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Archaeology

Kanheri Caves

Borivali East, Mumbai

Managed byArchaeological Survey of India (ASI)
CategoryArchaeology, Religious Heritage

A network of Buddhist rock-cut caves carved into a basalt outcrop within Sanjay Gandhi National Park between roughly the 1st century BCE and 10th century CE. With 109 caves, it was once a major Buddhist learning centre and monastery complex on ancient trade routes linking the Deccan to the coast. The caves feature viharas (monastic cells), chaityas (prayer halls) and carved water cisterns fed by natural rainwater channels. It is closed on Mondays and remains one of the largest single excavations of its kind in India.

Did you know? Kanheri Caves once housed a thriving Buddhist monastic community of over 1,000 monks between the 1st century BCE and 10th century CE, inscriptions found here record donations from as far away as ancient Greece and Rome via maritime trade routes.
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