Search for Solitude

Solitude-when you get saturated with silence and landscape, then you need an interior work, psalms, scripture, and meditation. But, first the saturation. Looking at the PC through evil fluorescent bulbs, tiresome competitive deadlines I’m grumpy and tired and damn I’m tired of daily regularities.

Saturday, 4:00 A.M.: Finally, the deadlines are pushed across the table to wait, crude corporatism shrugged off, and my fingers switched the ringing cellphone OFF. From the piles of labeled wears I picked the pair of torn jeans and commoner T-shirt and escaped.

Destination *Solitude*; Desire *Explore myself*; Mode *Travel* (gawd) I never it will all end up with awakening to Spirituality within me.

Morning, 8:30 A.M: I hastily boarded off the local train at Malavali (11 km from Lonavala) and decide to walk to one of the Monolithic excavation atop the Sahaydri hills – Karla Caves. Built during 3rd and 2nd century B.C., Karla Caves is a very easy trek if you’re an avid traveler. A mark of Hinayana Buddhist tradition, the monks generally chose isolated rocky outcrops and hillsides to make rock-cut caves to meditate. Centuries later, I climbed the wriggly path as it often open up like a fork (one of the finest pathways all chipped) to pay my everlasting tributes to their beliefs and find moments of solitude.

The rock-cut caves are the most interesting part of Buddhist style of architecture well adapted to Indian conditions, both in terms of material and spiritual search. Apart from the climatic suitability, the concept of the cave strikes one of the fundamental chords of Indian spirituality-of being one with nature. Naturally, the existence of a natural cave is well thought-after. According to Buddhist prescription holy men should live neither too near nor too far from the cities-not too near to be distracted by material life, nor too far to make begging rounds. The vicinity of Lonavala, a chief commercial center to Karla Caves is therefore the best and most suitable example of Buddhism is very prospect.

These caves, in fact the first rock-cut temples originated in India after the death of Gautama Buddha is rich repertoire of architectural and spiritual sanctity with (a) a stupa (hemispheric funerary mounds built over the remains of Lord Buddha of holy men); (b) the chaitya (large hall for congregation and worship, having a central holy image or relic in one end); (c) the viharas (monasteries, where Buddhist monks stayed); and (d) the rock-cut caves.

Carved into the living rock, the entire monument is 40m long and 15m high built in 80 BCE by monks and artists that depicted the well known artistic carving. Interesting, built in the time of the Hinayana sect, during the Satavahanas rule, these caves do not actually show the Buddha. Comprising of 16 viharas (monasteries) and Chaitya or Chapel (one of the largest across the country) the walls are adorned with exquisite murals and sculptures depicting animal forms and Buddha in ecstasy.

A large column at the entrance with a lion carved and sun window that make a grand impression welcomes you when you enter the Chapel. The main cave has a magnificent Chaitya with huge pillars and intricately carved relief dating back to the 1st century B.C. Within the complex are a great many other magnificently carved prayer halls or chaityas as well as viharas or dwelling places for the monks. A feature of these caves is their arched entrances and vaulted interiors.

The chaityagriha at Karla is also unique as it is one among the two chaityagrihas in western Deccan which has huge lion pillars in front (the other one being at Kanheri). The chaityagriha is entered through a screen wall erected in front of the verandah, which in turn has three entrances, the central one opening into the nave and the other two, into the flanking aisles. The side walls of the verandah and inner face of the screen wall are extensively decorated with sculptures. The front wall of the verandah is also profusely decorated. These miniature windows are connected through a vedika and a roll cornice. This pattern extends throughout the entire width of the façade of the hall. The huge chaitya window provides good light source to lit the stupa and the pillars of the grand chaityagriha. The sun window, a wonderful arrangement for the diffusion of light, deflected the rays of the sun in such a manner that soft light fell on the stupa and the screen , half tones on the pillars and gloom in the aisles. The atmosphere thus created is remarkable for its solemnity and fervor. Surprisingly, woodwork is not a common feature in Buddhist sculpture and art, and hence it shows effect of other cultures that assimilated with the Buddhist art, to give it a refreshingly new look.

The chaitya hall is 124ft in length and 45ft in width with an extremely imposing, a kind of massive vestibule to the arcade screen in its rear. The two giant pillars have a group of lions supporting a large wheel and are about 50ft high. The most remarkable feature of the cave is its arched roof supported by wooden beams which have astonishingly survived the onslaught of elements for more than 2,000 years. The Wooden Umbrella above the Chaitya is unique in the Buddhist caves around the world. There is absolutely no sign of any corrosion. It is the finest example of the kind perhaps in the world. The stupa consists of a cylindrical drum rising in two stages. A hemispherical dome rises over the drum which supports a cubical harmika and a seven stepped inverted square pyramid over it. Over the pyramid is placed a wooden chhatri with a shaft through a hole pierced into it.

The inscriptions on the pillar narrates donation of land to the Veluraka Samgha. The inscription of Pulumavi is dated in his 24th year of his reign (A.D. 154). The inscriptions thus give the ancient name of Karla as ‘Veluraka’.

The actual process of construction is fascinating. The chosen hillside was cleared of shrubs and other growth. The parallel tunnels were then run to the desired depth and timber wedges driven vertically into the exposed rock at convenient centers. When moistened, these wedges expanded and dislodged large chunks of stone that were removed through the mouth of the cave. Thus the rock was exposed. At this point all the exposed rock would be chiseled and polished and only then would the workmen continue the excavation. Gradually, with mere one-fourth-inch chisels and hammers as the tools, the excavation was carried on from the ceiling downward-a tedious process but one that has survived, as Karla testifies. Once excavated, timber trelliswork and balconies were added as trimmings.

The scenic view, gurgling waterfall, steep climbing route, and crude rock hermitage engulfed under white, fluffy clouds is an appropriate terrain to find solitude and reconnect to yourself. Peace regained.