Karli
Encyclopedia
Karli is a town on the highway between Pune
and Mumbai
in southern Maharashtra
in India
. It is on a major trade route
that runs from the Arabian Sea
eastward, into the Deccan. Karli's location in Maharashtra
places it in a region that is the division between North India
and South India
.
The small town is most famous for the Karla Caves
—a 1st century BC Buddhist temple
complex or chaitya
s cut out of stone. At 40 m (131.2 ft) long and 15 m (49.2 ft) in height, it is the largest such chaitya in India
. The aisle of the temple is flanked by 37 pillars that are topped with kneeling elephants.
The outside facade is in bad repair due to stone breakage as well as the erosion of intricate details carved to imitate finished wood. The central motif is a large horseshoe arch. There is a lion column in front, with a closed stone facade and almost ruined torana
in between. On one side there is a modern Brahmanical temple of ekvira devi.
During theIn the
Three years later hostilities were resumed. The Bombay government now sent an army to the Konkan
, with orders to march across the Western Ghauts on Poonah. An advanced party of under Captain Stewart first took possession of the Bhore Ghaut, where they were joined by the main army under Colonel Charles Egerton. Hartley had been offered the post of quartermaster general to the army, but he preferred to take his place at the head of his battalion.
On 4 January, 1779, during the First Anglo-Maratha War
, forces of the Maratha Empire
confronted at Karli a force of six companies of grenadier sepoys in the British service, which set out from Bombay with the intention of reaching Puna. In the skirmish was killed the British commander, Captain Stewart.
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
and Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
in southern Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It is on a major trade route
Trade route
A trade route is a logistical network identified as a series of pathways and stoppages used for the commercial transport of cargo. Allowing goods to reach distant markets, a single trade route contains long distance arteries which may further be connected to several smaller networks of commercial...
that runs from the Arabian Sea
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea is a region of the Indian Ocean bounded on the east by India, on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, on the south, approximately, by a line between Cape Guardafui in northeastern Somalia and Kanyakumari in India...
eastward, into the Deccan. Karli's location in Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
places it in a region that is the division between North India
North India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
and South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
.
The small town is most famous for the Karla Caves
Karla Caves
The Karla Caves or Karle Caves are a complex of ancient Indian Buddhist rock-cut cave shrines developed over two periods – from the 2nd century BC to the 2nd century AD, and from the 5th century to the 10th century. The oldest of the cave shrines is believed to date back to 160 BC...
—a 1st century BC Buddhist temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
complex or chaitya
Chaitya
A chaitya is a Buddhist or Jain shrine including a stupa. In modern texts on Indian architecture, the term chaitya-griha is often used to denote assembly or prayer hall that houses a stupa.-History:...
s cut out of stone. At 40 m (131.2 ft) long and 15 m (49.2 ft) in height, it is the largest such chaitya in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The aisle of the temple is flanked by 37 pillars that are topped with kneeling elephants.
The outside facade is in bad repair due to stone breakage as well as the erosion of intricate details carved to imitate finished wood. The central motif is a large horseshoe arch. There is a lion column in front, with a closed stone facade and almost ruined torana
Torana
For the Australian car, see Holden Torana.A torana is a type of gateway seen in the Hindu and Buddhist architecture of the Indian subcontinent.-Meaning and uses of torana:...
in between. On one side there is a modern Brahmanical temple of ekvira devi.
During theIn the
Three years later hostilities were resumed. The Bombay government now sent an army to the Konkan
Konkan
The Konkan also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali is a rugged section of the western coastline of India from Raigad to Mangalore...
, with orders to march across the Western Ghauts on Poonah. An advanced party of under Captain Stewart first took possession of the Bhore Ghaut, where they were joined by the main army under Colonel Charles Egerton. Hartley had been offered the post of quartermaster general to the army, but he preferred to take his place at the head of his battalion.
On 4 January, 1779, during the First Anglo-Maratha War
First Anglo-Maratha War
The First Anglo-Maratha War was the first of three Anglo-Maratha wars fought between the British East India Company and Maratha Empire in India. The war began with the Treaty of Surat and ended with the Treaty of Salbai.-Background:...
, forces of the Maratha Empire
Maratha Empire
The Maratha Empire or the Maratha Confederacy was an Indian imperial power that existed from 1674 to 1818. At its peak, the empire covered much of South Asia, encompassing a territory of over 2.8 million km²....
confronted at Karli a force of six companies of grenadier sepoys in the British service, which set out from Bombay with the intention of reaching Puna. In the skirmish was killed the British commander, Captain Stewart.