Mandapeshwar Caves

The Mandapeshwar caves are a rock-cut shrine to Shiva on Mount Poinsur in Borivali, a northern suburb of Mumbai. They began as Buddhist viharas, with 6th-century origins, and were adapted as a Shiva shrine by the 8th century. The neighbourhood takes its name from the temple, and Poinsur itself is thought to be a corruption of Mandapeshwar. The caves once stood on the Dahisar river, which has since moved its course.

They are smaller and less known than the Kanheri caves in nearby Sanjay Gandhi National Park. The ruins of a Portuguese-built church sit on top of the rock, and the Immaculate Conception Church stands to the south. An open ground in front, beside Swami Vivekanand Road, is used by local residents for play and parking.