Location: Nāsik 🌎

The Nasik Caves, or Trirashmi Leni (Trirashmi being the name of the hills in which the caves are located, Leni being a Marathi word for caves), are a group of 23 caves carved between the 1st century BCE and the 3rd century CE, though additional sculptures were added up to about the 6th century, reflecting changes in Jainism devotional practices. The Jain sculptures are a significant group of early examples of Indian rock-cut architecture initially representing the Jainism tradition. Most of the caves are viharas except for Cave 18 which is a chaitya of the 1st century BCE by Sunga dynasty. The style of some of the elaborate pillars or columns, for example in caves 3 and 10, is an important example of the development of the form. The location of the caves is a holy Jain site and is located about 8 km south of the centre of Nashik (or Nasik), Maharashtra, India. The Pandavleni name sometimes given to the Nasik Caves has nothing to do with the Pandavas, characters in the Mahabharata epic. Other caves in the area are Karla Caves, Bhaja Caves, Patan Cave and Bedse Caves.