Inside Mumbai’s city limits, in the forest of Sanjay Gandhi National Park, a whole monastery town is cut into a basalt hill. Kanheri has 109 caves: prayer halls, monks’ cells, meeting halls, and a system of rock-cut water cisterns that kept it alive through the dry season. Monks lived and studied here for more than a thousand years. Today it is a half-day escape from the city, through the forest of the park.
Before you go
- Kanheri is closed every Monday, along with the whole national park.
- You need two tickets and a bus. A park ticket at the main gate, the park bus or e-bus to the caves, and an ASI ticket at the caves.
- Come early on a weekday. Weekends are crowded. Catch an early bus and the caves are quiet.
A thousand years of monks
Kanheri was founded in the 1st century BCE by monks from Sopara, the busy port to the north, and grew into one of the great Buddhist centres of western India, lasting until about the 10th century CE. More than a hundred inscriptions name its donors: monks, goldsmiths, traders and officials who paid for caves, cisterns, steps and benches. One records a gift linked to the queen of the Satavahana king Vasishthiputra Satakarni, the daughter of the Western Satrap ruler Rudradaman.
Famous visitors came too. The Chinese monk Xuanzang visited in the 7th century, and in the late 10th century the great teacher Atisha studied here before he went on to Tibet. Cave 90 even carries Pahlavi inscriptions left by Zoroastrian visitors, and there are Japanese inscriptions on the site.
Which caves to see
The caves spread across the hill on several levels, linked by rock-cut steps and paths. The Maharashtra Tourism and ASI must-sees:
| Cave | Why stop |
|---|---|
| 3 | The great prayer hall (chaitya), the only one at Kanheri, with a stupa, rows of pillars and colossal standing Buddha figures. Shaped between about the 2nd and 6th centuries. |
| 11 (Darbar hall) | The largest hall at Kanheri, with a shrine at the back and two long, low stone benches. Used for Mahayana rituals; its only parallel is Cave 5 at Ellora. |
| 34 | 6th-century Buddhist paintings on the ceiling. |
| 41 | The eleven-headed Avalokiteshvara, carved beside the cave: described as the only such image in India. |
| 67 | A gallery of carved panels of Buddhist deities. |
| 87 | More than 60 brick stupas raised in memory of Kanheri’s teachers. |
| 90 | Fine sculpture, plus the Pahlavi and Japanese inscriptions. |
Look out too for the water cisterns: almost every cave has one, fed by channels cut into the rock to catch the monsoon rain.
Timings and tickets
- Open: about 9 am to 5:30 pm, Tuesday to Sunday. Sources differ by half an hour, so go early. The park gate opens earlier, at about 7:30 am.
- Closed: every Monday.
- Tickets: a national park entry ticket at the main gate, and an ASI ticket at the caves. Amounts are being checked.
- The bus: park buses and e-buses run from the main gate to the caves. It is a separate fare; check the current price at the gate counter. Do not miss the last bus back, at about 5:15 pm.
How to reach Kanheri
- By train: to Borivali on the Western line, then an auto, bus or taxi to the main gate of Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Borivali East, about 2.5 km.
- From the gate: the park bus or e-bus to the caves, about 5 to 7 km and 15 minutes through the forest. Most private vehicles stay at the gate; check the current rules there.
- On foot: the road from the gate to the caves is a long forest walk. Fine on a cool morning if you have the time.
Tips for the visit
- Wear shoes with grip. The caves are spread over the hill and linked by rock steps and slopes.
- Carry water and food, and keep it out of sight of the monkeys.
- Do not touch the carvings or write on the walls.
More caves in the city: Elephanta and the full list of caves in Mumbai. Every cave site in the state: Caves of Maharashtra.