The Kanheri Caves constitute a group of rock-cut monuments that are located to the north of Borivali on the western outskirts of Mumbai. The Kanheri Caves demonstrate the Buddhist influence on the art and culture of India. Kanheri comes from the Sanskrit Krishnagiri, which means Black Mountain. They were chiselled out of a massive basaltic rock outcropping.

These caves date from 1st century BCE to 10th century CE. One hundred and nine caves have been carved from the basalt. Unlike the elegant splendour of Elephanta Caves nearby, the earlier cells are Spartan and unadorned. Each cave has a stone plinth for a bed. A congregation hall with huge stone pillars contains the stupa, a Buddhist shrine. Further up the hill are the remains of an ancient water system, canals and cisterns that collected and channelled the rainwater into huge tanks. Once the caves became permanent monasteries, they began to be carved out of the rock with intricate reliefs of Buddha and the Bodhisattvas carved into the walls. Kanheri had become an important Buddhist settlement on the Konkan coast by the 3rd century AD.  Most of the caves were used as the Buddhist viharas meant for living, study, and meditation. The larger caves were chaityas, or halls for congregational worship are lined with intricately carved Buddhist sculptures, reliefs and pillars, and contain rock-cut stupas for congregational worship.

Nearly 51 legible inscriptions and 26 epigraphs are found at Kanheri, which include the inscriptions in Brahmi, Devanagari and 3 Pahlavi epigraphs found in Cave 90. One of the significant inscriptions mentions about the marriage of Satavahana ruler Vashishtiputra Satakarni with the daughter of Rudradaman I.

Tour Duration: 2 hrs

Driving time from city hotel:  2 hrs

Driving time from Suburb hotel: 1 hr