Kanheri Caves (Mumbai)

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Kanheri - Chaitya cave 2 with vedika stone fence

The more than 100 Kanheri Caves ( Marathi : कान्हेरीगुहा, Kānherī-guhāḥ ; English: Kanheri Caves ) belong to the largely unknown Buddhist cave monasteries in the vicinity of Mumbai ( India ) and are therefore rarely visited by foreign tourists .

Toponym

The name Kanheri is mostly derived from traditional names such as Kanhasela, Krishnagiri or Kanhagiri ; all of these terms mean something like 'black hill' or 'black mountain', which refers to the surface color of the rock.

Kanheri - vihara cave with vedika stone fence

location

The Kanheri Caves are located in the hilly and protected forest area of Borivali ( Sanjay Gandhi National Park ) in the coastal foothills of the Western Ghats, not far from an old trade route between the highlands of the Deccan and the foreshore or the port cities already known in antiquity 40 km northeast of today's center of Mumbai. The caves are distributed at heights of around 150 m to 450 m on the flanks of a rock consisting of basalt lava . The Borivali Railway Station is easy to reach with suburban trains; the remaining 5 km in a south-easterly direction is best done by taxis or motor rickshaws . The neighboring Mahakali caves are about 20 km (driving distance) southwest at Andheri .

Dating

Among the more than 50 inscriptions preserved in the Kanheri Caves are some with names of rulers from the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. However, the beginning of construction activities is believed by most researchers to be in the 1st century BC. BC, some also in the 3rd century BC. Dated. The last surviving Indian inscription mentions the name of the Rashtrakuta ruler Amoghavarsha and dates from the year 853; two inscriptions in the Persian Pahlevi script date from the 11th century - it is unclear whether the caves were still used for cult purposes at this time or merely to accommodate traveling merchants.

Kanheri - Cave 2 ( chaitya )
Kanheri - Cave 2, Buddha statue in the portico

caves

The numbering of over 100 cult and residential caves, votive stupas, niches and cisterns cannot be traced on site due to a lack of labels. Only the main caves are listed below:

  • Cave 2 is an approximately 13.60 m wide, 26.30 m deep and 12.90 m high hall of worship ( chaitya or chaityagriha ), which is very similar to the one about 120 km southeast of Karli : It is a three-aisled columned hall with a carved out Capital decorations in the form of amalakas and figurative motifs (kneeling elephants and 'heavenly lovers' ( mithunas )) above, which - as in Karli - are missing in the area around them. This is where the actual religious center of the hall can be found - an approximately 4.80 m high aniconical stupa , which formerly probably had a fence ( harmika ) and umbrella ( chhatri ) made of wood . The stupa could be walked around in the context of a conversion ceremony ( pradakshina ), whereby the close walking around - with touching the stupa - was possibly only allowed to monks and high-ranking persons. In the vaulted ceiling of the central nave there are stone rafters that have been lengthened with appropriate wood, the traces of which can just be seen; this construction method refers to models of older wooden structures, none of which have survived. In front of the cult cave there is a portico ( mandapa ) about 2.20 m deep and over 8.50 m wide with two - later attached - about 5.50 m high and almost fully plastic figure reliefs of standing Buddhas with the hand of the welcome or the 'Granting' ( varadamudra ), above which 'Heavenly beings' ( apsaras ) rush with garlands of flowers in the so-called 'knee-flight' to pay homage to the 'enlightened'. There are also a large number of smaller Buddha figures in different sitting positions and with varying hand positions ( mudras ). Outside there are two pillars ( stambhas ) with figure capitals and a two-part fence ( vedika ) separating the holy area from the outside world.
Kanheri Cave 11; Stupa with a fence-like central balustrade ( vedika ), cubic fence attachment ( harmika ), umbrella attachment ( chhatri ) and a Buddha figure in the teaching gesture ( dharmachakramudra )
  • Cave 11 is a combined cult and living hall ( vihara ), which enabled the monks living in the side cells to worship a seated Buddha statue with a teaching gesture ( dharmachakramudra ). The stupa is surrounded by a fence-like balustrade ( vedika ) and raised by a cube-shaped stone fence ( harmika ), a stepped element and a screen attachment ( chhatri ).
  • In cave 34 you can see preliminary drawings of unfinished or faded frescoes.
  • In cave 41 there is a representation of a four-armed and eleven-headed bodhisattva ( Avalokiteshvara ). The four arms and the eleven heads are to be interpreted as symbols of his universal power.
  • Cave 90 shows a relief wall about 5 m wide and a mandala scratched out of the rock ; it is one of the oldest extant mandalas ever. Two inscriptions in Persian Pahlavi script from the 11th century were also discovered here.
  • In many places along the paths between the caves there are channels and basins carved into the rock - evidence of an ingenious system for water supply.
  • On three somewhat secluded rock terraces there are several remains of stone or brick stupas - it is assumed that this is a kind of 'memorial cemetery' for monks or other high-ranking personalities who were burned here after their death.

  • Cave 2 - guard with a snake hood, to the left a stone fence ( vedika )

  • Cave 2 - wall relief of a votive stupa with an umbrella ( chhatri )

  • Cave 3 - Votive stupa with umbrella attachment (next to cave 2)

  • Cave 4 - Votive stupa without an umbrella attachment

  • Cave 90 - relief wall

  • Cave 2 - figures of gods with companions

  • Cave 2 - snake god ( nagaraja ) with guards

  • Cave 34 - Buddha fresco

See also

In the coastal foothills of the Western Ghats north of Mumbai there are further cave monasteries and rock temples:

Buddhist
Hindu

literature

  • Campbell, JM: Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency vol XIV. Government Central Press, Bombay 1882.
  • James Fergusson, James Burgess: The Cave Temples of India. Munshiram Manoharlal. New Delhi (1880), ISBN 8-12150-251-9 .
  • Dulari Qureshi: Rock-cut Temples of Western India. Bharatiya Kala Prakashan. Delhi 2010, ISBN 978-8-18090-202-4 .
  • Bernd Rosenheim: The world of the Buddha. Early Buddhist Art Sites in India. Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 2006, ISBN 3-8053-3665-9 .

Web links

Commons : Kanheri Caves  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 19 ° 12 '  N , 72 ° 54'  E