashtra

This was my first cycling tour since I  had shifted to Mumbai. The ride was  12 km from Lonavala town to Karla Caves.

At 8.30 AM Sunday morning, as planned, I reached Lonavala railway station and collected my cycle from Cymour-provider of cycle for rent. There was a large group of cyclists ready to leave.  As all the members collected their cycles,  we left from the station for breakfast after a set of instructions which was given by the group coordinators.

After breakfast and the introduction session , we started riding towards Karla Caves.   It had been over twenty years since I had sat on one, so for the first few minutes I was a little jittery.  As I pedaled through the streets of Lonavala, familiarizing myself with the cycle balance and busy streets,  I talked with each of the members until, I eventually became good friends with this avid cyclic enthusiasts.

Then we started gradually climbing. The cycle was in condition but it did not make the relentless ride uphill any easier. We reached the caves at around 11.00 am., parked the cycles at the base and started to explore the caves. We had to climb many stairs to reach the cave complex.

There were few stalls on the way selling buttermilk, nimbupani and cucumber.

EXPLORING KARLA CAVES

Karla Caves are one of the ancient caves in Lonavala that follows the mixed Indian and Buddhists style of rock-carved caves architecture. These caves are some of the largest rock-cut Buddhist shrines in India.

Exterior of the cave complex

All around the cave complex, there are many chaitya's and vihara's. The chaitya at Karla is regarded as the biggest in India. The chaitya hall measures 124 feet in length, 45 feet in breadth and 48 feet in height. The wooden arches used in the construction of this chaitya hall have remained intact without suffering any ill effects of the weather.

Hall inside the Karla Caves

The hall has many beautifully decorated sculptures of men, women and animals. Some sculptures of elephants dressed up well with metal jewelries were placed there.

Just outside the main cave is the Ekvira Devi temple.  According to legends,  the temple was constructed by the Pandavas during their exile in the forest.  There were three shrines built in the same row. Maha-mandapa, varsha-mandapa and gopura are situated in front of these three shrines. The shrines are further surrounded by additional sixteen shrines..

We spent around two hours exploring the caves . After that we left the cave complex for lunch. Enroute we had group photo and some fun filled activities.  All of us had a common thread, we were looking to push ourselves in ways we hadn’t had before. We were people who liked to travel on bicycles.

The views from the top were spectacular. we picked up speed going downhill - like being a kid again!

Lunch was arranged in a hotel on the way to Lonavala.  Food was tasty especially after cycling for long distances. Then we rode towards a small mountain nearby.  By the time we reached the top, I had a big smile on my face. The area was full of yellow flowers.  All my tiredness evaporated into thin air. It had a terrific view of  Lonavala city and the cold breeze made it feel even more amazing. We spent some time there by talking and taking photos.

Soon we came back  to Lonavala and  returned the cycles to Cymour. It’s also a great way for me to meet new people and became friends.  At the begining of the tour, we were strangers. But everyone was friends with each other by the time we reached back to Lonavala. The tour concluded by around 06.00 pm with unforgettable memories. I would like to cycling to some of the more interesting parts of the Mumbai in future.