The Trigger

August 2015. Two years on Mumbai soil. The IIT Powai campus where I had been living sits at one edge of Sanjay Gandhi National Park; Borivali Station and the park’s main arch sit at the other. I had been living inside the park for two years and had not actually walked into it. A free Sunday and a friend with the same lapse. Time to fix it.

The park is rawer than the campus version of forest I was used to. We did not get close to a real exploration; for this trip we stuck to one element, the Kanheri caves.

History notes, via Wikipedia: 109 caves, carved out of basalt, dating from the 1st century BCE to the 10th century CE. Most served as Buddhist viharas, used for living, studying, and meditation.

Park entry can be paid online or at the gate. From there, government buses run on a schedule to the foot of the caves; the bus charges separately. Caves themselves carry a nominal entry fee on top.

Inside, it is essentially a chain of caves with Buddha engravings and towering statues. The central vihara, the prayer hall, is the one part that holds the visitor’s attention. Architecturally, not much else has survived intact. Up the winding staircase, water seeps from above and pools across the rock; the steps go slick fast.

The top opens to a meadow. Trails lead from there into forest that climbs further. Wildflowers along the path. View earns the climb.

A shop near the entrance sells water and cold drinks. Roadside food shows up at intervals. The bus back to the gate runs about 20 minutes.

Field Notes

• Avoid public holidays. We did not. Lesson logged.
• Picnic crowd, not heritage crowd. Families with food spreads. The mood is wrong if you came for the caves.
• Drive in if you can. The bus loop limits how much of the park you can cover. A car opens up everything beyond the caves.
• Plastic bottles are confiscated at the gate. Then sold inside. Carry a refillable.
• Watch the water edges. Snakes work the wet rocks. Step deliberately.
• Inside city limits. No travel logistics. That is the only easy thing about this trip.

One Recommendation

Touch the rock. Most of what you walk past has been holding its shape for 2000 years. The doorway Buddha is the most legible piece on the route.

This one was a thin post. Better one coming.

Promise.
Sayantan