Must-See: The 2,000-Year-Old Caves In The Middle Of Our Concrete Jungle

Bang in the middle of our urban jungle, at the juncture of the JVLR and the Western Express Highway, are the Jogeshwari caves, which date back to the sixth century AD.

Just imagine: a 2,000-year-old rock-cut cave in the middle of Mumbai’s suburban area, right at the juncture of the JVLR and the Western Express Highway, and no one seems to have heard about it. When I visited it a month ago, I was dazzled. A huge cave complex, with a central hall, a temple, an outside chamber and several interconnected passages, the caves are surprisingly large and steeped with both religious and historical significance.

The Archaeological Survey of India {ASI} has done an excellent job of cleaning up the place and removing encroachments – as can be testified by the broken remains of the illegal buildings around it. According to the ASI board, the caves were excavated in the 6th century AD. Those with a mind for history and architecture should definitely visit – at both the cave entrances we can see the remains of what was a richly carved maha dwaar {door}, decorated with sculptures and inscriptions.

The structure and layout of the caves are both amazing, and really awed us with their majesty.

I hit the road by cycle to get to the caves at 6am, a time I would recommend since I skipped the terrible traffic and enjoyed the cool morning. The area is clean, safe and populated – the temple ensures that the area is never too isolated.