Visit to Godhaneshwar Temple

Hello everyone! 

My name is Sharang and through my YouTube channel iroguehermit and my blogs I intend to introduce you to the places I visit.

I was supposed to explore Rajmachi fort last weekend, however it was too late to do so and our rider group settled at visiting Godhaneshwar temple at the fort’s base. The group I usually ride with is TAG-The Avenger Gods, Pune. We gathered near Indira College, Wakad and after a brief introduction and exchanging niceties we headed off to our destination. Our ride began at 7.00 am.

It’s a highway from Wakad to Lonavala. From Lonavala to Godhaneshwar temple, the riding distance is around 15-20 kilometers. Beware! It’s an offroad ride on Kachcha road, filled with boulders, fine reddish soil and the bikes skid. 

We reached at the base of Rajmachi fortification and halted a while near Ganapati Maruti temple for a while, waiting for rest of the riders to join us.We reached near the temple. Have a look at the nearby hills and you can see the fortification on the hills.There is a small pond in front of the temple. Ramrao Naraynrao Deshmukh, the mamlatdar of Danda Rajpuri got this lake constructed in 1780.

There’s a small informative plank near the temple. As visitors, we need to be responsible towards maintaining the sanctity of this temple. This Hemadpanthi styled temple was constructed in 8^th century during the reigns of Satavahana. Rocks were cut and placed atop another and this is how it was built. They say that no mortar was used in the temple’s construction. There’s a water spout in the shape of Gomukha or cow’s face. It is said that the water flows from it and fills up the pit below it and from here it flows to the larger pit and then to the pond.This is the Shivalaya. I am guessing the rulers patronized Shaivism or worship of Shiva.The immediate surrounding is covered with still green vegetation with trees of wild fruits and berries.You can spot a statue of Nandi, the vehicle of Shiva at the entrance. It faces the entrance of the sanctum. There is a constructed pit at its back. Although the temple is dedicated to Shiva, just outside the sanctum, there are small idols of other deities as well.

Before entering the sanctum, you’ll have to ring the bell. I guess it is customary to do so. The believers say that ringing the bell creates sounds that helps one be attentive. It also creates positive vibrations in the atmosphere.

The sanctum is a very small room. It has Shivalinga installed inside it and Nagas made of metal hold their hoods atop the Shivalinga. Water drips onto it from a small pot hung from the ceiling. After the worship, it is a custom to take a few rounds around the temple and bring together both of your palms and perform Namaskar and place your forehead on the walls of the temple with reverence. I was fortunate enough to be allowed to enter the sanctum and take a video shoot.

Thanks to the vegetation and the shades of trees around, our offroad journey was eased a bit. Overall, it was a nice offroad riding experience.

 In your comments, do let me know how you feel about visiting this place. Subscribe my YouTube channel i roguehermit, stay updated on tweeter @i_roguehermit, read my blogs on iroguehermit.blogspot.in and follow my Facebook page I Rogue Hermit.

YouTube Video Link - https://youtu.be/DxXe1iBQllM

Visit to Karla Caves

Hello everyone!

I love to ride and explore places. With this blog, ‘iroguehermit’, I intend to reach out to people like you and introduce you to the places I visit.

Just recently I visited Karla caves; the largest of the Karla-Bhaje-Bedse caves complex situated near Lonavala and is merely 60-75 kilometers away from Pune. 

These ancient Indian Buddhist caves were carved from 2^nd century BC and its development continued till 5^th century AD. Karla caves were called Valukura during that time and since this place was on ancient trade route from Arabian Sea to Deccan plateau, these caves might have held much significance in the past. These caves are now protected monuments under the Archeological Survey of India. 

 

You will have to climb many steps to reach the caves and you may want to catch a few breaths on your way up.  Get an entry ticket of Rs. 15/-. If you are a foreign visitor, you will have to shell out Rs. 200/- though. A brief introductory text is available if you are inclined to know details. If you are inclined towards admiring the architecture and magnificence of the caves, head straight to the caves. At the entrance there is a tall pillar and its top is adorned with sculptures of lions facing 4 sides. Another pillar is destroyed completely.

The left and right side has sculptures of elephants and Buddha along with sculptures of couples. These are a bit bold poses and I feel beauty of human bodies were admired or rather celebrated. However, I always believed Buddhism advocated monastic livelihood and was for meditating monks who delved deep in search of keys of eternal happiness.

The outer walls have beautifully carved repetitive designer frames which look like windows to me. The carvings are extraordinarily fine and marvelous. There are inscriptions written in Brahmi and Greek on walls and pillars. I could also spot Swastika marked on a small portion. Swastika, in Indian culture is an auspicious symbol and spotting it on such an old structure means the symbol and its meaning was derived from Vedik or Sanatan Dharma. 

As I entered the chaityagriha or prayer hall, I realized that it is bigger than that of Bhaje or Bedse and has horse shoe styled wooden architecture at the ceiling. The stupa has a wooden roof covering its top. Each of the pillars inside the hall has beautiful sculptures on top and a few pillars have something written on them. The scripts are Brahmi and old Greek. There is also one pillar that has Devnagari script, which I believe to be carved much later. One pillar has stupa, replica of pillar from Sarnath, which is my assumption and another structure which I do not know about.

 Just outside the prayer hall, there are a few rooms that might have been used by monks for resting. A little farther, there are more small rooms on ground and first floor connected by narrow stairs.

An entire tour to the caves takes about 15-20 minutes. You may like to spend some more time here, if there is no crowd. I suggest you to visit the caves during monsoon when it is all lush green and the mesmerizing view at the top will make you spend some more time, may be meditating like an old and wise Buddhist monk.

Do let me know how you feel about visiting this place. Subscribe my YouTube channel i roguehermit, stay updated on tweeter @i_roguehermit, read my blogs on iroguehermit.blogspot.in and follow my Facebook page I Rogue Hermit.

Links are as below :

YouTube - https://youtu.be/2nC4o9oQ4MI

Twitter: @i_roguehermit
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Visit to Bedse Caves

Visit to Bedse Caves

Today’s blog is about Bedse Caves, near Lonavala, Mumbai. It is one the Karla Bhaje Bedse caves complex. It is the smallest of the three, and he best preserved and yet lesser know. 

Once you reach at the base, look up at the mountains and you can spot a Plumeria or Champa tree. Sight at it is the best  when it is fully bloomed. The caves are right there and you can see it from the base. The climb is eased by well built stairs, with no less than 455 steps. Happy climbing, folks! Around a 15-20 minute climb, you enter a big verandah and an awesome view when you look down, again best viewed when the surroundings are all green and clear morning sunlight is there. To the left, there is small mound like structure, a stupa, and a small room where I guess the work was under progress and then abandoned. I’m not sure about it. Now, Let’s take a round. There are potable water storage pits and this might have been dug when caves were being carved. There is some inscription above it which I guess means water pit.

The entrance to the main chaityagriha or prayer hall is narrow. The pillars in the entrance have sculptures depicting horses, riders and there are beautifully carved repetitive windows and frames. Just outside, to the right, there is small room. The chaityagriha is smaller than those of Karla and Bhaja caves. However, since it faces east, rays of early rising sun entering the foyer makes it a magnificent view.There are 26 pillars inside with designs carves on some of them. I could see this carved design on almost all the stupas. I am not sure if this has any specific meaning. There are small notches on the inside of the walls which I believe served to keep lamps and flambeaus. On the floor just outside the hall, there are small holes. This might have been used for some rituals, I guess.

After exiting the main prayer hall, there is a way leading to what I assume would have been rooms for monks. There are what I assume to be benches. As you can see, there are simple frames outside the rooms. I could spot some cracks or are these fault lines? A complete tour to the caves takes about 15-20 minutes, however I suggest spending more time and meditating if that is your thing. Smell a few Champa flowers or observe nature and when your heart is filled with serenity, it’s time to get back to our chaotic lives, again.

Do let me know how you feel about visiting this place. Subscribe my channel iroguehermit for more videos.

You may watch the video here.

A visit to Bhaje Caves

Welcome to Bhaje caves, one of the Karla-Bhaje-Bedasa caves complex.

Dating back to the second century BC, the group of 22 Hinayan Buddhist caves at Bhaje are cut and carved in mountain rocks. These caves are located on an ancient trade route running from Arabic Sea into the Deccan Plateau of Maharashtra state, India. These caves are situated 400 meters atop village Bhaje. 

Depending on the route you take, from Pune it is an hour and half long ride for 60-75 km mostly on smooth highway with a small stretch of mountain pass on the way. 

You need to take a slightly bumpy road from Karla-Bhaje square to reach to the base of the caves. From the base, you can either choose to walk on the stairs or trek to the top. There is a minimal entry fee of Rs. 15 for Indian visitors and Rs. 200/- for foreign visitors. The best part is you can click as many pictures of the caves and the sculptures and parts of the caves as you want.

The verandah leads to the most prominent excavation its Chaitya Vihara i.e. prayer hall. Another notable feature is the use of horse-shoe styled wooden architecture structure as the ceiling in Chaitya Vihara. The prayer hall has pillar structure adorned with reliefs and beautifully carved external façade is quite a visual. I could spot some holes in the ground. This might have been used for some religious purposes. There are a few designs itched on the floor. A few pillars have inscriptions indicating names of the donors. The scripts seem to be lost in time and thus the writing is illegible to us as well as to the natives. 

There are quite a few small rooms with a bed made of stone slabs, a small alcove just beneath the bed. This might have been used to keep bed-sheets, clothing and utensils. A small trench outside might have been filled with water to wash feet. These tiny, dingy rooms might have been used by resident and travelling Buddhist monks. The rooms are arranged on the ground and first floor and there are a few connecting stairs. Below the ground floor, there seems to be a water tank which might have been used for daily usage. The monks might have used this water to nurture a garden. But, this is just my assumption. Nowadays, religious visitors, mostly Hindus throw a few coins in it with a hope of getting blessed with some luck. This, I find quite superstitious. 

I could also spot a Shivalinga in the complex. This raised a question in my mind if Shaivaites or worshippers of Shiva from Hindu belief systems were allowed to practice here or sculptors adhered to Hinduism and both the philosophies co-existed peacefully. I also wondered if the rulers of the time promoted peaceful co-existence of multiple thoughts, philosophies and religions. 

The caves have a number of stupas i.e. a mound like hemispherical structures that are used as places for meditation. There are inscriptions on the stupas as well. A few broken structures might have been caused by the action of nature. A sanctum is now closed and flash photography is not allowed. 

There are sculptures depicting acts of entertainment and human interactions. When closely observed, I could see Tabla, Indian percussion instrument in one of the sculptures. Thus, music seems to be an integral part of the then lives. Animals, mythical creatures, events, chariots and people’s idols are parts of the sculptures. 

Although a quick tour can end in 10-15 minutes, only a casual visitor does that. Someone who wishes to know more, wonder about ancient people’s lives and make an attempt to understand culture, I recommend spending 2-3 hours. If you are even more interested, sit in the Chaitya Griha, the prayer hall. Listen to humming of bumble bees and meditate. The next time I visit again, I am definitely going to do just that.

Do let me know how you feel about visiting this place. 

You may also like to view a video I posted on Youtube. Youtube link:visit to bhaje caves