Mahakali Caves

Saturday, November 5, 2011

As soon as we reached Mahakali Caves, Hitesh’s motorbike came to a grinding halt. Oh, no, I moaned. If the bike did not rally around, we would have to put off our plan for the day. I hoped that by the time we finished inspecting the caves, the bike would change its mind and decide to go ahead with the trip. There was no way we could carry on without the bike.

Caves

BEST buses ply between Andheri Railway Station (East) and the Caves. If you travel by bus, you need to board bus no 333. The Caves are a 10-minute walk from the nearest bus stop. They can also be reached by rickshaws and private vehicles. It took us around 20 minutes to reach the Caves from Andheri Station.



More Caves

These caves were formerly known as Kondivita Caves. No prizes for guessing that these were built by Buddhists 2000 years ago. They are located in the Udayagiri hills and are carved out of black basalt rock. On the map they can be located somewhere between Andheri, Jogeshwari and Vikhroli.

Sculptures in the Caves

The good thing here was that these caves were free of encroachments. It took us an hour to see the caves. There are a few carvings in one of the caves. The structure of each cave is different. There are around 15 caves in all.

Stupa in the Caves

A few water tanks, now completely dry, are used as garbage bins by irresponsible visitors. Our civic sense is truly pathetic. When will people learn to respect our heritage? I wish the authorities had erected dustbins to collect the trash. At least some people would have used them and refrained from littering the place.

Some More Caves

We finished touring the caves and returned to where Hitesh had parked his bike. God answered our prayers because the bike actually started. At this point, Hitesh suggested that we should take the bike to the service centre for a wash; that way it would function smoothly. I found this funny but clearly Hitesh knows his bike well. We did as he said, and the bike did run well.

Our next pit stop was Worli Fort.

Forts in Mumbai are Sewri Fort, Bandra Fort, Mahim Fort, Madh Fort. Sion Fort. Worli Fort. 

Caves in and around Mumbai are Mahakali Caves, Jogeshwari Caves, Mandapeshwar Caves, Kanheri Caves and Elephanta Caves

Jogeshwari Caves

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Mumbai, the fast-paced city of dreams, the financial capital of India and the political capital of Maharashtra, is also home to nine forts and four caves. This piece of news is something that most folks find hard to believe. It is still true though, and I can vouch for it as these pages will soon reveal.

This was my first urban trek so I asked Hitesh to accompany me. For those who came in late, Hitesh is an old friend of mine and an avid trekker. Those who have read my blog before will remember that he had joined me on my visit to Arnala Fort.

Temple in the Cave

Hitesh and I decided to visit these caves on his motorbike as we had more than one place on our agenda. We planned to pay a visit to Jogeshwari Caves, Mahakali Caves, Worli Fort, Mahim Fort and Bandra Fort, all in a single day.

Jogeshwari Caves are located in Jogeshwari in Mumbai. But, obviously. If you travel by train, Jogeshwari is the next railway station after Andheri on the Western line.

Cave premises

One can reach Jogeshwari Caves by boarding a rickshaw from Jogeshwari station on the east. Alternatively it can be reached from the Western Express Highway and the Jogeshwari Vikroli Link Road

These caves are very small and are surrounded by encroachments. Even on reaching the caves, you find yourself wondering, are these the caves? There are two temples in the caves which are currently in use.

Pillars carved in the rock surface, atop enroachments atop the Caves

It took us around 30 minutes to see the caves and to conduct a photo shoot. We saw a few students who had come there to study. A long time ago, monks used to meditate here and now students come here to study.  History certainly does repeat itself. It is only the characters that change.

A point to note here is that the caves are infested with bats, so one has to be careful not to disturb them.

Sculptures

After viewing these caves, we decided to head for Mahakali Caves, the next pit stop on our agenda.

Forts in Mumbai are Sewri Fort, Bandra Fort, Mahim Fort, Madh Fort. Sion Fort. Worli Fort. 

Caves in and around Mumbai are Mahakali Caves, Jogeshwari Caves, Mandapeshwar Caves, Kanheri Caves and Elephanta Caves