Junnar Caves
These are a series of ancient Buddhist caves dating back to between the 1st and 3rd century AD, found near Junnar town in the Pune district of Maharashtra. Most of the bigger caves are found in the Lenyadri hills about 5 km from Junnar. One of the caves in this series has the famous Ashtavinayak Ganesh known as the Girijatmaj Ganesh. A lot of Buddhist and Hindu pilgrims trek up the 300 steps leading to these caves. Many of these caves are used by Buddhist monks for prayer, meditation and even as dwellings.
Junnar Caves illustrate yet another rock cut cave temple complex devoted to Buddhism in the state of Maharashtra. Spread over four hills, this cave district hosts the largest number of 200 excavations dedicated to Hinayana phase of Buddhism. Carved during mid 3rd century BC to late 3rd century AD, the caves form the perfect base for observing rock cut architecture.
A Junnar Cave tour is incomplete without a visit to its three promising rock cut cave groups. these are Lenyadri, Tuljalena and Ganeshlena cave groups. The best known facet of Junnar belongs to Lenyadri Caves, comprising 30 caves in its group belonging to 1st-3rd century period. Facing southwards, these caves are numbered serially from east to west. Two of the caves, namely, 6 and 14 are chaityas (prayer halls); whereas rest of them feature vihara cells (monasteries). The other cave groups here include Tuljalena, and Ganesh lena.
Tuljalena in Junnar features a group of 11 artificial rock cuts. Here, dome shaped shrine in the cave no. 2 features the remnants of stunning ancient paintings on its ceilings and pillars. Also, the same cave preserves the remains of valuable ancient Buddhist paintings.
The Ganesh Lena caves here are also a beautiful specimen of Junnar caves and feature a vihara along with many small cells and chaityas. The splendid caves here are located in Pune district of Maharashtra
The other caves are found in the other hills surrounding Junnar. There are some in the hill of the Shivneri Fort, but these are not easily accessible to the normal pilgrim. You have to be a seasoned trekker to visit these.
Junnar town is about 100 km from Pune city. The route from Pune is via the Nashik highway. You have to turn left at Narayangaon and follow the state highway till you reach Junnar. There are a lot of hills and green forests surrounding the town. The River Kukadi flows near Junnar, and there are a lot of green fields on the banks of the river.
Compiled by: Townpune.com Team
