Category: Caves

Deep within the Sanjay Gandhi National Park on the western fringes of the metropolitan city of Mumbai in Maharashtra, there is a group of rock cut caves that is believed to be as old as the hills on which they stand. These caves were created by Buddhist followers. These are your Kanheri caves.

The first Buddhist cave monuments at Ajanta stand witness to masterpieces of Buddhist religious art in India. However there are many other richly decorated caves that also tell us the story of a glorious past. The Aurangabad caves, tucked between the Satara and the Sihyachal hills in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra is one brilliant example of this. The Aurangabad caves are located close to the famed mausoleum Bibi ka Maqbara. These are clusters of rock-cut grottos turned into monuments. Thousands of tourists visit the Aurangabad caves. There are many researchers and students of Indian archaeology who visit the caves too.

Maharashtra today is not really remembered for its Buddhism. But the fact is that, what is today’s Maharashtra was once the seat of Buddhism in India. After Gautama Buddha’s death (483 BCE), his disciples were engaged in preaching Buddhism in many parts of India that included Vidarbha which has become a part of the present day Maharashtra. A group of Buddhist monks selected the Western Ghat Mountains and other secluded places in Maharashtra where they made their Chaitys and Viharas in rock-cut caves. These caves not only provided a safe haven for their monasteries but also offered the seclusion so very necessary in giving sermons to younger monks.

Located in the Junnar area of the Pune district in Maharashtra, the Lenyadri caves primarily consist of around 40 rock-cut Buddhist cave temples. It is believed that these temples were built between 1st and 3rd century AD. Out of these, there are 30 caves that face the south. These are the most popular ones for the tourists. Perched high on top of the southern part of the mountain range known as the Sulaiman Pahar or the Ganesh Pahar (after the Ganesh shrine installed in one of these caves), these caves can be reached by climbing 238 rock-cut steps that were built later in the 19th century.

Shivneri caves on top of the Shivneri Hill in the Junnar region of Maharashtra are believed to have been built between 1st and 3rd century AD. Out of the 200 or more caves that are located there, 50 turn out to be temples. However, for the sake of identification, these caves have been segregated into four basic groups – the Tulja Lena, Lenyadri, Manmod and the Shivneri caves. The last group, the Shivneri caves are located on the south-eastern side of the hill. Although most of the cave temples were created according to the Hinayan Buddhist tradition, some also contain images of Hindu deities of Lord Ganesha and Devi Durga.

Ramdharan hill (T. Alibag), on the north side of the Karli pass about five miles north-east of Alibag. has, near the top of its south face, a group of old rock-cut cisterns and cells. The easiest way of getting to the caves is to strike west from the western mouth of the Karli pass. Near the hill top the track is steep and in the dry season the grass is slippery. The caves are perhaps about 800 feet above the sea.

Khadsamble caves are one of the most impressive caves around Pune and Mumbai. These caves contains total of 37 rock structures and are near Thanale Caves.

Buddhist cave temples in India have been classified into two distinct groups, as they belong to two key dimensions of Buddhist faith – the Himayana and Mahayana forms of dedication. The cave temples belonging to the Himayana sect are mostly found in the western part of India at Bhaja, Kondane, Bedesa, Pitalkhara, Ajanta, Nasic, Karli and adjacent areas. Mahakali caves or Mahakali Buddhist caves (also known as Kondivita caves) are located in the western suburb of Andheri in the metropolitan city of Mumbai – they belong to this group. These rock-cut caves have probably been built between 1st century BC and 6th century BC.

Verul caves are actually Ellora caves. It is just that Verul was the original name of the world famous Ellora. Locally known as Verul Leni or Verul Caves, they are located near Aurangabad in Maharashtra. The caves here have been declared as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The fascinating caves that have been hewn out of solid rock are believed to have been created between 600 and 1000 A.D. They not only provide a glimpse of civilization that belonged to ancient India, but also bear testimony to the spirit of tolerance that was so characteristic of India in those bygone days. Ellora, incidentally, symbolizes the epitome of Indian rock-cut architecture. Altogether there are 34 caves here, each having its own specialty.

The not-so-high hills of the Satmala Range have a pair of tabletop mountains that are popularly known as Ankai and Tankai. The sheer walls rise up to 275 meters high above the surrounding shrubbery. Both the hills contain rock-cut caves – some complete with deities, others left with unfinished shrines.