A weekend trip to Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai and Kanheri Caves

Set up in the year 1969, Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai is now spread over 104 square kilometre and is also home for 2400 years old Kanheri caves. The very fact that such a place exists in Mumbai is in itself quite phenomenal, and unfortunately many of the city's residents have never been here or make frequent visits here. To me this park can serve the same purpose as New York's central park, only that Sanjay Gandhi National park is way more natural and beautiful. 

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I thinking he is planning to build a house here!


Watch a video of my recent trip to the National Park here!

 

My visit to the National Park with friends

I spent a lazy Sunday afternoon at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai with my close friends, expecting nothing and coming back really happy and satisfied. In fact, I had absolutely no clue about the place, and when my school friend Ankush suggested a trip while we lazed at his place, both Ruchi (his wifey) and me agreed. I was keen to go out and click and the weather was pleasant enough for an excursion.

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One of the smaller caves from outside
sanjay gandhi national park kanheri caves
The carvings, admittedly I clicked very few of these
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Ruchi inside one of the most intricately carved cave

Kanheri Caves

Kanheri Caves are a collection of about 110 Buddhist caves (seriously in Mumbai!) spread over the park and they are a must-visit for any traveler! These caves have a long history and date from 1st century BCE to 10th century AD, when this area was a key centre of learning for the Buddhist monks. The caves are rather simple in design, especially when you compare them with other Buddhist caves in Maharashtra like Ajanta-Ellora and Elephanta caves.

Most of the caves have carvings, except cave 34 which also has some unfinished paintings of Buddha.

The place is maintained well and is quite clean (though nothing can be done now with the scribbled names on the walls everywhere). They are located about 7 kilometres from the main gate and the best way to get there is by taking a park bus.

sanjay gandhi national park kanheri caves
The huge Buddha!
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There were very few people, I caught these two women as they ran away from my camera :)

Hike in Sanjay Gandhi National Park

Of course we were more ambitious and since Ankush was already a regular we decided to trek to a hill which looked far far off! The trek was nice, though often slippery (post monsoon moss) and the view from top is stunning. As you cross the hill and go on the other side, you can even see the Vihar and the Powai Lakes. Absolutely no one comes here, and the silence is heavenly. I smoked while the husband-wifey struggled to keep off each other :) Their chemistry was absolutely amazing and it shows in all the pictures I clicked that afternoon.

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The first of the series - tum kahan kahan kahan...
sanjay gandhi national park mumbai borivili
Oh my god! These guys are actually kissing 70s style :)
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At this moment I left them alone...not sure what happened next :)
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Ruchi looking pretty, the lakes make awesome background

See these before the moral police (the husband-wifey duo) forces me to remove such lovey-dovey stuff from such a public space :)

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Those are my cheap shoes...
sanjay gandhi national park mumbai borivili
The lakes, the city beyond...
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Matheran, no?
sanjay gandhi national park mumbai borivili
The trek!

Comments

  1. Amazing photographs...all green...i have never imagined such a place near mumbai....would love to visit there...

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  2. Gorgeous shots ... and what a lovely place! Wish it wasn't so far away!

    Greetings Irene

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  3. Yes. This is one of the best things about Mumbai! We have a piece of nature in our midst and its always super empty cz no tourists seem to be interested :P

    Its best to visit National park during the rains, you know? I feel so sad to have been there just 2 times in all these years.. :( And if you are want to have more mini-treks, there are so many spots around the suburbs :)

    The pictures are fantastic! You have captured the feel pretty perfectly :) and yea, ruchi and ankush look abs awesome :) The last 3 pictures are breathtaking though =)

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  4. Didn't know there's such a place in Mumbai! Gorgeous! This word is getting too redundant in your blog. LOL

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  5. Lovely place and great shots.

    www.rajniranjandas.blogspot.com

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  6. Very nice pictures from that country! Thanks to sharing

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  7. BEAUTIFUL photos! It's very nice to somewhere not expecting much, and being so happy that you went!
    Very nice!

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  8. Uffff... how marvelous!
    Congratulations for the report.
    Warm hug.

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  9. both thumbs up dude! liked the lovey dovey capture.

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  10. Nice! I haven't trekked much around Bombay post-monsoons.. but I do remember the time I and a hostel-mate sneaked through the gates behind IIT to cross a hill and reach the Vihar lake - it was beautiful. Of course, Powai lake was much more accessible and much less fun.

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  11. Great Pictures..Siddhartha!!

    When you were clicking the pictures of Buddha..didn't you feel a bit ironic..'Siddhartha shooting Budha'!! :)

    Never been to Mumbai...A lot to explore yet!

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  12. Great photographs Siddhartha! Love the vintage feel to those romantic scenes :-)

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  13. Really! all this in Mumbai?

    Btw I absolutely loved the couple pics and the captions made it even more fun.

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  14. Why do I only get to see the shoe? :P I liked the shoe :)

    And Sid, amazing photographs...it gave me a very "ooty" kind of feel...may be because that's how I imagine hills...

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  15. Nice shots and a lovely place too...and I loved the chemistry that they have..they look so cute together :)

    Awesome clicks Sid ;)

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  16. What a beautiful place to hike and explore. I would feel humbled to be in a place with such antiquity. Nice to see a couple so in love with each other.

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  17. Those Buddhist caves must be amazing to wander through...

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  18. Wonderful shots and a lovely place! Would like to have a house there too:-)
    Happy weekend!

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  19. las fotos de las cuevas son excelentes por lo que muestran como por su realización. un lugar para ver sin dudas

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  20. @Rahul: Not even near Mumbai, its right within the city :)

    @Irene: Yes its a lovely place...

    @Express: I agree, there are some awesome places around Mumbai! I want to explore them all...though sadly I don't get to visit Mumbai much.

    I am glad you liked the pictures, I was so amazed with the place that I clicked very little :) Only later when we relaxed on the hilltop I used my camera well...

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  21. @Rahul: Not even near Mumbai, its right within the city :)

    @Irene: Yes its a lovely place...

    @Express: I agree, there are some awesome places around Mumbai! I want to explore them all...though sadly I don't get to visit Mumbai much.

    I am glad you liked the pictures, I was so amazed with the place that I clicked very little :) Only later when we relaxed on the hilltop I used my camera well...

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  22. @eyeinthesky: Haha...thanks man :)

    @RNiranjanDas: Thank you :)

    @FabioMartins: Thank you :)

    @PatTillett: Exactly, its so much nicer to be surprised like this :)

    @teca: Thank you :)

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  23. @Shruti: Yes the lovey-dovey capture :)

    @Abhijit: I have heard of similar story from a friend frm IIT who did the same. Of course they then got caught by the police patrol police :)

    @Kunal: Now that you say it, I think it was :) Thanks for saying this, brings quite a smile to me :)

    @Dominic: :) The scenes sre really so romantic...most of it is candid so I guess it works better...

    @Purba: Exactly, all this in Mumbai! It was quite a pleasant surprise for me also :)

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  24. @Chintan: Trust me, the shoe is way better :)

    I guess it does feel 'Ooty', perhaps because of the saturated green...

    @theothersideofme: Yes, awesome chemistry :) btw they are going to print a few and frame them :)

    @parker: Yes, you are right! The place has history and nature, all together...a humbling experience...

    @journeyphotographic: They were stunning, and there are so many of them that there just isn't enough time. Next time I will travel alone and explore the caves more...

    @Spiderdama: Yes, a house there would be wonderful :)

    @ricardo: Thank you :)

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  25. Nice shot of Buddha. Lake views and nature shots are magnificent.Your friend seems to be enjoying himself - Did you catch them unawares?

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  26. Lovely shots! Looks like just the kind of place you want to while away at on a Sunday evening.

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  27. Lovely pictures and amacing nature. But most of all I love the pictures of youre friends! They are lovely! :-)

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  28. @RRamakrishnan: I did catch them unawares in many pictures and those are the ones they also liked the most :)

    @Dhiraj: Thanks buddy!

    @Shivya: Exactly, especially if you are in Mumbai :)

    @Anita: I agree, the people look the best...nature photography is trickier :)

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  29. it's always so refreshing to see mumbai green and the couple shots are so cool!

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  30. loved the post, the photographs and being part of them :) lots more places to explore around- get M and we will have more fun together! thanks!!

    ruchi & ankush

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  31. @joshidaniel: I agree, green Mumbai totally rocks...and the couple was absolutely fabulous :)

    @ankush: Thanks that you allowed your pictures to be used so blatantly for blog promotion :) :) :)

    And surely we will do much more exploration, and I will get M also :)

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  32. wow the place looks really fab, love your clicks, and esp the two woman running away :P ... lol...

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  33. Thanks Manachery (is that your name?)...its much easier to take decent pics when the place is fabulous and people so amazing :)

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  34. Hi Siddhartha! Sorry for the absence, but these last two months have been rather nasty! My mother (90) was in hospital for more than three weeks and the post-surgery was hard! My father (94) seemed to be an orphan while my mother was out and felt into some kind of depression... The economy is a disaster and the media only bring bad news... The € Euro is rescued every day, only to be known that it needs to be rescued again and again next morning... What else? Well, maybe «Midnight in Paris»... The problem is that the Gil there is a different one... ;)

    I saw; you can remove... ;))

    Blogtrotter Two wanders currently around pre-historical Corsica, where it seems all this will be leading to... ;) Enjoy and have a wonderful week ahead!

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  35. You'd do well to become a photographer for weddings and engagements. Those pics are really superb!!

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  36. @Trotter: Lots of sad news and I hope everything works out fine for you and your family! The silver lining is that you are traveling still, and traveling to some absolutely awesome places :)

    @Jules: That would be a good, but I can't just do that! Unless they get married at some historical monument :)

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  37. Beautiful photos and your comments/descriptions made it really funny. Particularly the 70's style kissing one - God, I almost cried laughing!

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  38. I'm in awe at the top shot. What a place, great photos.

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  39. @Ash: Hahaha...we were all also laughing so much too while taking those pics, had to struggle to keep the camera stable :)

    @JM: Thanks a lot, the place really was superb!

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  40. wow they are really lovely shots...and the couple..well *tocuhwood* :)

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  41. First time on your blog :)
    Great pics, wonderful photography :)
    Lovely couple, made me go all "awwww"!! :)

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  42. @confusedsoul: Thank you, and yes the couple is awesome :)

    @TheUpdater: Great to have you here, and thank you for liking the pics :)

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  43. Simply beautifully captured shots...lovely!

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  44. Beautiful!!!
    Very nice!!
    Maravillosas las fotos ..muy bellas
    Saludos

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  45. Excellent photos...

    Each photos tells a story...

    thanks for sharing

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  46. Ooo my friend
    GREAT photos, WONDERFUL places and LOVELY people!!!
    Thank you for this beautiful trip!
    Many greetings

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  47. @Kalyan: Thank you :)

    @JValentina: Thanks a lot, and hope to see you more often here :)

    @Krishna: Thank you...I agree, there seem to be so many stories with these pictures...

    @magda: Thank you, am glad you enjoyed them :)

    @संदीप: Thank you so much man!

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  48. Great! Are you planning a trip to India anytime soon, Linhy?

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  49. Wow, Kanheri caves are wonderful 👏👏

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