Trip to Bedse Caves

We started at noon from campus. 19 team mates out of the 23 members in the team were present. ( Sameer, Reema, Harish and Mandar being the absentees ) We took the bypass from Hinjwadi and soon we were on the old Mumbai - Pune highway. Since everyone was used to the expressway, even the 20 kms stretch on this old highway was unbearable. However we tried to make the journey as smooth as possible by starting Antakshari....Some things never change. Bedse caves are 8-10 Km south of Rautwadi which is in Kale Colony while going towards Phagana Dam on the river Pawana near Kamshet.

Within no time we were at the base of Bedse caves. Decided to have our grub there. Senthil our official cook for the trip had cooked amazing Chicken masala which everyone enjoyed. We started our trek to the caves after that. It was drizzling a bit and we could see lots of crabs around. From the village a trail leads up to the base of the hill, and is followed by a 20 minute climb to the caves. In the monsoons (June-September) the path can be slippery. There is absolutely no accommodation or other facility at caves. If you plan to camp in the village or on the hillside you need to bring everything you require. Soon the senior members ( read old guys ) from the team were struggling to keep up with the junior members ( read young guys ). But after reaching the top we were rewarded by the amazing scenery around us. Just too good.

The caves are facing east so it is advisable to visit the caves early morning as in sun light the beauty of carvings is doubled. An unusual feature of the caves is the mass of rock in front to the chaitya that hides the main facade. Two imposing pillars at the entrance create a striking effect characteristic of ancient places of worship. The Caves today are not well cared of. But still their beauty definitely catches hold of an aesthetic mind. We clicked lots of snaps here, and decided to visit Phagana Dam.