Kondivite Caves | |
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Location | Andheri (East), Near Caves road, Mumbai |
Coordinates | 19°07′50″N72°52′27″E / 19.130436°N 72.874133°E |
Elevation | 70 m (230 ft) |
Geology | Basalt |
Entrances | 20 |
Difficulty | easy |
Pilgrimage to |
Buddha's Holy Sites |
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The Kondivite Caves, also Mahakali Caves, are a group of 19 rock-cut monuments built between 1st century BCE and 6th century CE. [1]
This Buddhist monastery is located in the eastern suburb of Andheri in the city of Mumbai (Bombay) in western India. [2] The monument consists of two groups of rock-cut caves – four caves more to the north-west and 15 caves more to the south-east. Most caves are viharas and cells for monks, but Cave 9 of the south-eastern group is chaitya. Caves in the northwest have been created mainly in the 4th – 5th century, while the south-eastern group is older. The monument contains also rock-cut cisterns and remnants of other structures.
Caves are carved out of a solid black basalt rock, (volcanic trap breccias, prone to weathering).
The largest cave at Kondivite (Cave 9) has seven depictions of the Buddha and figures from Buddhist mythology but all are mutilated. [3]
It is located near the junction between the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road and SEEPZ. The road that connects these monuments to Andheri Kurla Road is named Mahakali Caves Road after it. The caves are located on a hill that overlooks the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road and the SEEPZ++ area. [4] A Direct bus run by the BEST links the caves with Andheri station. The caves were in danger of being encroached upon, but now it is steel fenced on the roadside and walled on the hillside.[ clarification needed ]
Jogeshwari is a suburb located in the western part of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is notable for its caves - 'Jogeshwari Caves', particularly one containing a shrine of the Hindu Goddess Jogeshwari, Lord Shiva and the deity Hanuman. It belongs to the K/E Ward of Mumbai.
The Mumbai Metro is a rapid transit (MRT) system serving the city of Mumbai and the wider Mumbai Metropolitan Region in Maharashtra, India.
The Kanheri Caves are a group of caves and rock-cut monuments cut into a massive basalt outcrop in the forests of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, on the former island of Salsette in the western outskirts of Mumbai, India. They contain Buddhist sculptures and relief carvings, paintings and inscriptions, dating from the 1st century CE to the 10th century CE. Kanheri comes from the Sanskrit Krishnagiri, which means "black mountain".
Vihāra generally refers to a Buddhist monastery for Buddhist renunciates, mostly in the Indian subcontinent. The concept is ancient and in early Sanskrit and Pali texts, it meant any arrangement of space or facilities for dwellings. The term evolved into an architectural concept wherein it refers to living quarters for monks with an open shared space or courtyard, particularly in Buddhism. The term is also found in Ajivika, Hindu and Jain monastic literature, usually referring to temporary refuge for wandering monks or nuns during the annual Indian monsoons. In modern Jainism, the monks continue to wander from town to town except during the rainy season (Chaturmas), and the term "vihara" refers to their wanderings.
Mumbai Suburban district is the second most populous district of Maharashtra in the Konkan Division. With its administrative headquarters in Bandra, the district consists of three subdivisions or tehsils (townships): Kurla, Andheri, and Borivali. The district along with Mumbai City district and other suburban localities make up Greater Mumbai. The district occupies an area of 446 km2.
The Mandapeshwar Caves is an 8th Century rock-cut shrine dedicated to Shiva located near Mount Poinsur in Borivali, a suburb of Mumbai in Maharashtra, India. The caves were originally Buddhist viharas.
Aurangabad district, officially known as Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar district, is one of the 36 districts of the state of Maharashtra in western India. It borders the districts of Nashik to the west, Jalgaon to the north, Jalna to the east, and Ahmednagar to the south. The city of Aurangabad houses the district's administrative headquarters. The district has an area of 10,100 km2, of which 37.55% is urban and the rest is rural. Aurangabad District is a major tourism region in Marathwada.
Mahakali is the Hindu goddess of destruction and doomsday.
Indian rock-cut architecture is more various and found in greater abundance in that country than any other form of rock-cut architecture around the world. Rock-cut architecture is the practice of creating a structure by carving it out of solid natural rock. Rock that is not part of the structure is removed until the only rock left makes up the architectural elements of the excavated interior. Indian rock-cut architecture is mostly religious in nature.
The Western Express Highway, abbreviated to WEH, is a major north–south 8-10 lane arterial road in Mumbai, India, stretching from the suburb of Mira Road to Bandra. The 25.33 km (15.74 mi) highway begins near the Mahim Creek and extends to the Kashimira in the northern limit of the city till it connects National Highway 48 at Ghodbunder village. The road connects the city of Mumbai to its suburbs, including the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.
Bhaja Caves are a group of 22 rock-cut caves dating back to the 2nd century BC located off the Mumbai - Pune expressway near the city of Pune, India. The caves are 400 feet above the village of Bhaja, on an important ancient trade route running from the Arabian Sea eastward into the Deccan Plateau. The inscriptions and the cave temple are protected as a Monument of National Importance, by the Archaeological Survey of India per Notification No. 2407-A. It belongs to the Early Buddhist schools in Maharashtra. The caves have a number of stupas, one of their significant features. The most prominent excavation is its chaitya, a good example of the early development of this form from wooden architecture, with a vaulted horseshoe ceiling. Its vihara has a pillared verandah in front and is adorned with unique reliefs. These caves are notable for their indications of the awareness of wooden architecture. The carvings prove that tabla – a percussion instrument – was used in India for at least 2300 years, disproving the centuries-held belief that the tabla was introduced to India by outsiders or from Turko-Arab. The carving shows a woman playing tabla and another woman, performing dance.
The Eastern Express Highway, abbreviated to EEH, is a 23.55 km (14.63 mi) city express highway serving the cities of Mumbai and Thane. It is one of the busiest and most important roads in the Mumbai Metropolitan Area and is a part of the National Highway 48. It is a north–south artery of Mumbai connecting the city proper to the eastern suburbs and to the metropolitan area of Thane. For most of its course, it is 6 lanes wide with over a dozen flyovers/grade separators.
Kannamwar Nagar is a locality situated in Vikhroli east, on eastern express highway. Kannamwar Nagar is on the eastern side of the Vikhroli railway station and is known for buildings built by MHADA. It is considered as one of the biggest housing colonies in India and one of the biggest workers housing colonies in Asia.
The Western Suburbs is the western precinct of the city of Mumbai, India. The Western Suburbs consist of Andheri, Bandra, Bhayander, Borivali, Dahisar, Goregaon, Jogeshwari, Juhu, Kandivali, Khar, Malad, Mira Road, Santacruz and Vile Parle. Geographically, the Western Suburbs lie at the western part of Salsette Island, is a continuous urban sprawl spanning the areas from Bandra to Bhayander, which is separated by the Vasai Creek from Vasai-Virar city and Mithi River from Mumbai city district.
East Mumbai consists the localities of Bhandup, Ghatkopar, Kanjurmarg, Kurla, Mulund, Nahur, Powai, Vidyavihar and Vikhroli. To the south-east lie the neighborhoods of Chembur, Govandi, Mankhurd, and Trombay.
The Jogeshwari–Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR), is a 10.6-kilometre-long (6.6 mi) 6-lane road with a central median in Mumbai which connects the Western Express Highway and Eastern Express Highway providing speedier access from Jogeshwari in the Western Suburbs to Vikhroli in the Eastern Suburbs. It was opened to traffic in 1994, and widened from two to six lanes in 2012 at a cost of ₹221.45 crore. The under-construction Line 6 of the Mumbai Metro is being constructed on this link road.
Line 6 (Pink Line) of the Mumbai Metro is a rapid transit metro line in the city of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The 14.477 km (8.996 mi) elevated line will connect Lokhandwala Complex with Vikhroli and will have 13 stations.
The Buddhist caves in India. Maharashtra state Aurangabad Dist. Ellora caves form an important part of Indian rock-cut architecture, and are among the most prolific examples of rock-cut architecture around the world. There are more than 1,500 known rock cut structures in India, out of which about 1000 were made by Buddhists, 300 by Hindus, and 200 by Jains. Many of these structures contain works of art of global importance, and many later caves from the Mahayana period are adorned with exquisite stone carvings. These ancient and medieval structures represent significant achievements of structural engineering and craftsmanship.
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