Rock cut chambers near the Shipra where the scholar poet Bhratrihari is said to have lived and meditated.
The renowned scholar poet Bhratrihari is said to have lived and meditated in these caves, which lie near the Shipra river on the edge of Ujjain. The site is small and unadorned: a set of chambers cut into the rock, quiet, cool and dim, with the river a short walk away. There is no architecture to speak of and nothing on display, which is very much to the point of a place associated with renunciation. Visitors come for the association and the stillness rather than for anything to see, and the caves make a natural counterweight to a day spent in Ujjain's crowded temples. Because the chambers are plain and the visit is brief, it is best treated as one stop on a riverside walk rather than a destination of its own.
Plain rock cut spaces, low and dark, with nothing added. Spend a few minutes inside with your eyes adjusted; the quality of the place is the silence and the drop in temperature rather than anything visual.
The river runs close by and is part of why the location was chosen. Walking down to the water after the caves completes the visit and is the better half of it in good light.
The caves are a short ride from central Ujjain, near the river, and the visit is brief. They combine well with the riverside ghats and with the sites on the same side of the city.
October to March is the comfortable season in Ujjain. Within the day, morning is the best time, when the river side is fresh and the site is at its quietest. The caves themselves stay cool, which makes them a reasonable stop even in the hot months. Avoid heavy monsoon days, when the approach and the floor inside become slippery.
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