Quite a spectacle the Mahakali Caves are the remains of one of the oldest Buddhist monasteries of Mumbai. The carvings and the knowledge of Buddha and Buddhist mythologies that this place house makes it quite an interesting place to visit.
These caves also go by the name Kondivite Caves and they are a complex of 19 odd rock-cut monuments excavated between the 1st century BCE and the 6th century CE are hidden in the concrete jungle that Andheri is today. Standing testimony to the Buddhist past of the city, the Mahakali Caves or the Kondivite Caves complex consists of various viharas, rock-cut water cisterns and stupas. The proximity of Kanheri (in today’s Sanjay Gandhi National Park) to the Mahakali Caves suggests that there could have been another Buddhist congregation associated with the larger one at Kanheri. The caves are dotted with a few Pali inscriptions and the rock-cut Buddhist iconography of later periods.
In spite of being situated in the heart of Mumbai city, these caves are serene and peaceful.
