The Kanheri Caves are located north of Borivli on the western outskirts of Mumbai, within the Sanjay Gandhi National Park's green forests.
Unlike the grandeur of the Elephanta caves nearby these are rather spartan in their outlook as they were primarily used by Buddhist monks to practice their austerities around the first century AD. The complex contains more than a hundred tiny cells cut into the flank of a hill, each fitted with a stone plinth that served as a bed. There is also a congregation hall supported by huge stone pillars.Futher up the hill you may also see an ancient water system, canals and cisterns that collected and channeled the rainwater into huge tanks.
