Kuda Caves Discovery

When we took off on a drive, to escape the sound of  diwali fumes & fireworks, never did we imagine that we will end up discovering literally an exclusive group of  buddhist caves enroute to Murud Zanjira.

After crossing Revas danda from Alibaug we enquired on the cross roads which route we have to take and we were guided towards Murud via a hillock.

Suddenly i noticed a small ASI signboard way to a historical site, we parked our car away from the main road, and entered the barbed wire fence, which was set up to prevent vandalisers from entering the site.

The Rajapur creek seen from the hillock.

After a painstaking search i discovered that these caves were named as Kuda caves ( 26 Nos ) which can be dated prior to Ajanta and Ellora caves.

Most of the caves and its artifacts were being salvaged by the ASI meticulously

These caves did have frescos painted, but all have vanished due to passage of time, due to vagaries of nature.

One can check out the hillock nearby which is located on the Arabian sea, one can have a birds eye view of the Murud Zanjira fort from this hillock.

The weekend travellers guide published by Outlook gave us some insight into the history of the out of bounds Nawabs palace.  The Siddis ruled this terrain guarding their fortress and palace fiercely.  They claim descent originally from Abyssinia in Africa.  The Ahmedganj Palace belongs to the Siddhi Nawab, which is spread over 45 acres of Land, which contains moque and buried remains of two past rulers. The Palace is now under the Nawabs descendent and it is closely guarded for the fear of miscreants ransacking the premise in search of the fabled treasures.  Folklore popular among the people claim that untold wealth lies buried like the pharaohs tomb in Egypt.  

This trip was one of the most fulfilling trips in my life time, which i will cherish for a long long time to come. This photoblog is 101 post in my blog and Indiblogger too.  What a coincidence. Guys if you want a detailed report on the Kuda caves please go through this link.

http://www.maharashtra.gov.in/english/gazetteer/KOLABA/places_Kuda%20Caves.html

Ack : Vernacular Newspapers, Google, and Outlook.