Kanheri Caves - A Virtual Site Visit

ASSIGNMENT ON CULTURAL HISTORY
M.A. PART 2, SEMESTER IV

Department of Pāli, Mumbai University
KĀNHERI CAVES – A VIRTUAL SITE REPORT

Based on information sourced from the 1896 re- print of James Campbell’s ‘Gazetteer of
the Bombay Presidency- Volume XIV; Thana- Places of Interest’ originally written by W.B.
Mulock in 1882. Pictures and other information sourced online in May 2021.
By:
Bharati Agarwal
Roll no.1
May 2021
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MAPart2SemIVcult.hist.assign B.Aga/ KĀNHERI SITE REPORT
KĀNHERI CAVES – A VIRTUAL SITE REPORT
INDEX OF CONTENTS
SITE INFORMATION
1. About the site 03

2. Geographical location & approach 05
3. Trek to Kānheri leṇi 07
GENERAL OVER-VIEW 11
4. Patronage 11
5. Initial vihāra excavations 13
6. Later influences 14
7. How vast was the Kānheri monastery? 14
8. Creation of stūpas 15
9. Association with shreṇi i.e. merchant guilds 16
10. Inscriptions 17
11. PODHI- Ancient rain-water harvesting 19
VIRTUAL VISIT- All caves 1 to 109 included in latest numerical order 20
12. The Great Caitya cave 23

13. The Darbar or Maharaja cave 28
14. Ruins of dam and temple 33
15. Citrasālā 34
16. Location of the Kānheri necropolis 36
ARCHIVES 38
17. ASI documents 38

18. Maps, Images, Excerpts from the Gazetteer, Old paintings etc. 39
MISCALLANEOUS 43
19. Press release of February 2016 43

20. Gazetteer Extract on Kānheri cave excavations 44
21. References: Bibliography & image sources 66
(*all images included in report are numbered according to the above sections of the index).
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KĀNHERI CAVES – SITE REPORT
BASED ON A VIRTUAL VISIT AND INVESTIGATION OF RECENT ADDITIONS
Note: The information included in this site report is sourced from the 1896 re- print of
James Campbell’s ‘Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency- Volume XIV; Thana- Places of
Interest’ originally written by W.B. Mulock in 1882 (pages 121 to 191). Other sources include
Mr. V.M. Mani’s ‘Guide to Kanheri Caves’, Dr. Suraj Pandit’s online lecture series and Dr. S.
Gokhale’s book ‘Kanheri Inscriptions’. Pictures etc. were sourced online in May 2021. Please
check given references for further information. All images where no references were found,
are gratefully acknowledged.
Image 1.1: Panaromic view of entrance to Kānheri caves.
Image source: worldatlas.com

About the site:
The Kānheri caves (Kānheri leṇi in Pāli language) are a group of 118 man- made Buddhist
caves and rock-cut monuments carved out of a massive basalt outcrop on the side of a hill in
the middle of a jungle. They are the largest number of excavations done on a single hillside
anywhere in the world. The caves are spread deep in the forests of the Sanjay Gandhi
National Park located in Mumbai, India. In Feb 2015, *7 new caves in a location deeper into
the forest were discovered, revising the total count of caves in the area to 125. Dating back
to more than 2000 years ago, the Kānheri caves are the oldest excavations to be found in
the region formerly known as Greater Bombay, and among some of the oldest in the world.
The term ‘Kānheri’ is derived from an ancient word ‘Krishna-giri’ which means ‘Black
Mountain’. The Kānheri hill commands a spectacular view from Mumbai harbour to the
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Bassein creek. The cave cluster lies in the area of what was formerly known as the island of
Salsette. This island was bound by Vasai creek on the north, Ulhas river on the north-east,
Thane creek & Bombay harbour on the east and by the Arabian Sea on the south and west.
A part of it is currently included in the western suburb of Borivali within Mumbai city limits,
which houses the national park.
Once a thriving monastery for wandering bhikkhus who might have used it as a temporary
residence during vassā- vāsa, most of the caves were used for study and meditation. Some
caves seem to belong to the older Theravāda tradition of learning whereas many belong to
the later Mahāyāna tradition. After the fall of the Mauryan Empire in the 2nd century BCE, a
lot of bhikkhus and followers of the Buddha may have relocated to the Deccan, leading to a
rapid increase of spiritual activity in and around Kānheri. Kānheri had become an important
central settlement for the followers and practitioners of Dhamma on the Konkan coast by
the 3rd century CE. This also led to an inclusion of newer ideologies and practices within the
Buddhist community, which is seen reflected in the sculptures, art and inscriptions that
grace the site of Kānheri leṇi. It is recorded that the teacher Atisha who went on to establish
Vajrayāna across Asia, came here to study meditation in the late 10th century CE.
Kānheri leṇi are separated by a distance of only 44 kms from Sopāra, where the Buddha’s
Dhamma first arrived with Thera Puṇṇa Mantāniputta during the time of the Noble Teacher
itself. Then venerable Yonaka Dhammarakhita too arrived at Aparantha (Western India)
during the Asokan reign in 3rd BCE and made Sopāra his base. The first cave within the
Kānheri group was excavated during the period when Dhamma was spreading in the Sopāra
region.
Kānheri was an important seat of education in ancient India. It stayed as such over a
continuous period of 1500 years. What is interesting is that even as the Dhamma taught by
the Buddha had begun to disappear from various parts of Northern India by the turn of 12th
century CE, the centre at Kānheri continued to function. The 1840 discovery of a 10 th
century stone pot containing 5 copper coins from the 15th century CE points us to the fact
that it remained a hub of some activity. Kānheri went into decline only with the aggressive
arrival of the Portugese in the 16th century CE.
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Image 1.2: Kānheri cave no 41
The exquisitely carved sculpture of

the Buddha seated in padmāsana.
Even though the lower part of the

sculpted form is badly damaged, it is
still counted among the better
preserved caves.
On the left is the 5th century CE

image of the eleven- headed
Avalokiteshvara.
(Image source: puratattva.in)
The 118 caves spread over approx. 5.76 kms (4 miles)

across a single hill contain Buddhist sculptures and relief carvings, wall paintings, roof
paintings, woodwork and inscriptions, all dating from the 1st century BCE upto the 10th
century CE. Today only 40% of what used to be the totality of information through building
materials like brick, wood, stone and paintings remains available to us as some of it has
disintegrated over time. A lot of it has fallen prey to human vandalism. When the Portugese
soldiers took the island, they constantly discharged their great guns at the rock- cut temples
and caves because they thought the excavations were inhabited by spirits and demons.
Building up the numbers gradually from the 102 caves recorded in 1882, 109 in 1974, 118 in
2015 *(125 as of 2021- please refer press note on page 43), we can see that the Kānheri leṇi
is an exciting, dynamic site for any lover of ancient world history. There is still a lot of
information that is being discovered and decoded, and it is no wonder that students of
history, language and architecture as well as lovers of art throng to this beautiful location
which stands in the middle of one of the busiest metro cities of the world.
The Kānheri caves fall under protection by international conventions for their ecological,
landscape and cultural importance. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has declared
them a national heritage monument. The last 10 years have seen massive restoration efforts
at the site on the part of ASI to maintain integrity of the rock sculptures and bring back the
paintings to a semblance of their lost glory.
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Geographical location & Approach:
Location of Kānheri leṇi with respect to:
Image 2.1(left): within Mumbai city; Image 2.2 (center): within suburban Borivali;
Image 2.3 (right): Location of Mumbai in the state of Maharashtra, India. Image source: wikipedia.org
The Kānheri leṇi site has co-ordinates in north latitude 19° 13' and east longitude 72° 59'.
The highest cave of the cluster lies at an altitude of approx. 1550 feet above sea level. The
site is situated at a distance of 15.3 kilometres west of Thane railway station and 43 km
north of CST Mumbai in the state of Maharashtra, India. It lies 6 kilometres inside the Sanjay
Gandhi National park.
The entrance gate to the national park lies on the busy WE highway leading into Mumbai. It
can be reached from the Borivali East side of the western railway station by road (a distance
of 1.53 km) by hiring either a rickshaw or a taxi.
There is a nominal fee per head for entry into the park which is to be paid at the ticket
counter on the right. No public vehicle is allowed entry into the park. Private vehicles are
allowed entry into the national park after payment of a cover vehicle charge. One can also
hire a bicycle at the cost of INR 60 per two hours with a deposit of INR 300 and an ID proof.
There is an adjacent counter selling bottled water and light snacks.
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Image 2.4:
Entry gate of Sanjay National Park

on WE highway with ticket counter
on the right of entrance.
Before the Covid pandemic in 2020, BEST’s bus number 188 Ltd plied regularly between
Borivali station and the base of Kānheri caves site, with a frequency of one run every 45
minutes and a total run- time of 12-22 minutes. This bus could also be boarded from the
stop opposite the ticket counter.
The national park is normally open from 5.30 am to 7.30 pm. all days. The Kānheri leṇi site is
open 9 am to 12.30 pm and 2 pm to 5.30 pm. The caves are closed to public visits on
Mondays (It is currently closed indefinitely because of the pandemic).
Best time to visit Kānheri leṇi site:
The best time to visit Mumbai is between October and March. This is the beginning of the
cooler months. The waterfalls within the national park are charged with water due to the
just concluded monsoons, and the trekking routes are dry and non- slippery. An early
morning visit is best since it gets a little hot once the sun climbs up and so navigating from
one cave cluster to another may become challenging. Carrying a wide- brimmed floppy hat
is good defence. Also a torch may be handy as some of the later caves are not as brightly lit
as the others but contain a lot of finely carved sculptures.
Walking on the park trail:
One can walk from the entrance gate of the national park to the Kānheri leṇi site (a distance
of 6 kms). This winding and leisurely path is very scenic and pleasant in the early flush after
dawn and one can easily spot many varieties of the beautiful flora and fauna that flourish in
this national park. One may come across the residential tribal communities engaged with
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their daily routine of harvesting fruit and wooden twigs along the route. In the monsoons,
one also witnesses many picturesque waterfalls. These seasonal waterfalls were often
channelled into water cisterns and were used for drinking purposes by the bhikkhus
in ancient times.
Image 2.5
A chital i.e. spotted deer

crossing on the trail leading
to Kānheri caves site.
Trek to Kānheri leṇi:
The mountain caves are reached via ancient rock-cut steps at the end of the trail through
the forest. W.B. Mulock, author of the old Thana volume XIV of the ‘Gazetteer of the
Bombay Presidency’ published in 1882 which notes the number of caves to be ‘more than
100’ describes the environs existing almost 140 years ago thus:
“A bare black scarp that runs along the west face of the Kanheri spur is greatly worn by the
storms of the southwest monsoon. There remains a black brow, as if roughly cut in a series of
arches, overhanging a hollow gallery of light brown rock, the burying ground of the old
Kanheri monks. Above the overhanging crest, the rounded slope of the hill-top swells,
without bushes or grass to a flat plateau of black rock crowned by patches of brushwood,
prickly pear, and stunted trees. The rest of the Kanheri spur, like its south-west face, is one
long dome-topped block of black trap, a paradise for cave cutters. Passing under the west
cliff, up a deeply wooded ravine, a flight of steps leads, across a broad brushwood-covered
terrace, to the slightly overhanging scarp in whose west face is cut the Great or Cathedral
Cave (No. 3).”
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Image 3.1: Kānheri caves site as viewed from approach towards the hill.
As one approaches the base of the hill that is home to the Kānheri ‘spur’, one is struck by
the barren-ness of the rock face amidst the lush green jungle. One solemnly observes the
‘black brow’ mentioned in the recorded statements of yester-years which remains as
mesmerising and enchanting. It is not difficult to imagine the tiny ochre dots of robed
bhikkhus that must have once filled that ‘dome-topped block of black trap’, tending to their
daily routines and meditative practices in their peaceful cells. It indeed looks like the most
perfect retreat from the hectic world outside!
Kānheri in its heydays differed greatly from its present state of wild loneliness. In their book
‘The cave temples of India’, Fergusson and Burgess write of Kānheri:
“The relic mounds were bright with festoons of flags and streamers; the flights of clear-cut
steps were furnished with hand-rails, and the neat well-kept cells were fitted with doors and
window and shaded with canopies; sellers of incense and fruit crowded the gates; groups of
worshippers entered and left; and the bands of yellow-robed even-pacing monks and nuns
moved over the hill top and across the hill side. On festive days the space in front of the great
chapel was decked with flags and silken canopies; the chapels thronged with well-dressed
worshippers and full of the scent of incense; the images smothered in flowers.”
The initial 100 odd- steps starting at the base of the hill have now been widened and
fortified with cement and stone barricades to enable ease of movement for the elderly and
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young tourists. At the top of these steps, there is a small ticket counter with an
accompaniment of security guards, for entry to the excavated site. Here, one can buy a
ticket to the Kānheri leṇi site for INR 15 (INR 200 for foreigners). The site itself is on a
hillside, and looks like a large bubble in the hill. In the rains, all the surrounding hills are lush
and green. All areas leading to different cave clusters are also connected to each other with
narrow, rock- cut steps. Though easily manoeuvrable, one should be aware that there may
be a lot of stairs to climb up and down if one intends to cover a large area of the site in a
day.
Image 3.2:
Steps from end of trail

leading to ticket counter for
the excavated site.
Left image 3.3: Darbar cave/ Kānheri Cave no. 11 exterior.
Center image 3.4: Ancient rock- cut steps leading from one cave cluster to another
at the Kānheri site.
Extreme right image 3.5: Neat and well- cut steps along rolling ridges on the hill-
side.
(Image source: wikipedia.org)
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General Over- View of the Site
Note: All of the initial information we know of the Kānheri Buddhist vihāra and university has come
to us from an elaborate compilation of historical documentation down the ages by W.B. Mulock in
the ‘Gazetteer of Bombay Presidency Volume XIV: Thana- Places of Interest’ (pages 121 to 190)
written in 1882. This was revised by his co- author James M. Campbell in 1896. Since then, a lot of
historians, academicians and archaeologists have added to the discoveries of the abundance of
treasures that lie hidden under plain sight in the jungles surrounding Kānheri.
Patronage:
The Kānheri hill overlooks an ancient trade route which connected the Shripuri (Elephantā),
Kānheri, Mahākāli, Jogeshwari and Māndapeshwar caves more than 2000 years ago. The
Dahisar river running adjacent to the Māndapeshwar caves was used for navigation to Gorai
and onward. This must have provided ample foundation for merchants to come in contact
with the wandering and residential bhikkhus near the Kānheri hillside. This resulted in a
long association and patronage of the saṅgha from the merchant guilds prevalent at that
time. The various inscriptions found at the site point to gifts of caves, cisterns etc. from the
traders (seṭṭhi, negama, vāṇijja) hailing from nearby commercial towns of Sopāra, Kalyan,
Nashik, Paithan upto Aurangabad and Ujjain even.
Image 4.1: Kānheri Cave no. 3. Panels depicting 4 pairs of donors (donor couples). When the site began to
accommodate traveling bhikkhus and students, often rich merchants, the ruling kings and women donors
would fund the cave to earn merit. Cave Nos. 3, 11, 12, 21, 74 etc. record these donations as inscriptions
made inside or on the framework of the caves. (Image source: myindiantravel.blogspot)
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Image 4.2: Map of Thana District 1896. Extracted from the facsimile e-copy of the 1896 re- print of
‘Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency- Volume XIV; Thana- Places of Interest’ originally written by
W.B. Mulock in 1882.
One can see how Kānheri is surrounded by old places of importance and centres of industry. It was
also well- connected by purpose of navigation.
Image source: indianculture.gov.in/gazettes
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The caves seem to have been the site of continued artistic expression and devotion to
Dhamma through various dynastic rules, including the Sātavāhanas in the 1st to 3rd century
BCE, Vakatakas (250- 500 BCE overlapping the Gupta period) and Silaharas (8 th to 13th
century CE).
Initial vihāra excavations:
Due to the expansion and proximity with Sopāra as central hub of Dhamma, many of the
initial cave excavations were started during the spread of the stricter and simpler Theravāda
teachings itself. With few exceptions, they are mostly small excavations consisting of a
porch or veranda followed by a hall. The hall usually has cells on lateral or back wall. Stone
benches are provided in the porch and in the cells, which may have served as beds. The
doorways were previously fitted with frames and doors, which were fastened by horizontal
bars held in holes in the stone jambs. Windows cut into the stone walls caught natural light.
They were either latticed or provided with wooden frames and shutters (Reference:
Fergusson and Burgess ‘Cave Temples’, page 359). None of the described woodwork
remains now. Almost every cave still has its own cistern which was filled from channels cut
above the eaves of the cave, and stored rain water for daily use.
Image 5.1: Overview of vihāras
Kānheri cave nos. 19 to 30 and

44 to 66 are simple individual
residential cells with a stone
bench carved in the wall niche to
use as a bed.
A few have inscriptions, like cave

nos. 50, 54, 57, 59, 60, 65, 66
etc.
The concrete railing seen here is

not part of the original structure.
(Image source: culturaltrip.com)
Later influences:
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The caves were extensively re- modelled and sculpted during the later Mahāyāna period.
With the evolution of Buddhist iconography, larger and more advance sculptures came to be
executed. The presence of female companions in some sculpted forms of Avalokiteshvara in
the caves might be indicative of even a Vajrayāna influence. By 5th CE, the cave modelling
was also reflecting inclusion of mandala making and tantric practice. For e.g. in Kānheri cave
cave no. 56, one finds an image in the likeness of ‘Akshobhya’ Buddha, with the left hand
supporting an upright sceptre.
Image 6.1: Kānheri Cave no. 90
Avalokiteshvara from the Gupta Period, 6th century CE.
Central figure of the composition, is attended upon by 2

females with small Buddha above heads – indicating that the
Bodhisatta is ready to help anyone, both spiritually and on
earth. The female forms may have been representation of
the ‘feminine energy’.
Image source: puratattva.in
How vast was the Kānheri monastery?
An extract from the Gazetteer of 1882 tells us about how widely spread the site actually
might have been. According to reports in the day, it extended right upto the port of Cambay,
which overlooked the ancient city of Khambat in what is now east- central Gujarat.
“When the Reverend Antonio de Porto (1534) lived in the Church of St. Michael (Cave No. 3), he was
told by the Christians whom he had converted, that there was a labyrinth in the hill whose end had
never been traced, and it was moreover stated that it extended as far as Cambay. The priest desirous of
exploring this labyrinth took one of his companions, and gathered twenty persons with arms and
matchlocks to defend themselves against wild beasts; and some servants to carry water, rice, biscuits,
and vegetables for the journey, and oil for torches. They also took three persons laden with ropes to
lay along their way. They entered the caves through an opening about four fathoms broad, where they
placed a large stone to which they fastened one end of the rope. They travelled through the caves for
seven days without any interruption, along places some of them wide and others narrow, which were
hollowed in the rock, and on each side they saw small chambers like those in the sides of the hill, each
of which had at its entrance a cistern, but no one could say whether these cisterns contained water, or
how they could receive any water, for in all these passages they could not discover any hole, crevice,
or anything which could throw light on the subject. The upper part of the building was cut out of the
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rock, and the walls on each side of these roads were cut in the same way. The priest seeing that they
had spent seven days without finding any opening, and that their provisions and water were almost
finished, thought it necessary to return, taking for his clue the rope, without knowing in these
windings whether he was going up or down, or what course they were taking as they had no compass
for their guidance.”
Creation of ‘Stūpas’:
We find several rock- cut ‘dagobas’ inside large niches in the Kānheri caves. A dagoba is a
dome shaped shrine containing the relics of the Buddha or a Buddhist saint. These are
perhaps the oldest form of a cave ‘stūpa’. The earliest ones at Kānheri date back to first
century BCE. Creating stūpas is an important activity within the followers of the Buddha. At
Kānheri leṇi, stūpas were built as symbols of worship, as markers of a burial site and in the
ones built a little later, we even find illustrations of mystic and cult practices.
As symbols of worship: The usual form of worship is to prostrate or bow before the shrine,
relic, or image 'as if it were alive,' to offer it flowers and incense and to leave a money
offering. At midday the monastery's most famous relic is brought out and worshipped by the
bhikkhus and laymen, and again it is worshipped at evening or incense-burning time. We
find mention on a small copper plate found in the great Caitya cave i.e. Kānheri cave no. 3,
that one of Buddha’s canine tooth was buried there. No other evidence pointing to any such
event has been found though.
All through the cave architecture found at the Kānheri leṇi site, we find such several stūpas
either housed all by themselves in a specially excavated cave, or as part of a vihāra. Many
caves house more than one dagobas, indicating a prolonged use of the location. There is
indication that shrines were being built as late as 1440 CE.
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Image 8.1 & 8.2: Kānheri cave no. 36. Stūpa enclosure
As markers of a burial site: The Kānheri site has a cemetery (cave nos. 84 to 87) that holds
64 memorial stūpas of various ācariyas i.e. teachers. As a centre of learning, the university
had a tradition of teachers who practiced, preached and lived here, creating various schools
of philosophy within the Buddha’s teachings. Inscriptions indicate that the burial ground had
been in use over a considerable period of time.
Image 8.3: The brick stūpas mostly range in

size from 1.2m to 1.8m in diameter. One
stands out as the largest.
22 small stone inscriptions have been found

around these caves mentioning various monks
who have reached different levels on
attainment on the path.
(Image source: awanderingmind.in)

.
Association with Shreṇi system or merchant guilds:
Dr. Suraj Pandit writes in his book ‘Stories in Stone’ that Kānheri had developed its own
peculiarities like a well-developed water system, its own agricultural land (reference of the
two territories of Saphale and Magathane received as donation where the produce was
shared half and half by the bhikkhus and the people), satellite settlements of Mahākāla,
Jivadāni, Māndapeshwar and Magathane etc. and urban resources for subsistence like the
‘shreṇi’ system, the funds from which were used to make payments towards making of
manuscript copies, purchase of books, maintenance of the site etc. (N.B. no mention of any
specific guild is found within the inscriptions).
Inscriptions:
The Kānheri caves passed from Portuguese hands into English colonial rule as part of a
dowry agreement in 1662. The ‘Cave Commission’ was set up in the middle of the 19th
16
century CE under John Wilson. Eye- copies of the inscriptions of the caves were made and
then used by scholars to translate and interpret the inscriptions. Of the written records (a
collection of 60 stone inscriptions and epitaphs on copper plates) that had been collated by
E.W. West upto when the Gazetteer was reprinted in 1896, 10 of the inscriptions had
already been dated from before the start of CE.
As it stands today, the Kānheri leṇi have around 65 legible inscriptions and 26 epigraphs. A
vast majority of those deciphered are in Brāhmi script, two in early Devanāgari. 3
inscriptions in Pālhavi script found in cave no. 90 were made by Persian travellers who
visited Kānheri thrice, twice in 1009 and once in 1021. Most are Prākrit language
inscriptions, two are ancient Sanskrit. Information on the uses of the caves, routine systems
and elaborate arrangements within the site has been deciphered based on inscriptions
recovered at the site, either inside or within the frame-work of the caves. Some have been
cross- referenced in other inscriptions from Buddhist caves across India. In 1974, 22 more
writings were discovered by Dr. Shobana Gokhale and V.M. Mani in what has become
known as the Kānheri necropolis. From them we get the names of ācariyas in whose
memories the stūpas have been erected. In 1984, a book written by Dr S.B. Deo also
enumerated and indexed 53 inscriptions and some copper epitaphs.
The epigraphic material found on the Kānheri site has been incorporated in various works of
different scholars. About the state of the epitaphs, Dr. Gokhale writes in her book ‘Kanheri
Inscriptions’ that most of the inscriptions had been hewn in rough rock surfaces. The natural
markings of the stone and weathering over time makes the eye- copies produced so many
years ago by the English mostly illegible. A visit to the site meant that letters could
sometimes be deciphered by actually touching them if one could combine that with catching
some light inside the caves.
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Image 10.1. Inscriptions from Kānheri. Image source: Mani’s ‘Guide to Kanheri Caves’.
Most inscriptions make a note of the donor’s name who might have made a gift of the
vihāra, podhi, stone benches, closets and even couches for the sick. Some mention the
gifting of a pathway or the making of a stūpa. Some gifts include the gift of land and money.
As also of the four requisites allowed to a bhikkhu, we find mention of donation of mats,
cloth etc. The gifts are made towards accruing of merit and for the greater welfare of all
living beings.
Besides political and regnal milieu, the Kānheri inscriptions also depict the richness of the
joint family system prevalent in society then. For e.g. the ‘Caitya- griha’ inscription on the
gate- post credits the excavation to 2 brothers who further dedicate the merits to their
deceased parents, their wives, sons, daughters and step- mothers and a multitude of blood
relations. Kānheri cave no. 50 bears as inscription where the donation of the water cistern is
made in honorarium accorded to the donor’s mother and the merit is shared with his sons,
nephews, daughters and grandsons, great- grand daughters, great- grand sons, daughter-
in- law, the whole family, the deceased, the living, the unborn and all living beings.
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PODHI- Ancient Water Harvesting System at Kānheri leṇi site:
“From the foot to the top of the hill, like a winding staircase, were more than three thousand small
rooms in the form of small cells, cut out of the rock, each of them with a water cistern at the door.
What was more to be wondered at was an aqueduct constructed so ingeniously that it passed through
all the three thousand apartments, received all the water from the hill, and supplied it to the cisterns
that were at the doors of the rooms”- De Couto on Kānheri, 1603.
The 118 caves built over the rolling hill remind one of a well-orchestrated mini city. The
range of the Sahyadri hills of Maharashtra has no perennial rivers due to the rapid out-flow
of the waters on the smooth black rock, cascading down to the plains below. And yet, even
at the higher altitudes, due to the ingenuity of design of construction, each of the caves was
supplied with clean water. Rock-cut channels would harvest rainwater in the monsoons and
guide its flow into a ‘podhi’ i.e. rock-cut cistern at the entrance to the caves. They date back
to 2nd century CE. On the eastern side of the hill, there is a place known as ‘Gomukh’ where
natural spring water was collected.
Kānheri leṇi rainwater harvest:
Image 11.1 (extreme left, top):
Water channels outside the cave lead the

fresh rain water to the water cisterns even
now.
Image 11.2 (left, top):
Cisterns or water tanks at different levels

which could provide water for various
purposes to different category of people at
the same time. You can see the pipe that
quenches the thirst of the forest officers
now. The ancient system still works!
Image 11.3 (bottom):
Channels on even the inside of the

cave along its wall to channel water to the
tanks.
(Image source: travelnew.tumblr.com)
*None of the newly discovered 7 caves of 2015 have a

water cistern of their own, so they may have been built initially as a simple monsoon shelter for
meditation (Ref. Dr. Suraj Pandit’s online lecture).
19
Virtual Visit researched in May 2021
Salient Features of some of the more important caves at the Kānheri leṇi site
Note: The Kānheri caves were first numbered by Dr. Bhau Daji Lad in 1860. This was
followed by new numbers assigned by Mr. E. W. West in 1861. The numbering found in the
1882 Thana District Gazetteer is based on the work of Mr. H. Cousens. The present numbers
given by the Archaeological Survey of India do not tally with any of the original numbers.
Since this report is based on a virtual visit, an attempt has been made to match the
descriptions found in the Gazetteer with the current numbering system of ASI.
Image 12.1: Entrance to the caves
Kānheri Cave no. 1:
20
Image 12.2: An incomplete construction. It
started out as a vihāra.
The two pillars at the exterior are similar to

those found in Elephanta caves.
Started out as a two- storey creation but was

left half- way due to defective rock face.
Built in 6th century CE. It is the first cave one

sees on approaching the site. The first 3 caves
of the cluster face west and have a large,
level ground in front of them.
(Image source: thrillophilia.com)
Image 12.3: Restored pillar exterior. Image 12.4: Steps in the interior wall, leading up.
(Image source: wikipedia.org) (Image source: cavesofindia.org)
21
Image 12.5: A panaromic view of all the first 3 caves. Cave no. 2 is a long cave, now open in front. It
contained three dagobas originally. The cave has been altered at many different times so it is not
easy to make out its original arrangements. (Image source: wikiwand.com)
Image 12.6: The sculpted panel on the walls of Cave no. 2 depicting the litany praying to Lord
Padmapani for freedom from human suffering. The Bodhisatta holds a lotus stalk and flowers in
his left hand.
(Image source: cavesofindia.org)
An inscription carries the names of nine devotees who are represented as the litany.
Another inscription mentions the donor of the water cistern. In the back wall is another
distinctly cut inscription that mentions names of 2 more donors. A sculpture of Maitreya
Buddha accompanied by 7 ‘manussa’ i.e. human Buddhas is also seen in the cave.
22
Image 12.7 (extreme left) and image 12.8
(left):
The 2 stūpas that still remain in Kānheri

Cave no.2. Having a shrine with more than
one stūpa is normally unusual.
Image source: cavesofindia.org
The Great ‘Caitya’ Cave i.e. Kānheri Cave no. 3:

Architecturally, this cave is the largest and most elaborate of all on the site. It was built as a
‘Caitya’, an assembly hall for the bhikkhus to come together for prayer and meditation. It
contains an enclosed shrine in the form of an enormous stūpa about 16 feet in height.
Image 12.8:
The Great Caitya Cave at Kānheri was constructed in 2 nd

century CE. It was dedicated to the Bhadrayāni sect of
Buddhism. It is the second largest Caitya-graha after the one
found in Karla.
On the boundary wall, on either side of the doorway, stands

a stunted gatekeeper (the picture here shows their heads
are missing).
There are nine inscriptions in this cave. In the right gate-post

is a deeply cut but rather defaced inscription of 22 lines.
Another inscription, which is in characters of the second

century, records gifts.
An inscription of “Ye dhammā hetu”, known as the

Dependent Origination Dhāraṇī, is also found in this cave.
(Image source: wikipedia.org)
There is a spacious court in front of

Kānheri cave no. 3 also known as the ‘Great Caitya hall’. The front parapet wall of the cave is
decorated with rail pattern festoons along the top. Two huge ‘stambha’ i.e. pillars with the
capital of 4 sitting lions protect the Dhamma from outside evils.
23
Image 12.9: “The roof is high and vaulted, and at the far end is a semicircular apsis, in the centre of
which stands the object of adoration a relic shrine. Separated from this central space by two rows of
pillars are two aisles. These are continued round behind the relic shrine where they meet forming an
unbroken row of pillars. In each end of the veranda, cut in the end walls, a gigantic figure of Buddha
twenty-five feet high stands on a raised plinth.” – From the Gazetteer, Mulock 1882.
(Image source: kevinstandagephotography.wordpress.com)
The 2 Buddha statues each towering at 22 feet, stand on either side of the hall in the
‘varamudra’ or the donating posture. They embody all the 32 marks of a ‘great man’. The
interior of the Caitya- graha is supported by 34 massive pillars, with intricately designed
capitals. Some pillars have the imagery of ‘yakkhas holding bowls’. Others have human,
nāgas and elephant figures worshipping a relic shrine or a tree (symbolising the Buddha).
Some have men riding elephants and horses. Formerly the roof had wooden railings similar
to the Karla caves, but none of them remain now.
The shape of the Caitya itself is akin to an ‘elephant’s back’ The Paṭiccasamuppāda
dhamma given by Thera Assaji to seeker Upatissa who became later revered as Thera
Sāriputta has also been inscribed on a small stūpa standing by the large stambha. It is 5
metres tall.
24
Image 12.10 (left): Top right of the picture
shows 4 seated lions on the capital of the
southern column.
Only one more other cave i.e. Karla ‘Caitya-

graha’ has the lion capital.
Image 12.11& 12.13 (centre):
“The finished pillars have water-pot bases

and capitals. The base rests on a pyramidal
pile of four or five flat tiles or plates and the
capitals support a similar pile of plates in
inverted order. Over each of these pillars is
a group of figures. In two cases the figures
worship a relic shrine which is placed
between them, on another a tree is
worshipped, and on the rest are men riding
elephants and horses. Some of the pillars
have traces of plaster with painted figures
of Buddha.”
-Gazetteer of Bombay Presidency 1882
Image 12.14 (Left bottom):
Right pillar bottom image of sitting Buddha

flanked by Bodhisattas. The Buddha with the
halo is the earliest sculpted representations
found in India.
With reference to the donor couples done in

bas- relief, Mulock writes, “…the front of the
cave is adorned with life-size statues in bas-
relief of men and women after the style of
the Karli figures. The men wear the same
curious head-dress, and the women the
same heavy earrings, bracelets, and anklets.”
Image 12.10: team-bhp.com. Other images puratattva.in
Image source:
25
Under the figure of the Buddha on the right, an inscription runs which has since been
translated as follows: “This image of Bhagavata is the meritorious gift of the ascetic
Buddhagosha, a guardian of the great gandhakuti and pupil of the venerable Dhammavatsa,
a teacher of the three piṭaka who followed the Dhamma of the divine Buddha”.
Image 12.15: Inscription in Brāhmi Image 12.16 : Stylised view.

(Image source: flickr.com) Wooden barricades installed by ASI supporting the
structures within Kānheri cave no 3.
(Image source: dreamstime.com)

Just north of Cave 3, a flight of steps leads up to a small circular cell housing a stūpa.
Image 12.17 (left): Stūpa with an inscribed ‘harmika’, crediting the donation to the wife of a
goldsmith.
Image 12.18 (right): The Buddha in various postures on the back ground wall.
26
Image 12.19: Cave No. 4
1. Image of entrance as seen earlier.

2. Image of entrance fortified with wooden frame as seen now.
(Image source: online screen grab)
Kānheri Cave no. 5 & 6:

Both are water cisterns. Inscriptions credit the donation to minister Sateraka.
Image 12.20. Image source: Online screen grab

A vihāra with 2 cells and 3 water cisterns. Donated by merchant Samika and goldsmith
Sulasadatta.
27
A podhi i.e. water cistern.

A plain excavation with 4 columns.

A cave with lots of water cisterns. Some ovens cut in the wall point out to its possible use as
a community kitchen.
The Darbar or Maharaja cave/ Kānheri Cave no 11:

It was used as an assembly hall. Its design draws up on the arrangements as used during the
time of king Ajātsattu for convening the first Dhamma council.
Image 13.1 (Above): Kānheri Darbar Cave Exterior. (Image source: puratattva.in)
28
Image 13.2 (Left): Cave plan of the assembly hall
at Kānheri.
1. It has a front porch and a total of 12 cells

on two sides.
2. The shrine is placed in the exact position
as the pre-eminent throne of the high
priest. Here we see the Buddha’s image
in ‘dhammacakkapavvattana
mudra’ facing south, attended upon by
chauri- i.e. fly- whisk bearers.
3. In the lower part of the hall, where there
are no cells, is a plain space, maybe to
accommodate the bhikkhus who would
read to the assembly.
(Image source: wikepedia.org)
Image 13.3: Kānheri Cave No. 11.
The 2 long stone benches which served the purpose of the monks coming together for
recitation from books. They could seat a group of upto a 100. It may also have served as a
library for copying of manuscripts etc. (Image source: Wikipedia.org)
29
Other Images from Kānheri cave no. 11:
1. Image 13.4 (Top Left):

Corner on the right of cave no.11, housing
the ‘podhi’ I.e. water cistern
2. Image 13.5 (Above):
Corridor with cell entrances
3. Image 13.6 (Left):
Sculpture of Lord Buddha
(Image source: Online screen grabs)
Kānheri Cave nos. 12 to 33:

One can see simple vihāra dwellings with inscriptions of donations. For e.g. in cave no 21,
we find the donation credited to a businessman from Kalyan in the Satakarni era. He gave
the donation for the ‘benefit of his parents and the happiness and welfare of all living
beings’. He donated a sum of 100 ‘dramma’ in fixed deposit, with specific instructions of
how the interest might be used. He also donated a field in Magathane.
30
Image 13.7: Buddha - cave no. 12 Image 13.8:Inscription- Cave no. 21 Image 13.9: Exterior- Cave no. 25
Image 13.9: Buddha – Cave no. 26 Image 13.10: Exterior- Cave no. 27

At first glance this cave appears non- distinct. However it is an important cave as it
introduces many new architectural features. Above the courtyard, there appear to be
mortise holes, possibly as provision for a wooden canopy that would have projected
forward. The cave has perforated lattice windows and also provides stone benches for
sitting (shaped like a sofa).
31
Image 13.11 & 13.12: Painting on ceiling of entrance, depicting image of the
Buddha in ‘Bhumi- sparsh mudra’
This is the only cave within the Kānheri leṇi site where one finds paintings. They are
incomplete. There is only enough light passing into the cave interior to highlight some of the
more dramatic sculptures.
 Image 13.13 (above left): Sculpted forms of the Buddha in the interior of the cave no. 34
 Image 13.14 (above right): Sculpture of Buddha on the sides of the cave entrance. The
painting of the Buddha touching the ground as witness, can be seen on the ceiling.
Some images from Kānheri Cave nos. 35 to 40:
32
Image 13.15: Stūpa in cave no. 36 Image 13.16: Empty shrine in cave no. 37
(Image source: online screen grabs from cavesofindia.org)
The Gazetteer notes that the sculptured stone tope in cave old no. 38 may be a 4 th CE
construction.
Kānheri cave no. 41:

Contains the sculpted form of a 4 foot tall, 11- headed Avalokiteshvara, which was thought
to be the only one image in stone from ancient India for a long time. The depiction of the
Bodhisatta in this form first evolved in Nepal and Tibet. Also known as Ekadasamukha and
Mahāsatta, he is described as having a 1000 arms, a 1000 pairs of eyes and 11 heads. This
image is believed to have been sculpted in the 5th century CE.
The exterior square pillars are similar to those seen in Ajanta cave no. 15. The porch itself is
supported by pillars carved out in the rounded style of the Elephanta caves.
Image 13.17 (above left): Standing form of the 11- headed Bodhisatta Avalokiteshvara.
5th century CE. (Image source: puratattva.in)
Image 13.18 (above right): Sitting image of Buddha attended to by Bodhisatta Padmapani.
33
Ruins of Dam and Temple:
Opposite Kānheri Cave no. 41, we find the location of the ancient dam. It is marked by two
walls. Cave no. 42 bears an inscription for this dam, stating that it has been constructed for
the welfare of the people. Just above the dam towards the north we find the ruins of a
temple. Here we find the remains of a lot stūpas. Just above this, to the south side, there is
another cluster of 19 caves.
Kānheri Cave nos. 42 to 66:
Simple vihāras. A lot of them carry inscriptions. Cave no. 48 is the largest excavation on the
hill. It seems to be incomplete.

Dates back to as recent as 8th century CE. Has the sculpted form of Lord Akshobhya, the
immovable one. He is one of the 5 wisdom Buddhas. Venerated by Vajrayāna sect of the
Buddha’s disciples. Indicates influence of mandala- making and tāntric practice.
Citrasālā or Kānheri Cave no. 67:

A vast space full of sculptures relating to the various life- events of Gotama, the Buddha.
Images depicting the miracles wrought by the Sākyamuni, as well as scenes from Jātaka can
be found here.
34
Image 15.1 & 15.2 (above). Image source: kevinstandagephotography.wordpress.com
Image 15.3 (above): The Buddha seated on the lion throne below the makara torana (crocodile)
Image source: alamy.com
‘Makara’ is the Sinhāla term for dragon, an important figure in Sinhāla Buddhist culture in
Sri Lanka. It is depicted on ornamental canopies i.e. toranas in temple architecture and
objects of prestige. In this sculpture found in Kānheri cave no. 67, we can see the prominent
presence of a pair of crocodiles/ dragons facing each other. From the mouths of
the makaras come out long floriated tongues which join to form an arch above the Buddha.
This is a rare and distinctive motif, not usually found in Indian art.
Many central panels showcase the presence of women.
35
Image 15.4, 15.5 & 15.6. Image source: puratattva.in

The image of the Buddha seated in Padmāsana on the lotus throne, which is supported by 2
snake- hooded forms. Usual in Mahāyāna style of art. Also a central figure
of Avalokiteshvara which has a tall female on each side. Beyond each are five sections; those
on the right representing dangers from an elephant, a lion, a snake, fire, and a shipwreck.
Those on the left show dangers associated with imprisonment, disease, a sword, a bird and
some enemy not now recognizable due to deterioration of the stone.
Image 15.7: Buddha on lotus Image 15.8: Lord Avalokiteshvara with female energy forms
The interior of Kānheri cave no. 90 is extensively carved with various images. The verandah
also sports some graffiti in Japanese script dating back to 12th century CE. It is also the first
structure in the world dedicated to housing the Lotus Sutra.
36
Image 15.9: Japanese graffiti. Image 15.10 &15.11.
Image source: kevinstandagephotography.wordpress.com
# Location of the Kānheri ‘necropolis’ i.e. memorial stūpas (cave nos. 84 to 87):
Lastly, from a point near the west end of this last range, a series of nine excavations trend
towards the south. These are cave nos. 91 to 99. Descending from here, one enters a gallery
sheltered by the overhang of the rock. The floor of this gallery has been found to consist the
foundations of small brick dagobas buried in dust and debris, about 16- 20 in number.
In the rock behind a large stone stūpa, there are 3 cells containing decayed sculptures, with
traces of plaster covered with painting. Beyond this the floor suddenly rises about 14 feet,
where there are the remains of eleven small brick stūpas; then another slight ascent lands
on a level, on which are thirty-three ruined stūpas buried in debris. Overhead the rock has
been cut out in some places to make room for them. On the back wall are some dagobas in
relief and three benched recesses. The brick stūpas vary from 4 to 6 feet in diameter at the
base, but all are destroyed. In none of those examined have any relics been found.
# Also refer page 15 for more details on stūpa architecture.
END OF VIRTUAL VISIT.
37
Restoration Work at Kānheri has been sanctioned and supervised by ASI since 2006:
38
Image 17.1 (left): ASI Inspection report of
Kānheri caves 2014.
Extensive renovation work at the site has

been undertaken over the last 10 years.
Hence one can see a lot of recent
additions in cement and mortar of
matching color, as well as addition of
wooden scaffolds and supports where
necessary to minimise damage.
As recently as 2018, mesh curtains have

been installed to control bat infestations
and other potential damage to the caves
due to pests.
A major cause of concern at all Indian

archaeological sites remains vandalism. A
dedicated security force has now been
assigned to the site.
(Image source: ASI)
Image 17.2: Restored ASI monument N-MH-M7. In Kānheri Cave no. 3, one can see modern wooden
supports replacing the missing lattice work framing the entrance door as well as the air vent above
the door.
39
Archival Images:
Image 18.1 (above): Map of the Kānheri site showing locations of 102 caves, extracted from the
‘Gazetteer of Bombay Presidency Volume XIV - Thana Places of Interest’ 1882 written by Mulock.
Image source: indianculture.gov.in/gazettes
Image 18.2: Kānheri Cave old no. 65. Image source: ASI 1953. Available online @ indianculture.gov.in
40
Image 18.3: Kānheri Cave old nos. 5 to 8. Image source: ASI 1958.
(Available online @ indianculture.gov.in)
The Bombay Gazetteer notes ‘the simple style’ of Caves 5, 8, 9, 58, and 59 and ranks them amongst
the ‘earliest class of caves’ which vary in date from B.C. 100 to A.D. 50.
41
Excerpts from the Gazetteer of Greater Bombay Volume XIV- Thana Places of Interest’:
(Online source: indianculture.gov.in/gazettes)
Image 18.4 & 18.5 (above):
 Kānheri Cave no. 3 that houses the ‘caitya’ has been described in great detail and
takes up almost 6 pages (166-171) of the ‘Gazetteer of Greater Bombay Volume XIV-
Thana Places of Interest’ written by W.B. Mulock in 1882.
 At the time of re- printing the Greater Bombay Gazetteer in 1896 by James M.
Campbell, 102 of the 125 currently known caves at the Kānheri site had been
discovered. A map depicting the cluster (ref. image 18.1) was also included,
alongwith the map of Thana district within greater Bombay (ref. image 4.2).
42
From the archives- some examples of Kānheri through paintings:
Image 18.6 (left):
Rare painting of Kānheri showing

exterior of Durbar cave. Painted by
Thomas Daniel on July 20th 1793.
Image source: watercolourworld.org
Image 18.7: Entrance to Caitya cave, James Fergusson 1838
Image source: royalacademy.org.uk
43
Latest From the Press:
* TOI article dated 17th January 2016
Image 19.1 Image 19.2: location of new discovery.
MUMBAI: Seven new caves have been discovered in the forests of the sprawling Sanjay Gandhi
National Park, Borivali. The caves are Buddhist vihāras (residences for monks) with only one of
them showing the remains of a ‘harmika’ (the top railing of a stūpa). They are believed to have
been constructed before the Kānheri caves nearby and probably served as a monsoon shelter for
the monks.
While a formal approval from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is awaited for detailed
exploration and documentation of the new caves, the team that has discovered the caves date them
between 1st century BCE and 5th- 6th century CE.
Image 19.3 & 19.4 (left): Dr. Suraj Pandit added of his team’s
discovery, “The newly discovered caves may have been older
than the Kānheri caves as they were simpler in form and lacked
water cisterns, which are found in the more evolved
architecture of Kānheri. Moreover, we found monolithic tools
which were prevalent in the 1st century BCE. The absence of
water cisterns also indicate that monks lived there in the
monsoon.”
The discovery was prompted

by 150- year old reports that narrated the discovery of ‘pot shreds and micro-lithic tools’.
Upon undertaking the arduous trek through the jungle and a challenging climb- up of a
waterfall, the team discovered that the monks had already built a path of rock- cut steps
for easy access to the caves!
44
Description of the Kānheri excavations as extracted from the Gazetteer:
(1896 re- print of James Campbell’s ‘Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency- Volume
XIV; Thana- Places of Interest’ originally written by W.B. Mulock in 1882. Pages
164 to 191).
“In the following account the cave details have been contributed by Mr. H. Cousens, Head
Assistant to the Archaeological Surveyor, and the substance of the inscriptions by Mr. Bhagvanlal
Indraji from facsimiles taken in 1881. Mr. Bhagvanlal's study of the inscriptions is not yet complete
so that the renderings given in the text are tentative and liable to revision. As noticed in the
introduction most of the caves are cut in two knolls of bare rock separated by a narrow stream
bed. Of the 102 caves all are easily entered, except five small openings. Of the rest about twenty-
seven are good, fifty-six are small, and fifteen are partly or entirely ruined. Except temples
or chaityas, and the peculiarly planned cave 10, which was probably a place" of assembly, nearly
all the caves bear marks of having been used as dwellings, and many of them have stone sleeping
benches running round the walls. The doorways were fitted with frames and doors, which were
fastened by horizontal bars held in holes in the stone jambs. The windows were either latticed or
provided with wooden frames and shutters. The whole monastery was well supplied with water.
On the hill top are several rock-cut ponds, and almost every cave has its cistern filled from
channels cut above the eaves of the cave. To the east of the caves a massive stone wall, now ruined,
ran across the stream that separates the two cave-cut knolls and formed a small lake whose bed is
now silted and full of reeds.
For a hurried visit of one day, perhaps the best order for seeing the hill is, after visiting 1, 2,
and 3, to pass to the left across the ravine, and, keeping up the sloping face of the knoll, see the
sites of relic shrines or burial-mounds and the remains of an old temple behind. Then come back to
the ravine and pass along its north bank examining the line of caves from ninety-four to eighty-
seven. Next struggle up the stream bed, pass through the breach in the dam, and, crossing to the
south bank of the stream, come down along the lowest tier of caves from 21 to 10. At 10 turn back
and up to 77 and pass as far as possible in front of the second tier of caves to the quarry on the hill
top. See the view, the cisterns, quarries, remains of the retaining wall, and the ruins of a relic
mound. Then pass down seeing as many as possible of the third tier of caves 68 to 90. Pass from 90
to 36 and 37 and then along a flight of steps to the burial gallery 38 to 40, returning by the same
way. The path from 41 to 1 is difficult and should not be attempted without a guide.
Caves 1-2.
Climbing the footpath from the valley, the group of three temples 1, 2, and 3 attracts attention.
They face west and have in front of them a large level space covered with bushes and with some
remains of the stupa or relic mound of which an account is given later on. Passing a little to the
south of 3, the most striking of the group, cave 1 should first be examined. It is the beginning of a
large temple or chaitya, the only finished portions being two large pillars supporting the front
screen, whose general clumsiness seems to show that this is one of the latest caves on the hill; 2 is
a long low excavation, irregular in plan, being originally more than one excavation, the partition
walls of which have been broken down. At the south end are three rock-cut relic shrines
or dagobas. On the wall behind the first relic shrine, is the curious sculptured panel which occurs
again in caves 21 and 66, at the Aurangabad caves, at Elura, and at Ajanta. This is known as the
Buddhist litany, a prayer to the good lord Padmapani to deliver his worshippers from the different
forms of battle, murder, and sudden death. In the centre a life-size image of the Bodhisattva
Padmapani or Avalokiteshvar, stands at attention holding in his left hand a lotus stalk and flowers;
on his right and left are four shelves each supporting a couple of little figures. In front of each of
these little groups, and between it and Padmapani, is a human figure with wings. In the upper
group to the left, that is, on Padmapani's right, a kneeling figure appears to be praying for
deliverance from a lion, which is in the act of springing upon him. In the next group below, a
kneeling woman with a child in her arms tries to avoid an old hag, disease or death. In the third
compartment a kneeling man prays a winged figure to save him from one who holds a drawn
sword over his head. [See Representation of Litany at Aurangabad in Arch. Survey Report, III.
45
76.] In the lowest compartment the figure prays to be saved from a cobra which is crawling
towards it from an ant-hill. At the top on the other side the kneeling figure is about to be attacked
by an enraged elephant; in the west compartment a man in the back ground has his hand raised in
the act of striking the kneeling figure. In the next, perhaps the petition against false doctrines,
heresies, and schisms, an orthodox Naga is attacked by a flying Garud, the type of Vaishnavism. In
the last, two figures pray from deliverance from shipwreck. The winged figure to whom each
suppliant turns for help is probably a saint, an intercessor between him and the deified
Padmapani. On either side of Padmapani's head are cherubim with garlands, and at his feet kneels
a devotee. Other figures of Padmapani and Buddha which adorn the wall on either side of this
panel seem to have been added by different worshippers. There are three inscriptions in this cave.
In one corner of the recess behind the large relic shrine, partly on the left and partly beneath a
standing figure of Buddha saluted by nine men near his feet, is an inscription of six short and one
long lines. The length of the lines is six inches and twelve inches. The inscription gives nine names,
probably of the nine persons represented bowing to Buddha. The names are Nannovaidya, Bhano
(Sk. Bhanu), Bhaskar, Bharavi, Chelladev, Bopai (Sk. Bopyaki), Bhattabesu, Suvai (Sk. Suvrati), and
Pohoi (?). The characters seem to be of the fifth century. In the back wall, above a long bench set
against the wall, is a deeply cut distinct inscription of two lines two feet two inches long. It is
inscribed in letters of the time of Vasishthiputra (A.D. 133-162) and records the gift of a refectory
or satta (Sk. satra), by Nakanak (inhabitant) of Nasik. A few feet to the north of the second
inscription, and nearer to the cistern in front of the cave, is a third deeply cut and distinct
inscription, of two lines two feet nine inches long. It is inscribed in letters of the time of
Vasishthiputra (A.D. 133-162) and records the gift of water (?) [The word in the inscription
is Panika which means in Sanskrit a vendor of spirituous liquor. This is perhaps an instance of the
use of liquor which did not differ in colour from water. (See above, p. 137). Near the inscription is a
niche where, perhaps, water or some other beverage was kept and given to the monks after they
had finished their dinner in the adjoining dining hall.] by Samidatta (Sk. Svamidatta) a goldsmith of
Kalyan.
Cave 3.
Close to No. 2 comes No. 3, the cathedral or chaitya, the most important of the Kanheri caves.
The style and plan are much the same as in the great Karli cave, but, owing to its softness, the rock
is much destroyed. The measurements are 86� feet long, 39 feet 10 inches wide including the
aisles, and 37 feet 7 inches high. In front is a spacious court, entered through a gateway in a low
parapet wall, whose outside has been prettily decorated with the rail pattern and festoons along
the top. In bas-relief, on either side of the doorway, stands a rather stunted gatekeeper, and
attached to the walls of rock on each side of the court are great eight-sided columns on square
basements with broken shafts. The capital of the northern column supports three fat figures
holding behind them something like a great bowl, and on the capital of the southern column are
four seated lions. A great rock screen separates this court from the veranda. This screen has three
large square openings below, separated by thick massive pillars, the central opening being the
entrance to the veranda. Above it is divided by four pillars into five open spaces which admit light
to the arched front window. These pillars support the outer edge of the roof of the veranda. In each
end of the veranda, cut in the end walls, a gigantic figure of Buddha twenty-five feet high stands on
a raised plinth. Low on the left leg of the figure in the north end of the veranda, are cut, in old
English characters, A. Butfer, K. B., J. B., J. S., 78, initials, which, as is shown by a writing in another
cave, stand for Ann Butfer, K. Bates, John Butfer, and John Shaw, who visited the caves in
1678. [These letters puzzled Dr. Bird, who, in 1839, wrote, " On one of the legs of the left hand
statue we met with a cross (the old fashioned letter J written as an I with a stroke across the
centre) and inscription, in Roman letters, which might be taken to be not more ancient than the
times of the Portuguese, were it not for the Ethiopic or Arabic term Abuk, meaning thy father ; and
which accompanied by the date 78, with a resemblance of the cross and the letters
for Kal Buddha, Buddha Sakya may indicate its connection with primitive Christianity; whose
doctrines introduced into India are supposed by Wilford to have given rise to the era of Shalivahan
which dates 78 years after Christ."] Between the two side and the central doorways, the front of
the cave is adorned with life-size statues in bas-relief of men and women after the style of the Karli
figures. The men wear the same curious head-dress, and the women the same heavy earrings,
bracelets, and anklets. Above these are rows of seated Buddhas, and above the Buddhas again is
the great arched window, through which light passes into the cave. Beneath this arch the central
doorway opens into the nave of this great Buddhist cathedral. The roof is high and vaulted, and at
46
the far end is a semicircular apse, in the centre of which stands the object of adoration a relic
shrine. Separated from this central space by two rows of pillars are two aisles. These are continued
round behind the relic shrine where they meet forming an unbroken row of pillars. It is from the
plain entablature above these pillars that the vaulted roof springs, the ceilings of the aisles being
flat and very little higher than the capitals of the pillars. Of these pillars only eleven on the north
side and six on the south side have been finished, the others are plain octagonal columns from top
to bottom. The finished pillars have water-pot bases and capitals. The base rests on a pyramidal
pile of four or five flat tiles or plates and the capitals support a similar pile of plates in inverted
order. Over each of these pillars is a group of figures. In two cases the figures worship a relic
shrine which is placed between them, on another a tree is worshipped, and on the rest are men
riding elephants and horses. Some of the pillars have traces of plaster with painted figures of
Buddha. The relic shrine is plain and has lost its umbrella which was supported by a pillar of which
the base may still be traced. Round the drum or cylindrical base are square holes at equal intervals
apparently for lights. The roof of the nave has had arched wooden ribs similar to those at Karli,
their positions being marked by dark bands on the rock. A few fragments of the old woodwork
remain here and there generally in the form of stumps and beam ends standing out from sockets.
Under the great arched window and over the central doorway is a wide gallery supposed to have
been used by musicians. There are now no means of getting to it except by a ladder. There are nine
inscriptions in and about this cave. In the right gate-post is a deeply cut and distinct but rather
defaced inscription of 22� lines. The right side is imperfect as that part of the gate-post was built
of squared stones which have been removed. The original length of the lines was three feet eight
inches, which by the removal of the stones has been reduced to two feet in the upper part and
three feet one inch in the middle. This is a valuable inscription, but much of importance has been
lost in the upper lines. As it now stands, all that can be gathered from it, is that the cave was made
in the time of king Yajnashri Shatakarni Gotamiputra (A.D. 177-196), by two merchant brothers
Gajsen and Gajvir from Datamiti (?) (Sk. Dattamitri) in Upper India, and that the temple was
dedicated to the Bhadrayani school of Buddhism. [The Bhadrayani school rose in the third century
after Gautama from the sect of Vatsiputra, an oftshoot from the Sarvastivadina, a subdivision of the
Sthavira school. They seem to have believed in a first cause, and that the soul or I is immortal. See
Vassilief's Bouddisme, 172, 230, 233, 253, 269. Beal in Ind. Ant. IX. 300. The chief Nasik cave (No.
26) is also dedicated to the Bhadrayani school, which seems to have been in high favour with the
rulers of Western India during the second and third centuries after Christ.] The inscription
mentions the names of several Buddhist monks, Kalvarjit, the reverend Thera (Sk. Sthavira), Achal,
the reverend (Bhadanta) Gahala, Vijaymitra, Bo.......... Dharmapal, and Aparenuka, the son of a
Buddhist devotee and merchant. The inscription closes with the words ' Finished by Badhika, the
manager [The word in the original is Uparakhita which may mean the manager as given in the text
or it may be a name.] and the pupil of the old Buddha monk Seul. The cave was carved by the great
mason Vidhika with Shailvatak, Kudichak, and Mahakatak.' Cut into the left gate-post is another
inscription of eleven lines, originally three feet four inches long. It is deeply cut, and the rock being
smoother and of a lighter colour it is more distinct than the last. The left side is imperfect in the
upper lines owing to the outer angle of the gate-post having been broken off. The inscription,
which is in characters of the second century, records gifts. The name of the giver is lost. It
mentions gifts made in several places, in the Ambalika monastery in Kalyan, something given in
the district (Sk. ahar) of Sopara (Sk. Shurparaka), a monastery, vihar, in (Paithan (Sk. Pratishthan),
a Chaitya temple and thirteen cells in the cave of (Pra) tigupta, the grant of an endowment to
support the Rajtadag reservoir on the way to Paithan, Asana and Chulkappikuti (?), a cistern and
some other things. The third inscription is under a standing figure of Buddha, on the inside of the
outer wall of the veranda, between the left gate-post and the left colossal figure of Buddha. It is of
three lines each two feet eleven inches long. The letters belong to about the fifth century. It refers
to the carving of the image of Buddha below which it is set, and states that the image was made by
the Shakya friar Buddhaghosha, residing in Mahagandhkuti a disciple of Dharmavatsa and teacher
of the three great Buddhist books, tripitakas. There is a fourth inscription of one line, three feet
one inch long, under a sitting Buddha sculptured on the back wall of the veranda, above the
dancing figures on the right side of the doorway. It is cut in letters of about the fifth century, and is
tolerably distinct but high up. It records, 'The meritorious gift of the Shakya mendicant
Dharmagupta.' The fifth inscription, of one line ten inches long, is cut into the square shaft of a
small bas-relief relic shrine on the right wall outside the veranda. It is deeply cut in characters of
about the fifth century, and, as it stands, is complete. It gives the well known Buddhist
formula. [The Buddhist formula is,
47
" Ye dharma hetu prabhava hetun teshan tathagato, hyavadat teshancha yo nirodha evam vadi Mah
ashramana," that is: The object of those (the Adi Buddhas) who for the sake of religion came into
the world before him (that is, before Gautama), the Tathagata (that is he who came as they came,
namely Gautama) has explained; what they forbade the great Shramana (that is Gautama) tells as
follows: See above, p. 103.] The sixth inscription, of nine lines each ten inches long, is cut into a
pilaster on the right side of a standing Buddha which is sculptured on the western wall inside the
small chamber to the left of the entrance. It is faintly cut in letters of about the fifth or sixth century
and records that the image was the gift of Acharya Buddharakshita. A seventh inscription, of three
lines, was found on the face of a squared stone, 19� inches long by 10� broad, that lay on the
outside terrace under the trees in front of this cave. The letters are of the fifth or sixth century, and
the inscription is about the building of a house or ghar (Sk. griha). The name of the person who
built the house is doubtful. An eighth inscription, of two lines, was found on the face of a smaller
stone in front of the cave. It is probably part of the same inscription and seems to contain a portion
of the lower two lines. The letters are of the sixth century. On the right of the inner doorway an
inscription of four lines is painted in white upon one face of the octagonal column. It is very faint in
places, but the date is fairly clear, especially in the afternoon sun. The date may be
either " Samvat 921 or 927 Ashvin Shuddha 1............. " A similar inscription occurs on the next face
of the column, and two others on two faces of the column on the opposite side of the doorway.
These are fainter and less legible.
Stupas.
In the open space in front of cave 3 were once two or three large relic mounds, of which the
largest was built of stone and brick and was from twelve to sixteen feet high. Dr. Bird gives the
following account of the opening of this relic mound in 1839: " After digging to the level of the
ground and clearing the materials, the workmen came to a circular stone, hollow in the centre, and
covered at the top by a piece of gypsum. This contained two small copper urns, in one of which
were some ashes mixed with a ruby, a pearl, small pieces of gold, and a small gold box containing a
piece of cloth; in the other were a silver box and some ashes." Two copper plates accompanied the
urns containing legible inscriptions in the cave character, of which the following is believed to be
the translation: Salutation to the Omniscient (Buddha)! In the year 245 of the increasing rule of the
Trikutakas, in the great monastery of Krishnagiri, Buddharuchi, an inhabitant of Kanak? (?
Kabhoka or Katoka) a village in the Sindhu country, the son of the glorious Buddhashri and
Pushyavarman, intent on religious duties, of the religion of Shakyamuni (who was) strong in the
possession of the ten powers, revered, possessed of perfect knowledge, an Aryagana of his (that is
Shakyamuni's) Shravaks, erected this relic shrine, chaitya, of dressed stone and brick to last while
the moon sun and ocean endure, to the great Shravak of the Paramamuni (Buddha), the noble
Sharadvatiputra. Therefore let the Devas, Yakshas, Siddhas, Vidyadharas, Ganas, and Manibhadra,
Purnabhadra, Panchika, Arya Vajrapani, Vankanaka(?) and others be propitious. Moreover, as long
as the milky ocean, the waters of the whirlpools of which are whirled round by the sea monsters
which are driven about by its thousand waves, is an ocean of milk, as long as the rugged Meru is
piled with great rocks, and as long as the clear rivers flow into the ocean; so long may this
enduring and auspicious fame attach itself to the excellent son of him named Pushya
(varman).' [Archaeological Survey, X. 59.] Only the faintest traces of this relic mound remain.
Stupas were originally cairns or mounds raised either over the dead or in memory of some
famous act. [Cunningham's Bhilsa Topes, 9, 10.] The practice of raising these memorials seems to
date from before the time of Gautama. [Before the time of Gautama the Hindus gave up their
custom of burial and practised burning, a tomb being raised over the ashes. Buddha Gaya,
119.] The previous Buddhas are said to have stupas raised over their bones, [Kashyapa, Gautama's
predecessor (perhaps B.C. 1000), is said to have been buried near Benares, where as late as A.D.
400 he had a stupa. Rhys Davids, 181.] and there is a tradition that Gautama urged his followers to
reverence monuments and to build them in his honour. [Bhilsa Topes, 12.] The earliest stupas, of
which there is certain knowledge, were those built by Ashok (B.C. 250), partly over Gautama's
relics, partly to mark places which his life had made sacred. Perhaps the only one of these
monuments of which traces remain is the Bharhut stupa in Central India. Though the building is
now a ruin, there is evidence to show that it was a hemisphere on a cylindrical base with small
holes for lights; that, on the top of the dome, was a square platform, fenced with a railing and
supporting a crowning umbrella decorated with streamers and garlands; that large flowers sprang
from the top as well as from the base of the square summit; and that a cylindrical ornament hung
48
round the hemisphere. [Bharhut Stupa, 6; Bhilsa Topes, 10-14.] As time passed, the form of the
relic mound changed from a hemisphere (B.C. 500?), through a dome raised a few feet above the
basement (B.C. 200), to a dome on a plinth equal to its own height (A.D. 50), and from that to a tall
round tower surmounted by a dome. [Bhilsa Topes, 177, 178, plate III.] The relic mound of Sarnath
near Benares, which was built in the seventh century after Christ, has a plinth equal in height to
the diameter of the hemisphere. [Bhilsa Topes, 166. Cunningham describes the Sanchi tope, which
he places at B.C. 550 (Bhilsa Topes, 177) and Fergusson at B.C. 250 (Tree and Serpent Worship,
90), as a solid dome of brick and stone, 106 feet in diameter, springing from a plinth 14 feet high
with a projection 5� feet broad used as a terrace. The top of the dome was flattened into a terrace
surrounded by a stone railing in the Buddhist pattern. From the flat centre of the dome rose a
colonnade of pillars and within the pillars was a square altar or pedestal, from the centre of which
rose a cupola or umbrella pinnacle. The total height to the top of the cupola was over 100 feet.
(Bhilsa Topes, 185-186). The tope was surrounded by a colonnade and by a richly ornamented rail.
(See Bhilsa Topes, 190, plate VII.; and Ferguason's Tree and Serpent Worship, 90).] Besides in
memory of Gautama or over one of his relics, towers were built in honour of his disciples,
Sariputra, Mogalan, Ananda Gautama's nephew and successor whose shrine was specially
worshipped by nuns, and Rahula Gautama's son, whose shrine was the novice's favourite object of
worship. Towers were also raised in honour of the three baskets of the law tripitakas, the vinaya or
religious discipline for the monks, the sutras or discourses for the laity, and the abhidharma or
metaphysical creed. [Beal, 57; Rhys Davids, 18-21.] Finally towers were raised either over
distinguished members of the monastery who had risen to the rank of saints, [The ceremonies
observed on the death of a saint are thus described by Fah Hian. In the Mahavihara monastery in
Ceylon a famous monk, perfect in the precepts, had the credit of being a saint or Rahat. When he
died the king came, and, calling the monks together, asked if their dying brother had attained
reason. They answered he is a Rahat. Then the king, consulting the holy books, ordered that the
funeral should be performed according to the rules laid down for the funerals
of Rahats. Accordingly nearly a mile to the east of the monastery they raised a pyre of wood, thirty-
four feet square and thirty-four feet high, the top of sandal, aloe, and all kinds of scented wood.
Steps were laid up the four sides and the pyre was bound with clean white cloth. Then the dead
body was brought in a funeral car followed by crowds of people. The king offered flowers and
incense, the hearse was placed on the pyre, oil of cinnamon was poured over it, and the whole set
alight When all was over they searched for and gathered the bones to make a tower over them.
Beal, 160.] or over the ashes of the ordinary monks. [On the Bhojpur hill there are four tiers of
topes, the lowest to the members of the monastery, the next to Pratyek Buddhas (Beal, 47), the
next to Bodhisattvas, and the highest to Buddhas. Bhilsa Topes, 13-14.]
The following details of the building of the great tope in Ceylon, about B.C. 150, probably give
some idea of the services that accompanied the building of the larger Kanheri topes. [Bhilsa Topes,
169-176.] A foundation was first laid of round stones, which were trodden in by elephants; then
came courses of fine clay, brick, cement, iron-plates, incense, steatite, stone, brass, and silver. To
lay the foundation stone on a full-moon night, the king with his ministers, thousands of troops,
dancing and music marched to the site of the new tower. After making handsome presents the king
stepped into the holy place and traced a circle with a pair of gold-tipped silver compasses. In the
centre of the circle he placed gold and silver vases, cloth, and fragrant cement, and, in a relic
chamber made of six slabs of stone, laid golden images of Buddha and a golden relic casket brought
to the spot with a special procession. The casket was then placed in the relic chamber and offerings
heaped round. The shape of the tope was a hemisphere, crowned by a square pinnacle-enclosed
parapet wall and supporting in the centre a double canopy. [Bhilsa Topes, 169-176.] The better
class of relic mounds contained seven substances, gold, silver, lapislazuli, crystal, carnelian, amber
or coral, and a ruby. [Beal, 41.]
Cavas 4-5.
Cave 4 is a small circular chamber to the left of Cave 3 containing a relic shrine. It has an
inscription of three lines and two letters, cut into one side of the square tee of the relic shrine. It is
cut in letters of about the fifth or sixth century, and states that the relic shrine was made to hold
the relics of the reverend old Buddhist monk Dharmapal by Shivpalitanika, wife of the goldsmith
Dhamanaka. Turning north, up a broad flight of steps, is Cave 5, a plain two-mouthed water cistern
with a long inscription cut over it. The original length of line was probably nine feet ten inches of
which one foot ten inches on the left have entirely peeled off. Though deeply cut the inscription is
49
much defaced, which is specially to be regretted as it is one of the oldest and most important in the
series. It is inscribed in rather corrupt Sanskrit, the letters being of the age of Vasishthiputra (A.D.
133-162). It records the gift of a water-pot by the minister Shatoraka. [It is curious that the word
in the original is bhajan a pot. A good many inscriptions at Kanheri record gifts of cisterns of water,
but bhajan is found only here.] Though nothing distinct can be made out of the rest of the
inscription, it appears from the fragments that this Shatoraka was the minister of the queen of
Vasishthiputra. The queen is mentioned as belonging to the Kardamaka dynasty and it further
appears that she was connected with the Kshatrapas, the word Mahakshatrapasya being distinct.
She was perhaps a grand-daughter on the maternal side of a Mahakshatrap.
Caves 6-9.
Entering the ravine or watercourse, between the two knolls, and continuing on from Cave 5,
come caves 6 and 7, both much ruined and of little consequence. Above the two mouths of the
cistern, at the left end of Cave 7, two deep distinct inscriptions, one of three and the other of four
lines, are cut into the rock side by side and about six inches apart. The length of line in the first is
two feet four inches and in the second two feet nine inches. Both inscriptions refer to the cisterns.
One records that one cistern is the gift of Samika, a merchant of Sopara; the other that the other
cistern is the gift of a goldsmith Sulasdatta of Chemula, the son of Rohini Mitra. The letters are of
the time of Vasishthiputra (A.D. 133-162) or perhaps a little earlier. After passing two great rocks
in the stream bed and up some notches in the rock, is number 8, a water cistern, and beyond it
Cave 9, a large plain room with four thick square columns in front. It is unfinished and forms the
lower story of Cave 10 above.
Cave 10.
Following the ravine, a long flight of steps leads to Cave 10 generally called the Darbar Cave,
the next largest cave to 3. Its arrangement differs greatly from that of most other caves. The
frontage is a long veranda 72' 6" by 8' 4" supported outwardly upon eight octagonal columns. A
little chapel at the eastern end has some figures of Buddha and attendants. Three doorways and
two windows communicate with the inner hall which is a long rectangular room, the same length
as the veranda. Round the two sides and back of this inner hall runs an aisle separated from the
room by pillars. In a shrine, that stands out from the middle of the back wall across the full depth
of the aisle, is a large seated figure of Buddha, and in the back walls of the aisles are two small cells.
The most curious feature in the cave are two long low seats or benches running down the whole
length of the centre. They seem to show that, like the Maharvada at Elura, the cave was used as a
place of assembly or as a school. [This cave is especially interesting as its plan more nearly
resembles that of the hall erected by king Ajatashatru (B.C. 543?) to accommodate the first
convocation at Rajagriha (Rajgir in Behar) than that of any other known cave. It is not a monastery
or vihar in the ordinary sense of that term, but a dharmshala or place of assembly. According to the
Mahavanso (Turnour, 12), " Having in all respects perfected this hall, he had invaluable carpets
spread there, corresponding to the number of priests (500), in order that being seated on the
north side the south might be faced; the inestimable pre-eminent throne of the high priest was
placed there. In the centre of the hall facing the east, the exalted preaching pulpit, fit for the deity
himself was erected." So in this cave the projecting shrine occupies precisely the position of the
throne of the president in the above description. It is occupied, in the present case, by a figure of
Buddha on a lion seat, with Padmapani and another attendant. In the lower part of the hall where
there are no cells is a plain space, admirably suited for the pulpit of the priest who read bana to the
assembly. Other caves of this sort are the Nagarjuni at Barbar, Bhim's Bath at Mahavallipur, the
Maharvada at Elura, and probably cave 20 at Ajanta. Fergusson and Burgess Cave Temples,
353.] In this cave are two inscriptions one much older than the other. On the left wall, outside the
veranda and above a recess over the cistern, is a minute inscription of sixteen lines, six feet four
inches long, with part of another line and two half lines. Where not defaced it is tolerably distinct,
and seems to be written in letters of about the fifth century. The language is pure Sanskrit and the
whole inscription is in verse. It records the excavation of the cave by a merchant whose name is
gone. In the fourth line he is described as famous among the millionaires of the great city of
Chemula, as one whose widespread fame had bathed in the three seas. In the fourteenth line is
mentioned the grant, to the Kanheri friars, of a village called Shakapadra [The village is probably
Saki near Povai. It is mentioned as aupatyayika, that is situated at the foot of the hill, on the lower
slopes or upatyaka as opposed to the upper hill land or adhityaka. The first letter of the name is
50
doubtful. It may either be ga or sha.] at the foot of the hill. In the last part of the inscription some
account is given of a preceptor, acharya, named Kumar. The other inscription is on the architrave
over the veranda colonnade. It consists of three upper lines eleven feet long, three lower lines
eleven feet seven inches long, and two additional lines five feet six inches long, to the left of the
three lower lines and on the same level. It is faintly cut but distinct, and the letters apparently
belong to about the ninth century. The inscription records an endowment, akshaya nivi, of 100
drammas by a great Buddha devotee from Gaud (Bengal) or Upper India, on the second day of the
dark half of Margshirsh (December-January) in the Prajapati year, after seven hundred and
seventy-five years, in figures Samvat 775, of the Shak king had passed, during the victorious and
happy reign of Amoghvarshdev, the great sovereign, the great king of kings, the noble lord,
meditating on the feet of the great sovereign, the chief of kings, the majestic lord, the illustrious
Jagattung; and during the flourishing and victorious reign of Kapardi, king of the Konkan, who by
Amoghvarsh's favour has gained the five great titles, a jewel among the chiefs of districts,
meditating on the feet of Pulashakti, the gem of the great chiefs of districts............. [Arch. Sur. X.
61.] On the wall, cut in thick plaster, to the right of the middle door, are some records of English
visitors with the dates 1697, 1706, 1710, and 1735.
On the opposite side of the ravine, Cave 70 has a long inscription of about the same date as
that over the pillars in Cave 9 and very likely from the same hand.
Cave 11.
The next cave on the original side is Cave 11, which is further up the ravine and is hard to get
at, as the path climbs the rock for some distance, runs across for about twenty yards, and again
falls to the original level. It consists of a veranda supported outwardly on two small pillars, an
inner room about fourteen feet square, and a chapel with a large relic shrine in the centre.
Opposite Cave 11, on the other side of the ravine, is Cave 79. Next to Cave 11 on the original side is
Cave 12, a plain small room with a veranda and a water cistern on one side. On the left wall,
outside the veranda and over a large recess, is an inscription of about ten lines, five feet six inches
in length. The letters, which are of the time of Vasishthiputra (A.D. 133-162), are deeply cut, and,
where they have not peeled off, are distinct. They record the gifts of a cave, a cistern, a seat and a
sleeping bench by an inhabitant of Kalyan, (name gone), a merchant, son of Shivmitra. There is a
further gift of clothes and karshapanas and one pratika a month to the friars who lived in the cave
in the rainy season. [Karshapanas and Pratikas are coins. The karshapana was of different values; if
of gold it weighed sixteen mashas; if of silver it was equal in value to sixteen panas of cowries or
1280 cowries; if of copper it weighed 80 raktikas, or the same as of gold, about 176 grains.
According to some the copper Karshapana is the same as a pana of cowries, that is 80 cowries.
The pratika appears to be equal in value to the silver karshapana, that is sixteen panas of cowries.]
Caves 12-13.
Over against this is cave 80. Cave 13 is a group of three or four broken caves with some ruined
relic mounds. In this cave some interesting discoveries were made by Mr. West in 1853. In the
centre of the floor, which was covered with earth, were found the foundations of four small relic
shrines of unburnt bricks. In one of these foundations, which seemed to have been undisturbed
since the destruction of the shrine, fragments of clay seals were found representing a sitting
Buddha surrounded by ornaments. Further search showed many similar impressions in dried clay,
also several impressions of round seals of various sizes bearing inscriptions. Some larger
fragments of dried clay which had been moulded into peculiar forms, were discovered to have
been the receptacles in which the inscription seals had been imbedded. The larger fragments of
dried clay were found to be portions of six varieties of seal receptacles. The impressions of
inscription seals were laid face to face in pairs, and one pair was imbedded in each receptacle.
They were small round pieces of dried clay with a flat face bearing an inscription in relief,
evidently the impression of a clay with a flat seal, and a rounded back, which bore the impression
of the skin markings of a human palm, showing that the clay was laid upon one hand while the seal
was impressed with the other. [Mr. West found sixty-eight seal impressions of various sizes, being
the impressions of twenty-two different seals. The number of impressions of each seal were, No. 1
seven impressions, No. 2 two, No. 3 ten, No. 4 three, No. 5 five, No. 6 five, No. 7 three, No, 8 three,
No. 9 one, No. 10 one, No. 11 six, No. 12 four, No. 13 two, No. 14 two, No. 15 three, No. 16 three, No.
17 one, No. 18 one, No. 19 one, No. 20 one, and No. 21 one. There was one not figured and two
were illegible.]
51
An examination of the most distinct of the seal impressions showed some words of the
Buddhist formula, and this led to the deciphering of the whole inscription. On many of the other
seals, the inscriptions, though differently divided into lines, were precisely alike, and represented
in letters of about the 'tenth century, the well known Buddhist formula. One seal had an inscription
in sixteen lines, the last three of which were found to be the Buddhist formula. All the impressions
representing a sitting Buddha seemed to have been made with the same seal as the same defects
occurred in all. The figure was represented cross-legged under a canopy, surrounded by
ornaments and with three lines of inscription beneath it. Portions of seventy distinct impressions
of this seal were found in Cave 13 of which two were broken, fifty-five were pieces containing the
whole sitting figure, the rest were in smaller fragments. The flat faces of the impressions were
painted red, while the round backs bore distinct impressions of the skin markings of a human
hand, showing that the seal was impressed in the same manner as the inscription seals. [Similar
impressions in dried clay exist in a museum at Edinburgh where they are labelled as coming from
Ceylon, and similar impressions in lac are figured in Moor's Hindu Pantheon and stated to exist in
the museum of the East India Company. The meaning and use of these seals is well pointed out by
Dr. Rajendralal Mitra (Buddha Gaya, 121). Little clay votive relic shrines were kept in store by the
priests to be given to pilgrims and the value of the memorial was increased by bearing the seal
impression of an image of Gautama or of the Buddhist creed. The dedication of relic shrines in
sacred places was held to be most meritorious. Those who could not afford to make real relic
shrines offered small models of stone or of clay. At Sarnath, Sanchi, and Mathura thousands of clay
models, not more than three inches high have been found. At Buddha Gaya the models were almost
all of stone. Some of the clay models were stamped with the Buddhist seal and others with the
image of Buddha. A cheaper form of offering was a small tile stamped with a relic shrine and the
Buddhist creed.]
There were a variety of fragments of moulded clay found with the seal impressions. It was
doubtful what they represented, but several of them, fitted upon others, formed mushroom-
shaped ornaments which would fit on to the broken tops of the receptacles. One was a fragment of
a larger umbrella-shaped canopy; another appeared to be one-half of a mould for casting coins,
bearing the impression of a coin which might possibly be a very rude representation of a man on
horseback. A brass or copper earring was found imbedded in a small ball of ashes.
Two stone pots were found buried in the earth between two topes. They were of laterite or
some similar stone, and had covers fitting a sunken ledge on the top of the pots. Each of them held
about a table spoonful of ashes, one pot had three copper coins and the other two copper coins. Of
the coins, the first three appeared to have been little worn and were covered on both sides with
well cut Arabic letters which differed in each coin, though all three bore the date H. 844 coinciding
with A.D. 1440-41. The latter two were much worn and the inscriptions were difficult to read and
contained no date. [Mr. West in Jour. B. B. R. A. S. VI. 157-160.] On the other side of the
watercourse are caves 81 and 82.
Caves 14-15.
Still following the ravine and crossing an upward flight of steps is Cave 14, a well finished cave
but infested with bats and bad smells. The shrine off the back of the hall has a little antechamber
with two slender pillars in front. The roof has remains of plaster. Opposite Cave 14 is Cave 83. Over
the cistern corner of Cave 14 a rough path leads to Cave 15, an unfinished cave that seems to have
contained a built relic mound. On a tablet, cut on a detached rock between Caves 14 and 15, is an
inscription of four lines one foot four inches long. It is deeply cut and complete but not very
distinct. The letters, which are of the time of Vasishthiputra (A.D. 133-162), record the dedication
of a pathway by one Kumar Nand (or son of Nanda?) of Kalyan. Opposite to this, on the other side
of the ravine, is Cave 84.
Caves 16- 19.
Cave 16 is a small cell cut in the rock with a relic shrine. There are traces in it of red plaster.
Cave 17 is open in front with a group of cells walled off in one end, and a low bench running round
two of its sides. Across the ravine are Caves 85 and 88. Cave 18 is a water cistern and Cave 19 a
small cell. On the left wall of the porch of Cave 19 is a faintly cut and rather indistinct inscription of
2� lines three feet long. It is cut in letters of the time of Vasishthiputra (A.D. 133-162) and records
52
the gift of a cave by a recluse (name gone, perhaps Asad), brother of the reverend Vir, who also
gave an endowment from which to supply a garment to the monk living in the cave.
Caves 20-21.
Cave 20 is a broken cavern with some low benches. Cave 21 is rather a good cave with a
cistern on the right and a projecting porch supported outwardly by two pillars with cushion
capitals. Beyond the porch is the veranda, the hall twenty-six feet ten inches long by twenty-two
feet four inches wide, and the shrine with a seated figure of a teaching Buddha. There are
Padmapanis on each side and Buddhas in the side niches with angels about. The most curious
feature in this cave is a figure of Padmapani, on the right of a seated Buddha, in a niche to the west
of the porch with eleven heads. Besides his proper head he has ten smaller heads arranged in three
rows above, four in the central row and three on each side of it. There is also a litany group, like
that in Cave 2, but much damaged. On some plaster to the right of the shrine door are the painted
outlines of several Buddhas.
Dam.
At this point the ravine widens into a large basin and has, across its mouth, the remains of the
massive stone dam of which mention has already been made. On a detached rock, between Caves
21 and 22, is an inscription about the making of the dam. It is deeply cut and distinct, but most of
the first line and part of the second have peeled off. The letters are of the time of Vasishthiputra
(A.D. 133-162) and record the gift of a reservoir by a merchant named Punaka.
Caves 22-28.
Continuing in the same direction is 22, a small cave, neatly cut, with a veranda and a cell
furnished with a sleeping bench. Cave 23 is a long straggling excavation much like 13 with some
benches along the back wall; Cave 24 is a small cell; 25 is the beginning of a cave and 26 another
small cave; 27 which comes next was meant to be large, but never went much beyond a beginning.
In front are two half-cut pillars with cushion capitals. Some little distance lower is 28 which is of
no importance.
Caves 87-78.
From this, as 29 is back towards 3, it is best to return by the other side of the ravine taking the
caves from 87 to 78. Cave 87 is a little room and veranda with a water cistern'; 86 is similar in plan
but rather larger; 88 is the beginning of a cave up above between 85 and 86; 85 is a small room
much ruined; 84, which has a cistern, is like 85, and has a figure of Buddha in a niche in the back
wall and one of the more modern inscriptions; 83 is a long straggling cave with a row of six cells in
the back wall and the remains of one or more built relic mounds. 82 is a small broken cave; 81 is a
neat little cave with a long inscription and a doorway and little lattice window on either side. The
veranda is open and pillarless. 80 originally included three rooms, which are now broken into one
another and much destroyed; 79, a plain little room with a veranda and two pillars, is apparently
unfinished. In the back wall is a long rectangular niche with a number of small seated Buddhas. In
the inner dark chamber of cave 78, on the front of a pedestal or altar before a sitting figure, is an
inscription of four letters. The surface of the stone is much honey-combed and the first two letters
are illegible. The letters are of the time of Gotamiputra II. (A.D. 177-196), or a little later, and the
language may be Sanskrit. On the architrave, over the veranda colonnade, is another inscription in
Sanskrit of two sets of five lines, each line seven feet long. Each line is over the space between two
pillars and the short line below is on the capital of a column. The first part, which is inscribed in
letters of the ninth century, records the gifts, by the reverend Nainbhikshu, of an endowment of
100 drammas to the friars living in the large monastery of Krishnagiri during the reign of Kapardi
(II.), king of the Konkan, the humble servant of Amoghvarsh, Shak 799 (A.D. 877). Near the above
but separated by a line to avoid confusion is another inscription which seems to mean: During the
reign of Pulashakti, governor of Mangalpuri in the Konkan, the humble servant of (the
Rashtrakuta) Amoghvarsh beloved of the world, the great devotee Vishnuranak, the son of
Purnahari, living on the lotus-like feet (of the king)", requests the honourable brotherhood (of
monks) living in Krishnagiri to 'Read three leaves of the revered (books) Panchvinshati and
Saptasahasrika.' Vishnuranak gave 120 drammas to keep up this sacred reading. On the left wall,
outside the veranda of Cave 81 over a recess, is an inscription of twelve lines, each line three feet
nine inches long. It is cut rather deep and is fairly distinct, the last four lines being clearer and
53
probably later than the rest. It records the gift of a cave and cistern by the devotee Aparenuka, son
of Ananda, inhabitant of Kalyan, on the fifth day of the 1st fortnight of Grishma (April) in the
sixteenth year of Gotamiputra Yajnashri Shatakarni (A.D. 177-196). Also of 200 karshapanas and a
field in the village of Mangalthan [Mangalthan is the present deserted village of Magathan whose
site lies about three miles west of Kanheri hill. It has Buddhist caves and remains. A large plot of
land is still marked in the survey maps as Kanherichi jaga or Kanheri's land. See below
Magathan.] (Sk. Mangalasthana), as an endowment to provide sixteen clothes and one pratika a
month during the rainy, season. On the right wall, outside the veranda of cave 82, is an inscription
of probably more than five lines, originally three feet three inches long. It is cut rather deep, but
the rock is honeycombed and weather-worn so that in places the letters are very indistinct. About
three letters are wanting at the end of the first line and a corresponding number below. The letters
are of the time of Gotamiputra II (A.D. 177-196), and record a gift by a nun (name gone), the
disciple of some reverend friar. On the right wall, outside the veranda of Cave 84 and above a
recess over a cistern, is an inscription of eight lines, three feet three inches long. It is faintly cut on
a tablet surrounded by an ornamental border, the surface of the tablet being much corroded. The
letters are of about the fifth century. It probably records the gift of a cave.
Cave 29.
About fifteen yards to the north of, and on a much higher level than, number 3 the cathedral
cave, is 29, an ordinary sized cave with a hall twenty feet nine inches by eighteen feet five inches. A
low bench runs round two sides of the hall, and the walls are adorned with numerous Buddhas,
seated on lotus thrones supported by Naga figures. There is a plain open window on the left of the
hall door and a latticed window on the right. The cave is provided with the usual water cistern on
one side. On the inner wall of the veranda, over and between two grated windows, is an inscription
of one line seven feet six inches long, and of seven lines three feet one inch long. The inscription,
which is deeply cut on a rough surface and tolerably distinct, records, in letters of the time of
Grotamiputra II. (A.D. 177-196), the gift of a cistern and a cave by a merchant Isipal (Sk. Rishipal),
son of Golanaka, inhabitant of Kalyan, and (the gift) of a field in the village of Saphad as an
endowment from which to supply a garment to a monk during the rains, and, in the hot season, a
monthly grant of one pratika, and, from what remained, to make an awning, mandap. [The word in
the original is mandap, by which is perhaps meant a temporary bower-like structure in front of the
cave to ward off the summer sun.]
Caves 30-34.
30 and 31 are small caves of little interest. 32 differs in plan from any cave except 45. A long
veranda is supported along the front on four plain thick octagonal pillars. Instead of having the
doorway of the hall in the centre of the back wall of the veranda it is pushed towards one end, the
other end being occupied by a group of cells. Two oblong windows, much larger than usual, light
the hall, one on either side of the doorway; and, further along the wall, another similar window
opens into the cells. Round two sides of the interior of this hall runs a low bench. A water cistern is
attached to this cave. Passing up the steps between 30 and 31, keeping to the left, is 33, a much
damaged cave with a water cistern and long benches against the rocks outside. 34 is a small cave
with two pillars supporting the front of the veranda, and two little lattice windows, one on either
side of the doorway, admitting light into the little room.
Cave 35.
Cave 35, next in size to 10, has the floor considerably raised above the outer court and has a
well cut flight of steps leading to the veranda. The front of the veranda is supported on four thick
plain octagonal pillars. Between each of the pillars, except the middle pair, is a low bench with a
back that forms a low parapet wall from pillar to pillar. The outside of this wall continues straight
down to the floor of the court. The upper part is adorned with the Buddhist rail pattern and an
upper horizontal edging of festoons, which, in timber fashion, are shown as if resting on the cross
beams of the veranda floor, the square ends of which are allowed to project a little beyond the face.
These again rest on a long horizontal beam which runs the whole length of the front of the cave,
the beam itself resting upon vertical props which at intervals rise from the ground. [This
construction is well represented at Nasik where gigantic figures, half of whose bodies are above
ground, supported the ends of the horizontal cross beams on their shoulders.] The veranda walls
are covered with representations of Buddha in different attitudes. A central and two smaller side
54
doorways enter on a large hall, forty-five feet six inches by forty feet six inches, with a bench
running round three sides and cells off the two side walls. These inner walls are also covered with
sculptured figures of Buddha and Padmapani. A good water cistern is attached to the cave. From
35 the path leads up the rock, over the cistern near 33, southwards, across an upward flight of
steps, about fifteen yards to 36 a much damaged cave.
Cave 36.
Outside the veranda on the right and left walls of cave 36 are two inscriptions. The right
inscription of seven lines, three feet eight inches long, is faintly cut on a somewhat honeycombed
surface. The lines seem to have originally been ten inches longer and in this part have become
illegible. The left inscription, probably of eight lines three feet six inches long, is faintly cut on a
honeycombed surface and is indistinct. Both inscriptions relate to the same subject and have the
same date. The names of the donors are different. The inscription runs: ' In the eighth year of king
Madhariputra the lord Shirisena, in the sixth fortnight of Grishma (April) on the tenth day, a
merchant householder, the son of Venhunandi, merchant, living in Kalyan, made this cave of Satta
(?) with the respectable...., with his father Venhunandi, with his mother Bodhisama, with his
brother.... hathi, with an assembly of all co-religionists.' On the left wall, outside the veranda and
near a recess over a cistern, is a third inscription of ten lines three feet long. It is faintly cut, on a
rough surface exposed to the weather, in letters of about the time of Gotamiputra II. (A.D. 177-
196). It records the gift of a cave, a cistern, and a bathing cistern by Lavanika, wife of Ayal (Sk.
Achal), a merchant, son of Nandana and inhabitant of Kalyan, and of an endowment of
300 karshapanas. The inscription also mentions something done in the Ambalika (monastery?) in
Kalyan.
Caves 37-38.
Further in the same direction, passing a dry cistern, is 37, a small cave with two front pillars
broken away. It has a latticed window on either side of the doorway to the inner room and a
cistern outside. On the rock, near the entrance to the open gallery (38), is a deep cut and distinct
inscription of one line fifteen inches long. At a little distance below it, to the left, is this
symbol□□, 10� inches square and apparently of the same age.
Galleries 38-41.
The four long open galleries, under the south-western brow of the hill, 38, 39, 40, and 41,
though rarely visited, have several objects of interest. From the Tulsi side, 38 is the first to come in
sight, as the path passes under it about a mile from the Cathedral Cave (No. 3). Like the three other
galleries, 38 seems to be an enlarged natural hollow in the face of the cliff, where a band of soft
rock lies between two harder layers. The harder belts are blackened by the rain, while the soft
band has worn into dust and been blown away, leaving a long hollow under the brow of the hill,
where the rock, being sheltered from the rain, keeps its natural sandy colour. [Many such hollows
occur in the valleys to the north-east of the caves, Some of them have been enlarged by art, but it is
most difficult to get at them.] The only safe entrance to 38 is from above, where a path, cut in the
rock and furnished with steps, crosses the lower plateau of rolling ridges, and may be reached
either down the steep slope of 55, or by keeping below the terrace wall in front of 36. Following
this path southwards, it turns suddenly to the right over the brow of the precipice, alongside which
it descends by broken steps cut in a semi-detached rock, which end in another rock-path leading
north to 39 and south to 38, The path to 38 goes down some steps and up others to the level of the
floor of the gallery, and is soon sheltered by the rock above. The floor of the gallery is covered with
brick-dust, the foundations of fifteen to twenty small brick topes or relic mounds buried in their
ruins.
Stone Stupa.
Beyond the brick ruins are the remains of a large stone tope, and, behind the stone tope, are
three small chambers, with much sculpture, greatly decayed owing to the perishable quality of the
rock. The first chamber has a group on both sides and at the back, each consisting of a large sitting
figure with attendants, two of the attendants in each group being life-size. Between the first and
second chambers is a small sitting figure with two larger figures below. The second chamber has a
sitting figure with attendants on the left wall; a standing figure with attendants on the back, and
several small sitting and standing figures on the right. The third chamber has a standing figure
55
with attendants on both side-walls, a sitting figure with attendants on the back, and, outside, the
remains of some sculptures. All these chambers have remains of plaster and traces of paint.
Beyond the large stone tope, the floor of the gallery suddenly rises about fourteen feet to a short
level space, on which are the foundations of eleven small brick topes, buried in their ruins. Another
rise of three feet leads to a level containing the foundations of thirty-three brick topes, also buried
in their ruins. These topes have been built on a platform paved with brick, and in some places the
rock above has been cut to make room for them. Brick ruins, the remains of other topes, extend
beyond the fourth chamber, which is semicircular, with a small ruined relic shrine in the centre
and a small recess at the back. From this point, brick disappears for about eighty feet, the floor
beginning to rise past another semicircular chamber, above the level of the gallery, with a small
rock relic shrine in the centre and an umbrella-shaped canopy cut in the ceiling. It then passes a
relic shrine in bas-relief and the beginning of a cell, where broken bricks again appear and go on
for about two hundred feet, no doubt covering the foundations of brick topes. The floor of the
gallery then rises rapidly to the end, where a bench is cut in the rock, commanding a fine view of
Bassein. Near the end of the gallery are three recesses, with benches from six to ten feet above the
level of the floor; and below the first recesses are three sockets cut in the rock for fixing, wood
work. A rock-path formerly passed the end of the gallery, leading to steps up the hill. But the first
part of this path has slipped down the cliff and communication is cut off.
Of the numerous topes in this gallery, the ruins of the large stone tope have been fully
explored, and many of the brick topes have been cleared. In 1853 the large stone tope presented
the appearance of a heap of dust and stones decaying into bluish earth, which had probably not
been disturbed for ages. It was noticed that one or two of the stones were covered with small
sculptured figures, and the whole heap was carefully turned over and cleared in search of
sculptures. The result was the discovery of the lower part of a large tope, built of stone, differing
from the neighbouring rocks, and of some architectural merit. This stone tope has been a sixteen-
sided polygon for a greater height than the present ruins, and above that it must have been
circular. The many sided base of the tope, which measured about twenty-two feet in diameter, was,
for twenty-seven or twenty-eight feet from the ground, ornamented with level belts or friezes of
sculpture, separated by narrower bands of tracery, and, perhaps, divided into panels by upright
pillars and pilasters. Too little of the tope is left to show for certain the number of tiers or friezes of
sculpture which encircled the base. There seem to have been nine tiers or belts, several of which
were sculptured into figures or tracery. Portions of the two lowest belts remain in their original
position; the other fragments that have been recovered were found scattered among the ruins. The
lowest belt seems to have been plain and less than an inch broad. The second belt was about two
inches broad and had figured panels. One of these (Mr. West's 1), measuring eighteen inches
square, has a central and two side figures. The central figure is a broken spirit or Yaksha-like form,
which with both hands steadies on its head a relic shrine, apparently a copy of the tope. Its many
sided base seems carved into six level belts and supports a semicircular cupola, from the centre of
which rises a tee of five plates each plate larger than the one below it. On either side of the central
tope bearer are two larger human figures, and behind are damaged figures which seem to bring
offerings in dishes. Mr. West's fragment two, which he thinks may belong to a higher belt, is about
six inches broad, it has two rows of heading, and is divided into three small panels. On the right
(visitor's left) is a central kirtimukh or face of fame with a boy and an elephant's head on both
sides. The next panel is a man holding a rosary, beyond him are two elephants' heads neck to neck,
and at the end is a panel of tracery. The next four fragments (Mr. West's 3, 4, 5, and 6) perhaps
belonged to a fourth belt about six inches broad. They are groups of lions, tigers, cattle, and deer,
peaceful and undisturbed, showing how under Shakyamuni's influence the lion and the lamb lay
down together. Mr. West's fragment seven, which he thinks may have belonged to the fifth belt, is
about nine inches broad. Above is a scroll of tracery about three inches broad, divided by upright
lozenge panels. Below is a plain rounded moulding, about six inches broad. The sixth frieze was
about eighteen inches broad. What remains of it in its place is plain. But Mr. West thinks that the
groups of figures in his fragments 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 may have belonged to this belt. In
fragment eight (3' 6" x 1' 3" x 7") in the extreme right (visitor's left) a man, probably an ascetic,
without ornaments, and with his hair standing out from his head in a great circle of curious tufts,
sits under a tree on a stone bench, perhaps draped with cloth ; his right leg is drawn up across the
bench and his right hand holds near his chest a short broad-bladed dagger. His left leg rests on the
ground and his left hand is set on his left thigh. On the ascetic's left a man, who has dismounted
from his horse, kneels on stones before the ascetic, and, with joined hands, seems to ask his help.
56
This figure has a curious shock head of hair falling below the ears, or it may be a cap, and wears a
waistcloth tied in a knot behind, and a belt or waistband. His horse, a sturdy long-tailed cob, has a
bridle without a head-piece, a saddle except for its high pommel much like an English saddle, a
girth and two belts, one passing round the chest the other under the tail. To the left of the horse
the ascetic apparently again appears though the head-dress is a little different. He is seated and
rests his right hand, in which lies something perhaps bread, on his right knee, and he holds up his
open left hand as if forbidding. A male figure, apparently the same as the kneeling figure in the last,
stands with shock hair and a dagger in his right hand, and something, perhaps bread, in his left
hand. Behind and above, a woman seizes the hands, and a man the feet, of a male figure who
struggles to get free. It is difficult to make out the meaning of this group. Perhaps two travellers
have been waylaid by thieves, one is carried off, the other escapes. The traveller who escapes goes
to a holy man who takes from him his sword and gives him food to offer the thieves and induce
them to give up his friend. To the left (visitor's right) of this group the stone is bare and worn. It
was once written with letters of the fourth or fifth century. One letter ko is still plain. On the same
slab, separated by a plain pilaster, is a group of three figures under a tree. In the back ground a
standing man, his hair tied in a double top-knot and with a plain necklace and bracelet, blows a
conch. Below on the left (visitor's right) a woman, with big round earrings, a necklace, and a top-
knot, kneels holding her hands in front. On her right is a kneeling male figure with a double top-
knot and bracelet with something broken, perhaps a musical instrument, in his raised left hand.
The object of worship, which these figures are reverencing, has gone. Fragment ten measures 2' x
1' 3". In the right (visitor's left) is a standing woman with a sword in her left hand, and, behind her,
another woman. These figures are separated by a pillar square below and rounded above, in the
fourth or fifth century style. To the left (visitor's right) of the pillar, under a tree, is a standing
woman, with bracelet, waistcloth, and anklets. Her right hand is on her breast and her left is raised
to pluck the leaves of a tree. Behind her is a man's face and two male figures stand in the back
ground. On her left is a seated figure, apparently an ascetic, with his hair in the dome-coil
or jata style, no ornaments, and his waistcloth passed round his knee. His right hand is up to his
chest and held something which is broken. His left hand is stretched forward and seems to clutch a
sword, which is held in the right hand of a male figure, who seems to be running towards him. This
figure, whose head-dress, like a three-plaited tiara, seems to show that he is a king, wears a
necklace and armlet, and a waistcloth which falls in a tail behind. A woman, perhaps the same as
the woman to the right of the ascetic, with a big earring and back-knot and an anklet, kneels in
front and clasps the king's right knee as if in fear. The king seems to brandish his sword as if about
to kill the woman, and with his left hand tries to free the sword from the ascetic's grasp. On the
king's left a woman, standing under a cocoa-palm, clutches his waistcloth and seems to try to hold
him back. On her left is a running figure with a royal tiara, brandishing a sword in his right hand
and his left hand set on his left hip. The story of this group seems to be that a king's wife, the
standing woman on the ascetic's right, has left her home to live in the forests with the ascetic. Her
husband comes in search of her, and, finding her, threatens to kill her, while the ascetic clutches
his sword and the wife throws herself at his feet asking for pity. In the right of fragment eleven,
which measures 2' 2" x 9", is a seated teaching Buddha under a tree, and, on his right, a seated
disciple in the attitude of thought. A man, with a second man on his shoulders, comes from the
right and behind them is a band of women dancing and singing. Behind the dancers are lotuses,
and, in the extreme right is a dwarf carrying a dish on his outstretched hands. In fragment twelve
(2' x 8") in the right panel are elephants and trees, and in the left (visitor's right) panel a man on a
barebacked horse with two attendants in front with shields. Fragment thirteen (which measures 1'
6" x 6") is a line of six small broken male figures, some seated, others standing. In fragment
fourteen (9" X 7"), an elephant with two riders enters from the right. Before it goes a man on foot
with a shock head of hair and a coarse waistcloth. He carries a dagger in his right hand and a long
shield in his left hand. Four more fragments (15-18) are believed by Mr. West to belong to a higher
belt. They are panels (about 2' 2" X 9") divided by pillars, in the Elephanta Cave style, showing
groups of Buddha, alternately teaching and in thought, with, in each case, two attendant fly-whisk
bearers. Two more fragments (19 and 20) measure 1' 6" x 6" and 2' x 5''. Nineteen is part of a belt
of festooned drapery and twenty has an overhanging belt of rosebuds above and a plain
withdrawn band below. The character of the figures, the shape of the letters, and the style of the
pillars, seem to show that these sculptures belong to the fourth and fifth centuries. [Of Mr. West's
20 fragments of this tope, Nos. 8, 9, and 14 are in original in the Museum of the Bombay Branch of
the Royal Asiatic Society. Of two others (14 and 15), which are in the possession of the executors of
57
the late Dr. Bhau Daji, plaster of Paris impressions are in the Society's Museum. The rest are
probably still at Kanheri.]
At some time after the building of the tope, the sculptures were covered with a thin coat of
white plaster, on which the features of the figures were painted in red lines, which do not always
correspond with the original features. After the lower sculptures had become broken, a circular
brick moulding was built round the basement, so as to hide the two lower friezes; it was covered
with a thin coating of white plaster. Besides the sculptures, three flat stones were found, bearing
portions of an inscription on their circular faces. These stones probably formed a part of the upper
circular portion of the tope, below the level where it began to round into a cupola. Many plain
stones were also found of the proper shape for forming portions of the cupola. A stone moulding
was also found among the dust round the tope. It is a part of the polygonal port ion, and bears an
inscription in Pahlavi letters, cut in vertical lines, and without diacritical points. The letters are
finely but superficially cut, like those in the inscription on the three stones above-mentioned, and
the inscription extends over only four lines. It reads, ' The year 390 (A.D. 1021) of Yazdakard
Shatraiyar. Mah Frobag'. On another stone of the relic shrine is an inscription of which only two or
three detached letters can be read. It appears to have consisted of seven vertical lines on a flat
space between two groups of sculpture; but the surface of the stone is so decayed that the letters
are just sufficient to show that the words have been Pahlavi. The tope was probably solid, the
inner portion being of stone cut from the neighbouring rocks. It had already been broken open and
the square hole in the rock had been emptied of its relics.
Brick Stupas.
The foundations of all the brick topes that have been cleared are of three sizes, six feet, five
feet three inches, and four feet six inches in diameter. They are solid, of large flat segmental bricks
shaped in moulds on the outside, and of square flat bricks within. All the brick work has been
covered with a thin coat of white plaster, which does not appear to have been painted., As eight of
these topes were carefully searched without any relics being found, it is probable that the place of
deposit was in the cupola, which, in every instance, was destroyed. In two of the cleared topes a
small plain stone was found occupying the place of a portion of two courses of the brickwork just
above the mouldings, and this probably existed in all. A similarly shaped stone was found among
the broken brick between the topes which had an inscription on its circular face. Many square
stones cut in steps, and with a square hole through them, were found among the broken bricks and
evidently formed ornamental tops for the topes. The great number of these brick topes, there must
have been at least 100 of them, makes it probable that they held the ashes of the priesthood and
that this gallery was the burying-ground of the monastery. [Mr. West in Jour. B. B. R. A. S. VI. 116-
120.]
Inscriptions.
On the circular edges of three flat segmental stones, which were dug out of the ruins of the
large built and sculptured stone tope were three inscriptions one of two lines, another of two lines,
and a third of one line. The sizes of the circular surfaces of the stones were respectively 18 � by
5� inches, twenty inches by 5�, and 21� inches by six. The inscriptions were cut in five lines
upon a smooth surface. The beginning of all the lines was distinct, but the stone was corroded at
the right end of the second and third inscriptions. They are probably parts of one inscription and
the beginnings of the lines were originally in the same vertical line. The first portion begins with
the date 921 (A.D. 999) Ashvin shuddha. [These letters were probably carved by some visitor to the
caves. The stone bearing this inscription is in the Bombay Asiatic Society's Museum.] Thera was
another inscription on one of the friezes of this tope alongside the sculptured representation,
perhaps of a road robbery, where some faint traces of more ancient letters were barely visible. On
the face of a stone, 8� inches by 4� inches and 9 inches deep, found among the ruins of a brick
burial mound in the open gallery 38, is a three line inscription. The first two lines were distinct,
except the third letter in the second line, but the lower line was much decayed. The letters belong
to the fifth or sixth century. In the first line occurs the name of an old friar Aiashivnaga (Sk.
Aryashivnaga). On the back wall of open gallery 39, is an inscription of one line six feet nine inches
long, written in letters of the time of Gotamiputra II. (A.D. 177-196). It is deep cut, but on a
honeycombed surface, and records the gift of a cave.
Caves 42-43.
58
A little above 13 and 14, close to the steps that run between them, is cave 42, much inferior to
it in execution but, in plan, closely resembling Nasik cave 3. The pillars, though now broken, have
had the same pot capitals surmounted by the flat tiles and groups of pictures. These groups remain
attached to the ceiling and one of the pot capitals lies on the ground. The pilasters at either end
have a central lotus rosette, with a half rosette above, and the neck between is cut into three large
flutes. These are very poor, and, like the pillars, show inferior and careless workmanship. Instead
of the usual large hall, two rooms of equal size open from the veranda, each by its own doorway. A
low bench runs round two aides of each room. Close by, separated only by a broken partition wall,
is 43, a plain cave, with two octagonal pillars in front of the veranda, and a small square hall with a
figure of Buddha cut in a niche in the back wall. On each side of the central doorway is a little
lattice window and a cistern. On the right of the entrance over the mouth of the cistern is an
inscription of eight lines. The letters are of the time of Gotamiputra II. (A.D. 177-196) and record
the gift of a cave and cistern by an old nun, the disciple of the reverend Ghos. There is also the
record of an endowment of 200 karshapanas from which to give sixteen clothes and one pratika a
month.
Caves 44-49.
Cave 44 is broken and unfinished. It differs from the rest by having a small chapel in each of
the three inner walls of the hall, the fronts of each chapel being supported upon two pillars. There
is a cell at either end of the veranda and a cistern outside. Cave 45 is identical in plan with 32. The
long veranda is supported outwardly by four square pillars with octagonal necks that pass from
the ceiling about one-third down their shafts. At either end of the veranda is a Buddha with
attendants, and in a niche in the back wall is a seated Buddha. 46, 47, 48, and 49 are small caves,
the last much destroyed. Outside the veranda on the left wall of cave 48 is an inscription, of five
lines, originally three feet four inches long. The letters, which are of the time of Gotamiputra II.
(A.D. 177-196) are clear but not deep cut. The lines are complete at the right hand end, but on the
left the rock has peeled off. The upper lines are more indistinct than the rest. It seems to record the
gift of a cave and an endowment of some karshapanas from which to supply a monk with a
garment during the rainy months. On the left wall outside the veranda of cave 49 is an inscription,
probably of nine lines, which may have been four feet long. It is very imperfect, indistinct, and
faintly cut. The few legible letters show that, like the last, the inscription is of the age of
Gotamiputra II. (A.D. 177-196).
Beyond 49, passing over the rock to the south, is 50, a neat cave with a cistern, double
veranda, a ruined front wall and a bench running round three sides of the interior. Further, in the
same direction, comes 51, a tolerably large cave with a nicely finished front. The outside of the
parapet is of much the same style as 35. Cave 52 is plain but very neat. On the right wall, outside
the veranda of cave 52 and above a recess over a cistern, is an inscription probably of 9 � lines,
three feet four inches long. It is deeply cut, in letters of the time of Gotamiputra II. (A.D. 177-196),
but on a honeycombed surface.
Caves 50-66.
The upper three lines and part of the next two have peeled off, and it is difficult to make out
anything of what remains. Cave 53 is like 52. On the right wall, outside of the veranda and above a
recess over a cistern, is an inscription of eleven lines, three feet four inches long. It is deep cut, but
on a honeycombed surface, and the centre has peeled off. The letters, which are of the time of
Gotamiputra II. (A.D. 177-196), record the gift of a cave. Across a small torrent from 53, are caves
54 and 55, small and unimportant. From 55 the path runs back to the north-east, where, above 45,
is 56, about the cleanest cave on the hill. It is of fair size and makes an excellent dwelling. As in
many of the other caves four octagonal pillars support the front of the veranda; a low bench runs
round two sides of the interior, two lattice windows aid in lighting the hall, and there is a cell in
one corner with a small window opening into the veranda. In front, a fine open terrace with stone
couches, commands a beautiful view of the sea, Bassein creek, and Bassein. There are two
inscriptions in this cave. Outside the veranda, on the left wall and above a recess over a cistern, is
one of eleven lines, three feet four inches long. It is cut to a moderate depth, but, owing to the
honeycombed state of the rock, is not very distinct and part of the centre has peeled off. The letters
are of the time of Gotamiputra II. (A.D. 177-196) and record the gift of a cave and an endowment
by a Kalyan worshipper (name gone). On the pilaster, at the right end of the veranda, is the other
inscription of 6� lines, one foot seven inches long. It is faintly cut and indistinct, and is very
59
modern (9th or 10th century). A groove has been cut through its centre at a still later date to fix
some wooden framing. The inscription refers to something done in the old cave, probably the
setting up of some Brahmanic or Jain image.
Caves 57-59.
57 is much decayed. 58 is a small but neatly cut cave in good preservation. On the inner wall of
the veranda of 58, and to the left of a grated window, is an inscription of two lines, three feet long.
It is deep cut, distinct, and perfect. The letters are of the time of Vasishthiputra (A.D. 133-162). It
reads, 'The meritorious gift of a cave named Sea View (Sk. Sagara Pralokana) by the reverend elder
Mitrabhuti' This cave is rightly named Sea View as it commands a fine stretch of the Bassein creek
and of the sea beyond. 59 is like 58. On the back wall of the recess over the cistern mouth is an
inscription of three lines originally two feet nine inches long. It is deeply cut and distinct, but about
five letters in the first line, three in the second, and two in the third have peeled off. The letters are
of the time of Vasishthiputra (A.D. 133-162) and record the gift of a cave and (cistern) by a nun
named Damila. The rest cannot be made out. On the inner wall of the veranda of the same cave,
and above a small grated window, is an inscription of one line, five feet three inches long. It is
clear, though not deeply cut, and all the letters are perfect; three small letters under the line can
also be easily read. The letters are of the time of Vasishthiputra (A.D. 132-162), and the inscription
records the gift of a cave and a cistern by a nun Damila of Kalyan.
Cave 60-66.
60 is plain and larger than the last two; it has a low bench running along one of the inner
walls. 61 is like 60 but smaller; 62 is unfinished. A small chapel in the back wall has two pillars
supporting its front. It is probably the antechamber of a shrine that was never begun. Caves 63 to
68 run parallel to these, on a higher level. Of late years almost all of these caves have been used as
dwellings by Jogis and other ascetics. The last Jogi died two or three years ago and they are now
(1881) deserted. 63 is a large well cut cave in the style of 35. 64, a fairly large cave, has had its
front pillars broken away. The veranda walls are covered with sculpture, and two large oblong
windows light the hall which is a large plain room with a low bench round two sides. On the back
wall of a recess over a cistern mouth, to the right of the entrance of cave 64, is an inscription
probably of six lines, faintly cut and indistinct. The two lowest lines have disappeared, and nearly
half of the third and fourth lines is illegible. The letters are of the time of Gotamiputra II. (A.D. 177-
196). It records the gift of a cistern by the recluse Jamadevika, daughter of the very rich Shivtana
(Sk. Shivtanu) and the mother of Mahasakdeva. 65 is small and much ruined. 66 is rather an
interesting cave from the amount and nature of the sculpture. It has the best representation of the
Buddhist ' litany' that occurs at Kanheri. The arrangement of the little groups is much the same as
in cave 2. Padmapani has two female attendants one on either side. The fourth compartment from
the top on the right side represents a man on his knees praying for deliverance from a fire, in the
middle of which is a human head. The figures are generally cut with greater spirit and more
variety of pose than in cave 2; they are also in much greater relief. The rest of the wall is covered
with relic shrines and figures of Buddha on his lotus throne upheld by Nagas. In the back wall is
cut a throne for a seated Buddha, but the seat is empty and a wretched attempt at a ling supplies
its place.
On two of the outer pilasters and on the wall just above the cistern are three Pahlavi
inscriptions, the work of Parsi visitors of the eleventh century. [These inscriptions run, (1) In the
name of God. Through strong omens and the good Judge this year 378 of Yazdakard, on the day
Auharmazd of the month Mitro (10th October 1009) there have come to this place the co-
religionists Yazdan-panak and Mahaiyyar sons of Mitraaiyyar Panjbukht and Padarbukht sons of
Mahaiyyar, Mardanshad son of Hiradbahram, and Hiradbahram son of Mardanshad, Mitraaiyyar
Son of Bahrampanah, and Bahrampanah son of Mitraaiyyar, Falanzad and Zadsparham sons of
Aturmahan, Nukmahan, Dinbahram, Bajurgatur, Hiradmard and Behzad sons of Mah........... (2) In
the name of God, in the year 378 of Yazdakard, the month Awan and day Mitro (24th November
1009) there have come to this place the co-religionists Yazdanpanak and Mahaiyyar sons of
Mitraaiyyar, Panjbukht and Padarbukht sons of Mahaiyyar, Mardanshad son of Hiradbahram, and
Hiradbahram son of Mardanshad, Mitraaiyyar son of Bahrampanah, and Bahrampanah son of
Mitraaiyyar, Falanzad and Zadsparham sons of Aturmahan, Nukmahan, Dinbahram Bajurgatur,
Hiradmard and Behzad sons of Mahbazae, and Bahrampanah son of Mitrabandad. In the month
Atur, Auharmazd son of Avanbandad died, (3) In the name of God, in the month Mitro and day Dino
60
of the year 390 of Yazdakard (30th October 1021), there have come from Iran to this place Mah
Frobag and Mah-aiyyar sons of Mitraaiyyar, Panjbukht son of Mahaiyyar, Mardanshad son of Hirad
Bahram, Behzad son of Mitravindad, Javidanbud son of Bahram-gushnasp, Bajurgatur son of
Mahbazae, Mahaiyyar and Bandesh sons of Hiradfarukho, and Mahbandad son of Gehankhash, the
listener to instruction. Arch. Sur. X. 62-65.]
Cave 67-76.
In the rock under 66 is a cave whose front is nearly filled up. 67, a small cave with much
sculpture like that in 66, has a shrine in the back wall of the hall with a life-size seated Buddha
with numerous little figures on the shrine walls. 68 the last of this group is a small plain cave
neatly finished. On the left wall, outside the veranda is an inscription of seven lines, deeply cut and
distinct but the upper lines partly defaced. The letters are of the time of Gotamiputra II. (A.D. 177-
196) and record the gift of a cistern and a cave (?). The name and residence of the giver have been
lost. He seems to have been a recluse named [Bu] dhak. A little way down the hill to the north-west
is 69, a plain much damaged cave. There is an inscription in this cave mentioning the eighth year of
some king but too faint and worn to be read. 70 is a larger cave but much destroyed. On the left
wall outside the veranda are two inscriptions one above the other, of seven and four lines
respectively, originally six feet three inches long. The upper inscription is deep cut and distinct
except at the top and left end. There is a blank space in the fifth line. The lower inscription is
faintly cut and in places indistinct, the last two lines being very faint. The words used closely
resemble Sanskrit and the language, though Prakrit, differs much from the Prakrit of the other
inscriptions. 71 is smaller and in equally bad order; 72 is a large well finished cave probably of late
date with a shrine and seated Buddha; 73 and 74 are much decayed; 75 is a plain cave in rather
better order than either of the last two. On the right wall outside the veranda of cave 75 is an
inscription of eight or nine lines originally three feet long. It is deep cut, and tolerably distinct,
though on a rough surface; the upper two or three lines and much of the other lines have peeled
off. The letters are of the time of Gotamiputra II. (A.D. 177 -196) and appear to record the gift of a
cave and cistern perhaps by the daughter of Samaka. 76 is much ruined, but on the right wall
outside its veranda is a deep cut and clear inscription. The rock is rough and the upper two or
three lines and much of the other lines have entirely peeled off. The letters are of the time of
Gotamiputra II. (A.D. 177-196) and record the gift of a cave and cistern by a recluse the daughter of
Ramanaka, beloved of his family and inhabitant of Dhenukakata and the disciple of the old
reverend monk Bodhika. She also gave an endowment from which to distribute sixteen clothes. 77
is much like 76. It is only about twenty yards to the east of 35. On the right wall outside of its
veranda and over the entrance to a side chamber is an inscription of five lines originally six feet
long. It is rather faintly cut on a rough surface. Nearly the whole of the first line, and about
eighteen inches of the left end of the second line have peeled off, with a corresponding portion of
the following lines. The letters are of the time of Gotamiputra II. (A.D. 177-196) and record the gift
of a cave....................by the mother of Khandnagasataka...............
Caves 89-102.
On the left of the entrance of cave 77, on the back of the recess over the cistern, is an
inscription of ten lines, three feet six inches long. It is faintly cut on a honeycombed surface, very
indistinct and almost completely illegible. The letters are of the time of Gotamiputra II, (A.D. 177-
196) and appear to record the gift of a cave. The ten next, 78 to 88, have been mentioned on the
way down the ravine from 28. The remaining caves are 89, south of 66, on the edge of the stream-
bed, which is not worth a visit. 90 and 91, between 36 and 50, are both much ruined; 92 is a little
to the south-east of 3 the cathedral cave; 93 and 94 are close to the stream across from 8 and 7;
and 95, 96, 97, and 98 are ruined caverns and cells further up the ravine bank. 99 is a small cave
near 44. 100 is high in the rocks over against 24 and 26, and 101 and 102 are broken cells in a
great black hillock on the east of the hill above 100. On the back of a bench, the remains of cave 94,
on the north side of the ravine opposite cave 7, is an imperfect inscription of two lines. The bench
is ten feet six inches long, but only three feet six inches of the end of the last line of the inscription
are legible. The inscription is deep cut, but the surface of the rock is much honeycombed and
weather-worn. The letters are of the time of Gotamiputra II. (A.D. 177-196), and, in the second line,
there appears the name of a village perhaps Gorpad. On the back of a low bench, along the flight of
steps just above cave 95, is a deep cut distinct and perfect inscription of 2� lines, three feet nine
inches long. It is of the time of Vasishthiputra (A.D. 133-162) and seems to refer to the dedication
61
of a pathway by a Chemula goldsmith Dhamaka, the son of Rohanimitra (and brother of the giver
of the cistern in cave 7). The pathway consists of a long flight of steps beginning on the side of the
stream bed opposite the cistern recess of cave 5, and climbing the northern hill as far as the ruins
of the great relic mound. Above a recess, over a bench in the left veranda of cave 96, is an
inscription of two unequal lines, three feet eleven inches and four feet eight inches long. Though
faint and somewhat rude the letters are distinct and perfect. It seems to record the gift of a field as
an endowment by the merchant Mudapal (Sk. Mundpal) son of the devotee Vhe(nu?)-mitra. The
letters are of the age of Gotamiputra II. (A.D, 177-196). Outside cave 99, on the left wall, above a
recess over a cistern mouth, is an inscription of six or more lines originally three feet long. It is
deep cut but indistinct, the rock being much decayed. About one foot eight inches of the left end of
the inscription and all the lower lines have disappeared. It records the gift of a cave in the eighth
year of some reign probably that of Gotamiputra II (A.D. 177-196). There is an inscription of one
line on the front of a small low platform cut in the surface of the rock near the top of the main hill.
The platform is six feet long, but there are no letters on the first eighteen inches. The letters are
very new and seem to have been scrawled by some nineteenth century ascetic.
Besides the caves, interesting remains crown the fiat tops both of the main spur and of the
smaller knoll to the north of the narrow ravine. Above the tiers of caves the upper slope of the
main hill is in places cut into cisterns and crossed by long roughly traced flights of steps. Along the
flat top are cut a line of quarries and cisterns, and, in several places, scattered lines of large
dressed stones lie as if bought together for some large building.
Remains.
Along the eastern crest of the hill run the foundations of a wall, and, near it, are one or two
mounds covered with blocks of dressed stone apparently the remains of relic shrines or of burial
mounds. Further along, towards the south, is a quarry with blocks of dressed stone, some ready to
be taken away, others half cut as if the work of building had been suddenly stopped.
To the north of the small stream-bed, behind the line of caves, a flight of eighty-eight shallow
roughly-traced steps leads from the south up a gentle slope of rock. Along each side of this flight of
steps three clusters of prickly-pear bushes mark the sites of what seem to have been small temples
or relic shrines. Most of these sites are too ruined to show the form of the building that stood on
them. But enough of the third site on the right hand is left to show that it stood on a stone plinth
about seventeen feet by twenty-two, and apparently rose in steps into a central building of brick
and stone. Close to this ruin is a little rock-cut cistern. The building to which the flight of steps led
is completely ruined and thick covered with brushwood. It seems to have been a round building of
dressed stone, with a diameter of about forty feet, surrounded, at a distance of about twenty-four
feet, by a rail or stone-wall apparently square. In a hollow, about fifty yards to the west of this
mound, lie some large broken pillars, and behind them is a hole which seems to have been worked
as a quarry. A second knoll, about fifty yards further west, seems to have once been crowned by
another burial mound or relic shrine. Behind these knolls a deeply wooded ravine cuts off the
Kanheri spur from the main Kaman range. Beyond the wooded ravine the rocky scarp of Kaman
seems to have been cut into several cave mouths.
Worship.
To the common people the caves have no connection with Buddhism. The people have fully
adopted the Brahman story that the caves are the work of the Pandavs. Several of the figures are
worshipped, notably the two huge Buddhas on either side of the entrance to the Cathedral Cave
(No. 3). Their feet are reddened with pink powder and spotted with yellow. But the figures are
respected not for the sake of Buddha, but because they are believed to represent Bhim the giant
Pandav. Besides Hindu visitors, Parsis and Christians come to see the caves during the dry season.
Fairs.
There are two yearly fairs, one on the eleventh of the bright half of Kartik (November -
December) the Divali of the gods, and the other on the Mahashivratra or great night of Shiv, the
thirteenth of the dark half of Magh (January-February). On both occasions, Brahmans, Gujars,
Vanis, Sutars, and Marathas come to the number of about 1000, bathe in the ponds near the hill,
examine the caves, and worship the ling in cave 66. Sweetmeats and other articles worth from
62
�10 to �20 (Rs. 100-Rs. 200) are sold in the Darbar Cave (No. 10), which is also called the Market
or Bazar Cave.
Kanheri Fort, in the village of Modgaon eighteen miles northeast of Dahanu, stands on a hill
about 500 feet high. The walls, which are from ten to twenty feet high, though ruined, are of
excellent masonry.”
END OF EXTRACT.
63
References:
Bibiliography
1. James Campbell’s ‘Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency- Volume XIV; Thana- Places
of Interest’ originally written by W.B. Mulock in 1882. Pages 121 to 191. Reprinted in
1896.
2. Dr. S. Gokhale ‘Kanheri Inscriptions’. Deccan College Post- Graduate & Research
Institute. Pune, 1991.
3. V. M. Mani’s pamphlet ‘Guide to Kanheri Caves’.
4. Dr. Suraj Pandit’s ‘Stories in Stone’. Sahyadri books, 2013.
5. Dr. Suraj Pandit’s online lectures hosted by ‘SARMAYA.IN’
Image sources:
Most pictures were sourced online in May 2021. References are given against each
individual image for further information. All images which have been sourced from personal
resources, are gratefully acknowledged. Some of the more important e-sites used for the
online images of Kānheri caves are as follows:
6. kevinstandagephotography.wordpress.com
7. purattatva.in
8. cavesofindia.org
9. indianculture.gov.in
10. wikipedia.org
THANK YOU.
64

Kanheri Caves - A Virtual Site Visit

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ASSIGNMENT ON CULTURAL HISTORY

M.A. PART 2, SEMESTER IV

KĀNHERI CAVES – A VIRTUAL SITE REPORT

1. About the site 03

VIRTUAL VISIT- All caves 1 to 109 included in latest numerical order 20

12. The Great Caitya cave 23

17. ASI documents 38

19. Press release of February 2016 43

Image 1.1: Panaromic view of entrance to Kānheri caves.

Image source: worldatlas.com

The exquisitely carved sculpture of

Even though the lower part of the

On the left is the 5th century CE

(Image source: puratattva.in)

The 118 caves spread over approx. 5.76 kms (4 miles)

Location of Kānheri leṇi with respect to:

Entry gate of Sanjay National Park

Best time to visit Kānheri leṇi site:

Walking on the park trail:

A chital i.e. spotted deer

Trek to Kānheri leṇi:

Steps from end of trail

Left image 3.3: Darbar cave/ Kānheri Cave no. 11 exterior.

(Image source: wikipedia.org)

Image source: indianculture.gov.in/gazettes

Initial vihāra excavations:

Image 5.1: Overview of vihāras

Kānheri cave nos. 19 to 30 and

A few have inscriptions, like cave

The concrete railing seen here is

(Image source: culturaltrip.com)

Image 6.1: Kānheri Cave no. 90

Avalokiteshvara from the Gupta Period, 6th century CE.

Central figure of the composition, is attended upon by 2

Image source: puratattva.in

How vast was the Kānheri monastery?

(Image source: puratattva.in)

Image 8.3: The brick stūpas mostly range in

22 small stone inscriptions have been found

(Image source: awanderingmind.in)

Association with Shreṇi system or merchant guilds:

Kānheri leṇi rain- water harvest:

Image 11.1 (extreme left, top):

Water channels outside the cave lead the

Image 11.2 (left, top):

Cisterns or water tanks at different levels

Image 11.3 (bottom):

Channels on even the inside of the

*None of the newly discovered 7 caves of 2015 have a

Image 12.1: Entrance to the caves

Kānheri Cave no. 1:

The two pillars at the exterior are similar to

Started out as a two- storey creation but was

Built in 6th century CE. It is the first cave one

(Image source: thrillophilia.com)

(Image source: wikipedia.org) (Image source: cavesofindia.org)

Kānheri Cave no. 2:

The 2 stūpas that still remain in Kānheri

Image source: cavesofindia.org