Yana rocks!

 

Yana rocks

Yana rocks or Yana caves as it is popularly known has become a tourist destination in Karnataka.

Yana is famous for two massive rock outcrops known as the Bhairaveshwara Shikhara (peak) and the Mohini Shikhara (peak). The huge rocks are composed of solid black, crystalline karst limestone. Bhairaveshwara Shikhara is 120 metres (390 ft) in height, while the Mohini Shikhara, which is smaller, is 90 metres (300 ft) in height. They are part of the Sahyadri hill range in the Western Ghats in South India

Yana is also well known as a pilgrimage center because of the cave temple below the Bhairaveshwara Shikhara where a Swayambhu (self-manifested) Linga has been formed. Water drips from the roof over the Linga, adding to the sanctity of the place.

During Shivaratri, a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of Lord Shiva, a Ratha festival is held here, along with other festivities.

Legend has it that the Demon King Bhasmasura obtained a boon from Lord Shiva by performing an austere penance. The boon granted was that whenever Bhasmasura placed his hand over any one's head, he would burn them up and turn them into ashes (bhasma). It is further narrated that, in order to test his powers, Bhasmasura wanted to place his hands on his patron Lord Shiva's head. He chased Shiva, which unnerved Shiva and prompted him to move from his heavenly abode to earth to seek the help of Lord Vishnu. Vishnu transformed himself to help Shiva, adopting the form of a beautiful damsel named Mohini who enticed Bhasmasura with her beauty. Bhasmsura was quite infatuated by Mohini, and agreed to a challenge she issued for a dance competition.

During the dance competition, Mohini cleverly performed a dance bhang ("pose") with her hand over her head. Without realizing the gravity of this act, the demon king also placed his hand over his head and perished by the fire of his own hands, he was converted into ashes. It is believed that the fire that emanated during this act was so intense that the limestone formations in the Yana area were blackened. The loose black soil or ash seen around the two large rock formations in the area are cited as proof of the legend by devotees who see them as due to the fire and ashes produced by Bhasmasura’s death. The two hillocks are also named for this event: the tall peak being Bhairaveshwara Shikhara ("Shiva's hill"), and the smaller peak, a few steps down below, being Mohini Shikhara ("Mohini's hill") where an idol of goddess Parvathi is installed. Ref: Wikipedia

We drove 136 kms to Yana from Hubli via Yellapur, Gullapur and Sunksal as it culminates closest to the rocks, eliminating any long treks while the other route via Sirsi culminates at a point from where one has to trek/climb for about an hour to reach the rocks. There is a pay and park facility with a flat charge of Rs.40/- per car.

The last around 5 kms to reach the top was not paved and more of a path than a road which caked the car with a thick layer of dust.

The Forest Department has built beautiful tree hollowed public toilets for the benefit of tourists.

Ellora Caves

The parking lot at Ellora is right in front of the largest single monolithic excavation in the world, the great Kailasa (Cave 16). The Great Kailasa is attributed to Krishna I (c. 757-83 A.D.), the successor and uncle of Dantidurga. A copper plate grant from Baroda of the period of Karka II (c. 812-13 A.D.) speaks about the greatness of this edifice. Ellora represents one of the largest rock-hewn monastic-temple complexes in the entire world, that too of three different religions - Buddhism, Brahmanism and Jainism. These caves are hewn out of the volcanic basaltic formation of Maharashtra, known as ‘Deccan Trap’, the term trap being of Scandinavian origin representing the step like formation of the volcanic deposits. The rock formation, on weathering has given rise to the appearance of terraces with flat summits. One can also have a glimpse of the channels (near Cave 32) through which the volcanic lava once flowed. These channels, due to overheating, have a characteristic brownish red colour. The basaltic rock is ideal for rock hewing, as it is soft during the initial excavation and hardens on exposure to environment. This induced the religious followers of various creeds to establish their settlements in them. The Ellora caves are datable from circa 6th - 7th century A.D. to 11th - 12th century A.D. There are nearly 100 caves of which 34 caves are popular and visited by many tourists. Caves 1 to 12 are Buddhist; Caves 13 to 29 are Brahmanical and Caves 30 to 34 are Jaina. Thus, we have the greatest religious conglomeration at a single place, signifying the religious tolerance and solidarity of different faiths. The caves are excavated in the scarp of a large plateau, running in a north-south direction for nearly 2 km, the scarp being in the form of a semi-circle, the Buddhist group at the right arc on the south, while the Jaina group at the left arc on the north and the Brahmanical group at the centre. A tourist can plan the visit of these caves according to the time available and depending upon the interest in ancient art. If a visitor has at his disposal three to four hours, then Cave nos. 10 (Visvakarma Cave), 16 (Kailasa), 21 (Ramesvara) and 32 & 34 (Jaina group of caves) should not be missed and one can have a glimpse of the representative art of Buddhism, Brahmanism and Jainism. If a visitor has an entire day at his disposal, then Cave nos. 2, 5, 10 & 12 of the Buddhist group; Cave nos. 14, 15, 16, 21 & 29 of the Brahmanical group and Caves 32 to 34 of the Jaina group should be visited. All this valuable information about the caves has been gleaned from the Archaeological Survey of India’s website We had barely a couple of hours, hence just reveled in the beauty of Cave 16 and visited Caves 10 & 12. The sunset from Ellora is also worth a view and we spent some time gazing at the beautiful sight. On return to the parking lot, we were surprised to see a bunch of langurs being fed peanuts by tourists. We were told by the peanut vendors that these monkeys are harmless and will wait patiently for the visitors to feed them. You buy a packet of peanuts worth Rs.5/- and empty them out on your palm and hold it out to the langur. The langur will then amble towards you, hold your hand and pick out the peanut with the other hand and eat! So friendly! Our only regret was we could not see more of Ellora and missed out on the other two major attractions of Aurangabad – the Daulatabad Fort and Paanchakki. Hopefully will do that some other time. Some important information about Ellora Caves Open from sunrise to sunset Closed on Tuesday Entrance Fee: Citizens of India and visitors of SAARC (Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Maldives and Afghanistan) and BIMSTEC Countries (Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar) - Rs. 10 per head. Others: US $ 5 or Indian Rs. 250/- per head (children up to 15 years free)

Karla and Bhaja caves

If one has an interest in ancient Indian history and wish to indulge in some cave art appreciation, a visit to Karla and Bhaje caves is a must. Located about 10kms from Lonavala and 115kms from Mumbai the caves are worth spending the weekend at.

Karla caves

Bhaja caves

As structures excavated in stone were the most durable, rock cut architecture came to the fore in India during the reign of Emperor Ashoka who was looking for a lasting medium to commemorate and spread the teachings of Buddha. The style of architecture turned out to be especially suited to the Sahayadri ranges, as the hills were composed of alternating horizontal strata of harder and softer volcanic trap rock making excavation easy. Hence, the Sahayadri range is dotted with cave temples. Built along trade routes, the Buddhist monasteries were important stages on the journey providing resting places for the traders as well as supply-cum-banking stations for them. There are about 1000 rock cut caves in Western India, a large number of which are around Lonavala - a name that is a derivation from Lenauli (place of many caves - Lena meaning cave). Of these, the most famous are at Karla, Bhaja, Bedsa and Kondane. The Karla, Bhaja and Bhedsa cave temples are perfect examples of the early phase of Buddhist architecture known as the Hinayana phase wherein the Buddha was represented symbolically.

In the early period Hinayana Buddhism prevailed and in the latter, Mahayana Buddhism. In the Hinayana period, to which Karla belongs, the architectural design was wood based, being copies of wooden buildings of an earlier age. Also, as the Buddha, not wanting to be deified, had decreed that after his death, "neither the gods nor men shall see him", in this period he is represented by symbols. The lotus or the elephant, symbolizing his birth, the bodhi tree under which he attained Nirvana, the wheel of law which he set in motion, a stupa or mound symbolizing his death and a throne symbolizing that he is a prince among men.

By the seventh century AD, the Mahayana sect took over and representations of Buddha became more common. By the central doorway, you will find sculptures of the Buddha preaching while seated on a lion-supported throne, along with magnificent carvings of three elephants.

The excavations took the shape of the chaitya or prayer hall and the vihara or monastery.

The viharas were the dwelling place of the monks and usually consisted of cells cut into the walls around three sides of a hall.

The excavation at Karla, the site of the largest Chaitya caves in India, began around the beginning of the Christian era and culminated in the 4^th century A.D. The principal cave measuring 37.87m x 13.87m x 14.02m (L x B x H) is the largest Chaitya among the Buddhist caves in the country.

The most remarkable feature of this cave are the wooden rafters that support the arched roof. They have survived all elements over a period of more than 200years!

At the entrance of this cave is the temple of Goddess Ekvira visited by thousands of devotees from the coastal region around Mumbai during the annual festival in April (chaitra) and during Navratri.

The Ekvira temple is on the right side of the cave while on the left is a giant pillar with three lions on its top.

In the outer porch is a vestibule outlined by walls with carvings of couples and elephants.

The interior of the hall consists of a colonnade and a sun-window. The colonnade has 37 pillars, each with some fine sculpture at the top.

One group consists of two kneeling elephants each with a male and a female rider wearing ornate headdresses and jewelry. Another group has horses, originally decked with rich trappings, just as the elephants had ivory and silver tusks.

At the far end of the hall is a stupa, literally meaning funeral mound, above which is an umbrella - a symbol of royalty.

The sun window, a wonderful arrangement for the diffusion of light, deflects the rays of the sun in a manner that soft light falls on the stupa.

On the other side of the highway and railway tracks are the Bhaja caves. The 18 Bhaja caves are supposed to have been built for Buddhist nuns and are as old as Karla caves.

Cave no 12 is a chaitya hall - the finest of the cave complex. In the chaitya, there is a stupa that is 3.4 metres in diameter and has a deep socket for the shaft of an umbrella that once canopied it.

Cave no 1 is the dwelling house for the master architect, 10 are viharas and remaining 7 caves contain inscriptions about the donors.

Apart from these, there is a group of stupas at the southern end.

A few minutes' walk past the last cave is a beautiful waterfall, which, during the monsoon looks beautiful. From here, you can see the Visapur and Lohagarh forts.

The last has two fascinating sculptures that are still well preserved.

One sculpture depicts the sun god "Surya" with his chariot drawn by four horses.

The other sculpture depicts Indra, sitting astride his elephant Airavata that appeared when the ocean was churned up.

Both these historic sites (Karla and Bhaja) can be covered in a day, preferably in the afternoon as they both face the West and one can enjoy the sights in the streaming rays of the setting sun.

Getting there:

By Road: Karla and Bhaja are 10kms from Lonavala, which is 100kms from Mumbai. Get onto the Mumbai – Pune expressway and take the 2^nd exit for Lonavala. Once you get onto NH4 turn left towards Karla and soon you will encounter a tollbooth. Karla is just a couple of kms drive thereon. At Karla junction if you turn left you will head towards Karla caves or if you turn right, you will head towards Bhaje caves. Both are at a distance of about 5kms from the highway either way.

One can drive up almost to the caves and need to climb only for about 20minutes from the parking lots.

Entrance charges at both caves is Rs.10/- per head and parking charges Rs.10/- at Karla.

By Rail: The closest railway station is Malavali – 5kms either way (Karla or Bhaja).

Hotels: MTDC is the best bet which has a wonderful resort at Karla or there are many other private hotels to suit every budget in Lonavala.