Thanale Caves or Nadsur Caves is a group of 23

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

caves A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

located to the southeast of

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

, in western

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, at Thanale Village, Taluka Sudhagad in Raigad, 18 km from Pali. These caves belong to first century B.C. It has two

chaitya A chaitya, chaitya hall, chaitya-griha, (Sanskrit:''Caitya''; Pāli: ''Cetiya'') refers to a shrine, sanctuary, temple or prayer hall in Indian religions. The term is most common in Buddhism, where it refers to a space with a stupa and a rounded ...

s, two

stupa A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. In Buddhism, circumamb ...

s and the rest are viharas. These caves are some of the most ancient rock-cut caves not only in Maharashtra but in all India and were located at a complex site of the ancient trade route of Chaul. The earliest caves were probably excavated between 70 and 50 BC, according to paleographic evidence. In 1891 Henry Cousens wrote, "From Nadsur it is a stiff climb and long walk to the caves, which are excavated in the side of a spur of the Ghats two miles to the east of the village... The caves are cut in a long line of trap cliff which faces nearly west, and are eighteen in number, the more important among them being the third, seventh, eighth, and fifteenth from the south end...The interior of many of the caves have been greatly damaged...the facade of almost every cave has disappeared." Cave No 7 is the most beautiful and largest among all caves in the group. The whole of the wall of Cave No 7 is decorated with Buddhist Rail, Arch, and other mouldings with figures of men, women and animals. About it, Cousens wrote: "No. 7 is the most important cave in the whole group, and it also the largest...Around the three sides of this cave are cells with a bench in each, and each is provided with a small lattice window. In the south wall are three cells, in the west or back wall four, and in the north wall one. Around the three sides of the cave, and before the cell doorway, runs a low bench...The whole of the back wall, with parts of the north and south wall, are decorated with the Buddhist rail, arch, and other mouldings, with figures of men, women and animals. Shallow niches alternate with the cells doors along the walls, and each of the former is surmounted by the chaitya arch, with an imitation of wooden ribbing under its soffit..." The caves have two notable inscriptions, showing the names of donors. These Ancient rock-cut Buddhist caves are located in a beautiful mountainous site. The most frequently used path starts in Thanale village and goes through dense forest, along waterfalls and mountain scenery. These caves are also approachable from Village Nadsur, hence these are also referred to as Nadsur Caves. Exact GPS location is available on Google Maps and the walking trail from Thanale Village to the cave is also marked on Google Maps. Apart from this the Pune Trekkers Group has painted arrow marks along the walking trail. These caves are on the list of Protected Monuments of

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexande ...

. File:Nadsur caves.jpg, Nadsur/Thanale caves Thanale.jpg, General view Stoop at Thanale Caves.jpg, Stupas inside the caves

References

Buddhist caves in India Caves of Maharashtra Indian rock-cut architecture Former populated places in India Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India Buddhist monasteries in India Stupas in India Buddhist temples in India Architecture in India Caves containing pictograms in India {{Buddhism-stub