Jogeshwari caves
The Hindu Jogeshwari Caves belong to the largely unknown cave temples in the vicinity of Mumbai ( India ) and are therefore rarely visited by foreign tourists .
Toponym
The name Jogeshwari is the feminine form of Jogeshwar and refers to Shiva as the Lord ( ishvara ) of the yogis. Jogeshwari (also spelled Yogesvari ) is sometimes counted among the 'mothers' ( matrikas ).
location
The Jogeshwari Caves are located in the coastal foothills of the Western Ghats, not far from the old trade routes between the highlands of the Deccan and the foreshore or the port cities, which were already known in ancient times, about 30 km northeast of today's center of Mumbai. The Jogeshwari Railway Station in the suburb of the same name can be easily reached by commuter trains; the remaining distance of about 1 km to the northeast can be covered on foot or with a motor rickshaw . The neighboring Mahakali caves are only about 3 km (driving distance) southeast at Andheri .
Dating
Inscriptions are neither present nor preserved in the caves. From stylistic comparisons with other caves near Mumbai - including Elephanta - the complex is mostly dated to the 2nd half of the 8th century; earlier dates can also sometimes be found.
caves
Access to the caves is through a 2 m wide and 15 m long passage carved into the rock, at the end of which a staircase leads down to two rock chambers. The right one possibly houses a barely identifiable seated Shiva figure with a guardian or donor figure at his side; the left chamber is even worse preserved and could have shown the figure of a dancing Shiva ( nataraja ). In the further course, a courtyard opens with an imposing row of pillars, on the opposite side of which there is one of the largest Hindu rock temples in India, the annex of which is divided by two rows of pillars or columns with amalaka capitals leading to the 'cella' ( garbhagriha ) : In the cella is the cult image of the Jogeshwari, which is hardly recognizable and was probably erected later. The reliefs in the outer wall of the cella seem to be much older - they are stylistically related to those of Elephanta.
See also
In the coastal foothills of the Western Ghats north of Mumbai there are other cave monasteries:
Buddhist
- Mahakali Caves , Andheri
- Kanheri Caves , Borivali
- Pandavleni Caves , Nashik
Hindu
- Mandapeshwar Caves , Borivali
literature
- James Fergusson, James Burgess: The Cave Temples of India. Munshiram Manoharlal, New Delhi (1880), ISBN 81-215-0251-9 .
- Dulari Qureshi: Rock-cut Temples of Western India. Bharatiya Kala Prakashan. Delhi 2010, ISBN 978-81-8090-202-4 .
- Soundara Rajan, KV: Cave Temples of the Deccan. Archaeological Survey of India . New Delhi 1981.
Web links
- Jogeshwari-Caves - Photos + Information (English)
- Jogeshwari-Caves - photos + information (English; PDF; 683 kB)
Coordinates: 19 ° 8 ' N , 72 ° 51' E