Last month marked some very important firsts, which might be responsible for what I do for a large part of my life! An introduction to ancient Indian history through culture, literature and art was one of them.
What seemed at first a really dry and boring subject now fascinates me beyond limits. It is truly like digging for treasure, every time one reads/hears some thing, a fresh perspective of what one knew appears. I can well imagine the high every new discovery must be giving an archeologist.
That preamble was needed to explain my waking up before the crack of dawn on Sunday the 22nd of December! Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't commit such an act, simple!
All of us ‘heritage buffs’ assembled at the pick up point and waited anxiously for the bus to move. More than occasional thoughts of a hot cup of tea adulterated our pure heritage thoughts.
A few no shows and a flat tire did not dampen our spirits. We cruised via the old Pune - Mumbai road towards Malavali.
By now the sun was in its full glory. After a quick breakfast and tea (finally), we set out on foot for one the oldest caves of the Buddhist era - the 'Varsavihara'. These caves are tucked away in one of the Sahyadri ranges inear a small village - Bedse (near Malavali, Pune district).
The caves date back to the 1st century B.C. and according to Yuan Chwang, lie on the old trade route from Nane Ghat to Kalyan. Buddhists monks (Bhikus) travelled around the world propagating the teachings of Buddha. As one of the 'Vinaya' (the disciplines in 'Vinayapitaka'), the monks had to stay away from dwellings and live on 'Bhiksha' (offerings from the villagers).
The monks stayed for 4 months during the monsoons in these Varsha Viharas (literally ‘rain caves’). During this period, they wrote 'Theragatha', 'Therigatha' and meditated.
The beautiful sculptures and carvings in these caves or Leni (as it is called in Marathi) indicate that they probably had the patronage of wealthy traders, kings and other important people.
In several places, one can see their names carved next to the sculptures. Legend also has it that these Viharas were used by traders to store their valuables while they were away.The caves could also have been used as a Dharamshala (guesthouse) for travellers.
Bedse has two caves, a 'Chaitya' which hosts a stupa, and a 'Vihar' which has small rooms for the Bhiku. One marvels at the vision of the artist/s and the planning of this miracle. Identifying/ choosing a huge piece of rock just right for carving, finding one that faced the sun so that there was ample natural light, find it next to a water source, carving it top down and finally creating magic through those amazingly proportionate sculptures! One wonders whether they had any scope for mistakes.
For two hours, we tried to capture this beauty on camera. With all technological advances available today, attempting to recreate the same magic seemed a hard task, I think it goes beyond tools. Vision, grit and perseverance all have to come together. I will always remain in as awe of their immaculate artistry.
Here I would like to share what we experienced. Enjoy!
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