Aagashiv Leni Caves information in English

 Aagashiv Leni Caves information in English

• Location: 

These caves are found in the mountains near Jakhinwadi village in Karad taluka of Satara district of Maharashtra state, India. 

• Travel route to see Agashiv caves: 

• From international destinations like Mumbai and Pune in Maharashtra state, we can go to this place near Karad in Satara district via N.H. 4 national road. 

• Mumbai - Pune - Satara - Karad - Jakhinwadi - Agashiv mountain. 

• Jakhinwadi is located 5 kilometers from Karad city on the National Highway leading to Kolhapur. 

• Agashiv mountain is only 700 meters away from Jakhinwadi. This route is convenient. It can be reached quickly. 

• You can go to Agashiv via Karad - Malkapur. 

• The shape of this mountain is like the Hindu religious symbol Om. Therefore, this place is called Agashiv.

• Places to visit in Agashiv mountain: 

• First, after coming from Karad city to Jakhinwadi village, you can park your vehicle at the parking lot in the forest area at the bottom of the mountain. 

• Footpath: 

The Maharashtra government has made a footpath to reach the caves. There are about 500 to 600 steps in this. The climb is easy. 

When you reach the upper side of this place, you can see 26 caves on one side. 

Cave No. 6,7,12,17:

All the above caves are Chaitya Griha. These caves are made by digging the entire basalt rock. They are made completely in the traditional way using a chisel hammer. There is a stupa inside the chaitya. There is no Buddha statue here. And these caves were dug by the Hinayana Buddhist sect before the 2nd century BC. One can circumambulate around the inner stupa. Unlike the caves at Karle, Bhaje, Bedsa, there are no pillars here. From that, these caves are also from an earlier period. Because Buddhist paintings and sculptures are not seen in those caves.

• Some carvings are visible on the outside of the sixth cave. In which there is an Ashoka Chakra on one side and a lion sculpture on the other. There is a stupa inside. There is a circumambulation path around it.

Seventh Cave:

• Vitthal Rukmini Temple:

In one of the caves, we see that a temple of Vitthal and Rukmini was established by making a pavilion in place of a stupa. This cave here was rebuilt into a temple. It is understood from the locals that it was built during the Peshwa period. There is a structure like a pavilion on the outside and a pavilion inside.

In the twelfth and seventeenth cave you can see the Buddha Stupa.

• Other Vihar Caves :

Other caves in this place are viharas. There are wide halls on the outside, and small meditation and sleeping rooms on the inside. Outside each vihara and chaitya, a water tank or pori is dug and prepared. It was made to meet the resident monks' need for bathing and drinking water.

This group of caves has been designed for rest and meditation as well as for monks who spread the Buddha Dhamma during rainy days or during charika.

• Cave No. 23 :

At this place you can see a water spring. Local people of the following villages consider this place sacred. The palanquin of Malai Devi is brought to this cave. And is taken back to the village. Every year this practice is done on Dussarya.

Malai Devi is known as the goddess of water.

The caves here have doors now. Some of the outer walls of the caves are lying. Some are extensive viharas. Some are very small enough to accommodate one to two people. 

• Second Cave Group: 

Near Koyna Vasahati, on the other side of the mountain, we can see another cave group. 

• Kalbhairav Temple: 

A Hindu deity, Kalbhairav, is installed in this cave group. There are small pools of water outside this cave. In one of the pools, we can see lotus flowers. 

There are small rooms here. Here too, we can see some viharas. 

• Third Cave Group: 

• Another cave group is seen on the western side of the mountain, near the Agashiv village. Cave number 48 is a stupa. An idol of Ardha Nateshwar can be seen carved in the cave here. The rest of the caves are viharas. 

• After seeing all the cave groups, we can return back by following the steps.

• Brief information about Agashiv Cave: 

• There is no inscription in the cave here. But looking at the stupa and vihara structure here, it is understood that this is a Hinayana Buddhist cave. 

• The structure of these caves was made from the funds received in the form of donations from local satraps, states, as well as donations made by charitable people in the community. 

• These caves were built for Buddhist worshipers to rest and worship, do penance and live during the rainy days. 

• Over time, some of the caves here have been destroyed. 

• Recently, with the efforts of the Government of India, they have been restored and developed as a tourist destination. 

• Stupa is the symbolic form of Buddhist monks, or the form of Buddha. 

• There is a stupa inside the chaitya. There are lion temple type chaityas here. Here, Buddhist disciples and seekers pray. 

• Vihara is the residence of Buddhist seekers. 

• These caves have undergone changes over time as the power changed. Chaityas and viharas were built here during the reign of Buddhist kings. Later, Hindu temples were built here during the Hindu reign. This is a change that has occurred due to ideological changes over time. It has been accepted as it is peacefully and later it has become a mirror of mixed culture. 

• This is the information about Agashiv Cave.