The Rajpuri Caves, ten kilometres east of Panchgani in the village of Rajpuri, are a complex of rock-cut chambers and stepped bathing pools fed by a perennial spring. The site is dedicated to Kartikeya, the warrior god, and is a place of local pilgrimage; the central tank is believed to be a remedy for sins and skin ailments, and pilgrims still bathe in the pools at festival times.
The setting — a fold in the hills wrapped in dense forest, with the spring tumbling between the rock chambers — is the real attraction. The road in is rough, but it is one of the more atmospheric short excursions from Panchgani, particularly during the monsoon when the spring runs full. Allow an hour and a half for the round trip from town.