South India: Mumbai: Kahleri Caves

Kahleri Caves

Sanjay Gandhi National Park

Mumbai

One good thing about the hotel we initially picked was that it was minutes away from Sanjay Gandhi National Park, where the Kahleri caves are located. The Kahleri caves are a constellation of caves used by Buddhist monks between the 2d and 9th centuries as temples and living quarters.

We were able to rent out a taxi to get to the park, and had to hike uphill about thirty minutes to get to the caves. The terrain was rather dry and dusty, and even the greenery looked very faded (it was still the dry season in Mumbai then).

Of course we got the usual touts who demanded about Rp 800 to give us a guided tour. Our concierge at the airport had warned us that we should be able to haggle it down to Rp300, but no luck that day. Fortunately, there was an official guide at the entrance to the caves, who charged us Rp 250.

There must have been more than a hundred caves on site, but the guide only led us to a handful. He explained that most of the caves are spare and unadorned, and had likely served as living quarters. The fancier caves were used for worship.

Picture of UFC with Nazir, our taxi driver and all-around reference for all things Mumbai. Behind us is a stupa, or sacred Buddhist monument. This cave was long and rectangular, and had perfect acoustics when the guide chanted his prayer.




By the entrance of this cave, there were two Buddhas on either side. One of the Buddhas was smiling, and the other was not.

Pretty dancing girls. I love how sensual and alive they look. The quality of the sculptures at the caves was very impressive, considering the length of time that has passed.

Ahead were some generic caves, akin to little holes in the wall (literally!).

This is my favorite cave of all. I think it is the cave of the one thousand and one Buddhas. All four sides of the room are covered with scenes.


Following our tour of the caves, we decided to spring for the lion and tiger safari. After paying the fee (~ Rp30), we hopped on the Safari Queen. The bus felt very secure, with thick glass and metal bars. The safari part itself was also double-fenced. All the passengers (mostly schoolkids) expected some real tiger action... but with the heat of the day, all the tigers were sleepin' away.

Yellow tiger (look closely). We also saw a white tiger and some cubs.

The Safari Queen

Both the Kahleri Caves and the Safari were a hit! DJKung and I like this better than Elephanta, which was very touristy.