Kondana Caves Trek

Kondana Caves is around 15 KM from Karjat in the Indian state of Maharashtra and it offers the ancient lifestyle of Buddhist followers.

We started our journey from Mumbai  in the early morning to explore the Buddhist caves.  We all gathered at Karjat Station at around 7.40 am and took a Rickshaw to the base village.  Around 8.30 am, we reached the base village - Kondivadi village.  After having breakfast, we started our trek. This route in monsoon season is truly exciting. You get to see streams, waterfalls, lush green paddy fields on the way.

There was a light drizzle and streams and waterfalls occasionally crossing our paths are a rejuvenating experience. After one hour trek, we reached in front of the caves and the first sight was mesmerizing.  A waterfall crashing into rocks below from atop offers a spectacular sight. There were lots of people when we reached the place.



Kondana Caves are very famous Buddhist caves. These caves enclose sculptures, vihara, chaitya and stupa. Legend says that there was a natural disaster in the form of an earth quake  in early 1900 by which many stupas, front entrance and floor of the caves were damaged. Sculptures and stupas are specimens of the ancient period Buddhist architecture.

There are 4 caves in this complex of which the second cave was beautifully carved with a stupa inside it.

Next to it is another cave which can be reached by climbing steps. It has many rooms inside. We quitely sat down for some time in one room and I loved being in that place, breathing in the fresh air. There are two other caves, but nothing much to see inside. 

Apart from architecture and the lush green that the monsoon provides, you can spend your time getting a cold fresh water massage as you stand under the cascading waterfall.  A couple of minutes under this awesome waterfall is enough to refresh.

After having packed lunch, we started our descend. The descend was obviously faster.

There is a river flowing parallel to the road on which you would be trekking and there are hills all around which would be covered in lush greenery in the monsoons. Although it was a slightly rainy day, we had several “wow” moments. A couple of minutes in these flowing waters is enough to wipe off every thought from our mind, leaving behind just a sense of peace and joy - definitely worth the trip.

By around 4 pm , when we reached the base village, it had begun to drizzle.  It was a memorable and rejuvenating trek.

How to reach: Drive or take a train to Karjat station, and then drive about 30 minutes to Kondivadi village, the start point of the trek.