Shirwal Caves, Buddhist cave complex in Maharashtra, India
Shirwal is a cave complex with 15 chambers carved into the hillside, including one prayer hall and fourteen monastic residences. The rooms connect through natural passages in the stone and show how an early Buddhist community was organized.
The caves date from the 1st century BCE to 1st century CE and are among the early examples of Buddhist architecture in Western India. They show how believers in that era carved their sacred spaces directly from natural rock formations.
The caves display Buddhist architectural features like meditation spaces and residential chambers carved directly from rock. Visitors today can walk through these rooms and see how the monks organized their daily lives in these stone structures.
The caves are accessible year-round without entry fees and can be reached by direct road. The site lies north of Pune and is convenient for day visits.
The prayer hall now holds a Shivling placed alongside the ancient Buddhist stupa. Local residents continue to use this room for their own religious ceremonies in the early morning and evening.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
