The magnificent Kanheri Caves are placed in the confines of the woods of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, in the north of Borivali, 40 km from the city of Mumbai. These caves leave a heavy and dense trail of Buddhism in them which reflects itself in its architecture. Krishnagiri is the Sanskrit origin of the name Kanheri. The meaning of Krishnagiri is ‘black in colour,’ which is explained by the colour of the caves.

The Kanheri Caves are carved out of a huge rock of basalt. They date from 1st century BC to 9th century AD. These age-old caves housed many Buddhist monks in the ancient times, and you will find clear traces of this. Even though the caves are not really that artistic and not full of carvings, the simplicity of the caves is beautiful in itself. You will find beds made out of stone platforms in the caves. There is also a hall where the Buddhist monks used to gather for their prayers and worship. Here stone columns are found, which also have the Buddhist temple.

The Kanheri Caves portray the Spartan life of the Buddhist devouts who used to live here, millennia ago. Then there was no Mumbai, no Bombay or India either, only a great civilization was flowing like the Arabian Sea, along with its myriad religious and cultural cross-currents. Here in Kanheri Caves, you will find small and large caves.

In the smaller caves, these monks lived and carried out their daily activities like meditation and studies. These rooms are called Viharas. The larger caves were used for the prayers and worshipping purposes. They were known as Chaityas. In these caves you will find some Buddhist sculptures, reliefs and pillars. Many stupas meant for congregational worship are also seen here. The statue of Avalokiyeswara is very appealing to the eye and draws you towards itself. Apart from these Buddhist legacies in stone, the images of Goddess Tara and Bhrukti are the other attractions in the caves.

The Kanheri Caves boast of some great findings too. These include numerous invaluable writings in the Pahlavi, Brahmi and Devanagari scripts. Kanheri is also believed to be a university in the times of the rule of the Mauryans and the Kushans. The caves also lead you to the age-old water structure which was used to preserve water from the rain. There are about 190 caves in totality here. The caves are a treat for all the history, archaeology and art lovers. They remain a link to the Buddhist traditions in the land of Maharashtra, during the ancient era.