Kanheri Caves

The Kanheri Caves are a large group of Buddhist rock-cut monuments inside Sanjay Gandhi National Park in north Mumbai. There are 109 caves, with sculpture, paintings and inscriptions spanning roughly the 1st to the 10th century CE. The name is derived from the Sanskrit Krishnagiri, meaning black hill.

The complex served for centuries as a place of study and pilgrimage for Buddhist monks. Most caves are viharas, cells where monks lived and meditated, while the chaityagrihas are prayer halls with carved pillars and figures of the Buddha and of Bodhisattvas. Streams and pools lie around the site, and because it is inside the park, a visit often combines the caves with a hike or a picnic in the surrounding forest.