Exploring the Kanheri Caves: A Buddhist Monastic Complex

Bhaja Caves – Early Buddhist Rock-Cut Monastery, Maharashtra The Bhaja Caves are among the earliest surviving rock-cut Buddhist monuments in India, carved into a hillside near Lonavala in Maharashtra during the 2nd century BCE. They belong to the early Hinayana (Theravāda) phase of Buddhism, when the Buddha was represented symbolically rather than in human form. The complex consists of around 22 excavations, including monastic cells (viharas) and a chaitya-griha (prayer hall). The chaitya hall i