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Kanheri Caves, Maharashtra
The word 'Kanheri', which literally means the black mountain, proves its
name as it lies in form of black caves in Sanjay Gandhi National Park,
Borivali, 40 kilometers from Mumbai - the city of dreams. These caves,
situated at a height of 1500 feet above the sea level, give a panoramic
distant view of the vast Arabian Sea and Vasai Creek as well.
The Kanheri caves, which have been dated from the 2nd century BCE to the
9th century CE, were built during the reign of the Mauryan and the Kushana
emperors. Originally constructed as a place of rest for the travellers
on the way of Sopara-Kalyan, the Kanheri caves, 109 in numbers, soon turned
into the Buddhist viharas, used by the Buddhist monks as their residential
and meditation purposes. Its location in the midst of a dense forest en
route of the ancient cities of Kalyan, Nasik, Sopara and Ujjain further
made the place more popular among the Buddhists all around, and soon became
famous as the 'Buddhist caves'.
Initially, the Kanheri caves were used by the Buddhist monks in their
natural form itself, and the monks used stone beds to sleep and cisterns
to store water without harnessing the originality of these natural substances.
But in due course of time, everything started changing. The monks started
carving halls, temples and images of the Buddha and other Bodhisattvas
out of huge rocks, so much so that the Kanheri caves turned into an important
Buddhist settlement on the Konkan coast by the 3rd century CE.
Architecture
The Kanheri caves, alike other Buddhist shrines, symbolises the austerity
of the ancient and early medieval Indian architectural style. All the
109 caves, carved into a hill, depicts the Buddha into numerous forms.
The most important of all these caves is cave number 3 belonging to the
6th century CE, which comprises a columnar hall(28 x 13 m) with 34 pillars
and two standing figures of the Buddha(Both 6.5 feet tall), thereby reflecting
the Theravadin sect of Buddhism. Likewise, cave 11, the Durbar hall or
the Assembly hall, which includes a statue of the Buddha occupying the
central place among the Hindu and other Buddhist monks. Cave number 34
is a dark cell having the Buddha's paintings on its ceilings. Cave 41,
which besides other structures, also constitute an image of 11-headed
Avalokiteshvara, is a large cell. The Cave 67 is a also a huge cell and
comprises the figure of Avalokiteswara in the form of a saviour flanked
by two female figures in the verandah. Some images of the Buddha have
also been carved depicting His miracles in Sravasti.
Accessibility
By Air : The airports of Mumbai are connected to all major cities
of India and the world by numerous international and domestic airlines.
By Rail : The city of Mumbai is connected is connected to the
rest of India by central and western railway lines.
By Road : Mumbai is connected to all major towns and cities of
the country by National Highway numbers 3, 4, 6, 8, 9 and 17.
