Jogeshwari Caves

Jogeshwari Caves
Jogeshwari caves interior
Location	Jogeshwari (E), Mumbai
Coordinates
Altitude	15 m (49 ft)
Entrances	3
Difficulty	easy

The Jogeshwari Caves are some of the earliest Hindus and Buddhist cave temples sculptures located in the Mumbai suburb of Jogeshwari, India. The caves date back to 520 to 550 CE.These caves belongs to the last stage of the Mahayana Buddhist architecture. According to historian and scholar Walter Spink, Jogeshwari is the earliest major Hindu cave temple in India and (in terms of total length) ' the largest'.

The caves are located off the Western Express Highway, and are surrounded by encroachments. The caves are used as a temple by the encroachers. The caves are classified as endangered as sewage and waste enter the premises. They are also infested with bats.

The caves are accessed through a long flight of stairs into the main hall of this cavernous space. It has many pillars and a Lingam at the end. Idols of Dattatreya, Hanuman and Ganesh line the walls. There are also relics of two doormen. The cave also has a murti and footprints of goddess Jogeshwari (Yogeshwari), whom the area is named after and also considered as a Kuladevi to some Maharathi people. Some of the migrants from Gujarat known as Gujarati people also started worshipping the goddess as they settled in Mumbai for business.

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  Jogeshwari carving detail

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  Entrance to Jogeshwari caves

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  Ganesh Temple in Jogeshwari caves

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  Hanuman Temple in Jogeshwari caves

References

• Travel destinations around Mumbai
• Suburban caves