Trip to Kanheri Caves

There is some entity inside us that makes us restless, that makes us seek new experiences, see new sights and to create a better future for us as well as the society. With my MBA coming to an end I had some free time at my hands and i decided to explore kanheri caves this time. Kanheri Caves are situated inside the Sanjay Gandhi National park; the largest urban park in the world, spread over an area of 104 sq. km.It is also among the most visited parks in the world with footfalls totalling over 2 million visitors.

The park is about 1 km away from the borivali station which lies under the domain of western railways. Trains from churchgate to borivali are available every few minutes. The Park has an entry fee of Rs 20 per person. Vehicles can also be taken inside the park upon payment of a nominal fee of Rs 50( for a car). For going to Kanheri, located a good 7 kms away from the main gate, a mini bus service runs from the gate itself (again a nominal fee of Rs20 per person).

The schematic showing the park area.


However one can choose to walk the entire stretch.The walking is recommended for the adventurous in spirit as after the first km one walks among the woods with varied flora and fauna surrounding him. The noise and cacophony of the city dies down and one can hear the sound of nature (broken by few vehicles in between the people inside which seem to be in hurry to reach their destination never caring about the journey itself). The chattering of birds, the rustle of leaves,the greenery all around,the few rivulets in path, the cool wind on the face take away whatever protests the body makes.In my walk i even chanced upon a family of deer on the way. The only other animal to be seen were the monkeys (and also hanuman langur-whitish body, black face) which can be seen in groups of 10-12 all over the route.

"The park is a bustling forest. An estimated 800 types of flowering plants; 284 kinds of birds; 5,000 species of insects; 36 types of mammals; 62 reptiles and 150 species of butterfly call the forest their home. The park has also many endangered species of plant and animal. The world's largest moth, the Atlas moth, was discovered here. Karvi or Karvy also known as Strobilanthes Callosa to the Botanists is a flowering plant which blooms once in 8 years, carpeting the slopes with a shade of mauve. This plant is native to this and the surrounding regions of Sanjay Gandhi National Park, including Karnala, the Yeoor hills, Tungareshwar and some parts of Goregaon’s Film City. The park is also home to a small population of leopards.[wiki]"

According to archeological survey of india, "Kanheri (19°13’ N; 72°55’ E), the Kanhasela, Krishnagiri, Kanhagiri of ancient inscriptions, is located north of Mumbai, and was a major Buddhist centre. Kanheri is located in the island of Salsette and 6 miles from Thana. The caves are excavated in volcanic breccia, the hills rising at places to 1550’ above mean sea level. Kanheri is credited with the largest number of cave excavations in a single hill.(numbering about 110)"

Kanheri caves from a distance

Kanheri thrived due to its proximity to ancient sea port towns like Sopara (Surparaka, the Supara of Greek; Subara of Arab writers; the ancient capital of northern Konkan), Kalyan a thriving port; Chemula, the Samylla of Greek geographers, Chemula of Silaharas, on the island of Trombay; the other ancient localities nearby were Vasya, perhaps Vasai or Bassein; Sri Staanara or Thana; and Ghodabandar. It is generally believed that Buddhism first arrived in Aparantha (Western India) at Sopara which is very close to Kanheri. The caves were excavated as early as mid 3rd century B.C. and were in occupation right up to 11th century A.D. They were mentioned by early visitors like the Portuguese in the 16th century A.D. and other travellers and voyagers of Europe.

                                                                                                View of cave 2

Cave 2 & cave 3

Quite an achievement carving these into the mountain.

Rightside view : cave 3

The excavations at Kanheri are of the following types: (i) chaityagrhas, the place of worship of the Buddhist community, (ii) viharas or monasteries, they consist of single and multiple celled where the Buddhist monks resided, (iii) podhis or water cisterns, which were excavated ingeniously to trap the rain water and store them for use during summer periods and (iv) rock-cut benches and seats.

                     

      The Carved statue of Buddha in Cave no.3 (left view)

                           

                    Vihara prayer hall, one of the larger Kanheri caves ( Cave 3)

"At Kanheri, the beginning of excavation of rock-cut caves coincides with the introduction of Buddhism in Aparantha. The caves are generally small consisting of a single cell with a front pillared verandah approached by a flight of steps. The caves invariably contain a cistern for storing water. The initial excavations were very small and plain, devoid of any decorative motifs. The pillars were plain squares or octagons and did not have the pot base which was introduced later. The most prominent among the excavations at Kanheri is the Cave 3, which is a chaityagriha which was excavated during the period of Yajna Satakarni (c. 172-201 A.D.) This chaityagrha is one of the largest in India second only to the one at Karle, district Pune. The chaityagrha closely resembles the one at Karle. On plan it consists of a large rectangular hall with an apsidal back, a verandah and a spacious court in front, the dimensions of the hall being 26.36 X 13.66 X 12.9 m (l x b x h). A row of 34 pillars divide the hall into a central nave and flanking aisles. The roof of the nave is barrel vaulted while of the aisles are flat. There are evidences of provision of wooden rafters to the vaulted ceiling of nave which are gone now. The pillars of the hall are not uniform and of different styles and shapes and devoid of symmetry. A stupa is provided at the apse of the hall which measures 4.9 m in diameter and 6.7 m in height. The façade of the hall is pierced by three doors with two groups of two couples, each group carved in the oblong recesses between the doors. A huge chaitya window bereft of any ornamentation was provided for the passage of light. The side walls are sculpted extensively with two massive images of standing Buddha in varada mudra and other Bodhisattva images. These sculptures are of later additions and are datable to around 5th – 6th centuries A.D. [ ASI ]"

 

The view of the caves. The middle portion fills with water during the monsoon season.

View from the top of the hill containing the caves. Buildings can be seen far out in the distance showing that the park is surrounded by metropolis on the three three sides.Tulsi lake is also visible from here.

Interestingly I found three such tanks on the top of the hill, beyond the caves. Did they believe in water harvesting?

One of the carvings in a cave.

Now which language is it?

One of the caves bearing the statue of Buddha. There were rooms on the left and right side of this small hall( or room). And they were in pitch black condition even during the afternoon when sun was at it's highest power. Wonder how the monks lived!

Each cave has an adjoining underground water tank which held considerable amount of water. Though the water had gone stale, still it was surprising to see so much water. Looks like the monks didn't have to worry about water.

 

The view from the other side. Both sides have caves.

                               Another view

    View from inside one of the caves. This cave sadly has weathered much and bears no semblance to it's original state.

                   Another one of carvings.

              What was this used for? Group sittings?

Cave 11 which is also known as ‘Darbar Hall’ consists of a huge hall with a front verandah. The hall has shrine on its back wall and cells on two sides. The floor of the hall two low stone benches resembling Cave 5 of Ellora. Buddha in dharmacakrapravardana mudra adorns the shrine. The cave has four inscriptions of different periods, one dated in Saka 775 (A.D. 853) of the reign of Rashtrakuta King Amoghavarsha and his feudatory the Silahara prince, Kapardin. The inscription records the donation of various gifts and funds provided for the purchase of books and repairs to the damages.

                                            The darbar hall?

Incidentally found this temple very near to the caves. Heard from the guards that it was a modern temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. However it was broken down by the forest department. Must have seen quite a crowd during it's heydays.

                            More of the same.

This is from cave three. Again the ancient language is visible. Wonder what it says! Most probably of the donations someone made..

"The sculptural art here can be seen in Caves like 2, 3, 41, 67, 89, 90, etc. The image of Buddha is generally shown either standing or in seated posture. The latter in some cases are flanked by Bodhisattvas and in rare cases with their consorts. Avalokitesvara is the other prominent figure apart from Buddha who finds importance here. Avalokitesvara (who refused Buddhahood till the liberation of all beings) could be seen prominently in Caves 2, 41 & 90 delivering his devotees from the eight great perils namely shipwreck, conflagration, wild elephant, lion, serpent, robber, captivity and demon. Another interesting sculpture of Avalokitesvara is found in Cave 41 which is a four armed eleven faced one, the only of its kind in India. The cult of this form was popular in China, Chinese Turkistan, Combodia and Japan in 7th – 8th centuries A.D. The Jataka stories are also found depicted as that of Dipankara Jataka in Cave 67 to cite an example.[ASI]"

The trip to kanheri was exciting to say the least. All that walking to reach it left me tired, not to mention the stairs which left me breathing heavily at many places. But to see a part of history is always an experience to be savored. However hard i tried i could not imagine the life in those times. Many of the caves had a stale smell and were too dark even in broad daylight. The paths were narrow and hard to walk on. And to think about them as a place where buddhists lived in their struggle for enlightenment. Life must have been hard in those days.

So in the end this trip was fun. As fun as the trip to elephanta caves (ok maybe lesser but just by a margin). Majority of the caves contain a bare minimum elements of survival. A room with underground water tank and rock cut benches.They were just a place to sleep. And maybe the buddhist doctrine of not praying to & not believing in statues is the reason for them to be so unadorned. But still it is a part of Indian history and i am glad i went to see them. {A question though: why do such things(civilisation, religion) decline. Interesting subject!}

And during the return journey i did take the bus. It is only so much that your body can take!