Sanjay Gandhi National Park ❤️ Kanheri Caves & Tigers In Mumbai’s Heart

The 103 km² Sanjay Gandhi National Park, with its dense forest and diverse wildlife including deer, leopards, tigers & lions offers a striking contrast to the concrete jungle of Mumbai. In the heart of Sanjay Gandhi National park is the 2400 year old Kanheri caves – a group of 109 Buddhist caves carved in a rocky hill. Established in 1969 SGNP also has children parks, toy train, tiger & lion safari, deer grazing areas, boating , orchid nurseries & even a taxidermy center. This SGNP blog will be your travel guide to plan a day trip yourself. Similar beautiful places in & around Mumbai at the end of this post !

How much time is needed to explore Sanjay Gandhi national park ?

Niraj, should I set aside an entire day ? All the activities near by entrance viz. boating, safari, toy train, taxidermy centres, orchid parks , orientation centre can take about 3-4 hours . Kanheri caves itself can take from a minimum of 2 hrs to a complete day depending on your exploring interests. Hence an entire day can be easily spent here and you will still feel you had more time especially in the evening when the boats & deer grazing by create a calm ambience.

What is the best time for Sanjay Gandhi national park ?

Monsoon and winter are my preferred time to visit here from July to Feb. Many waterfalls can be seen at Kanheri caves during monsoon and walking/cycling till Kanheri caves passing by rivers would seem very enticing. For a family outing winters would be the preferred time. For making the most of your day start early at 8:30 or 9 am when the park opens for general tourists and visit the caves first to explore them before the sun & crowds takes over. Weekends are crowded and hence if possible try to reach here on a weekday. Park is closed on Monday

Can I bring my family to Sanjay Gandhi national park ? Is Kanheri caves difficult for beginners ?

Niraj can I take my family to this national park? Most attractions are within a 1 km radius, except for the Kanheri Caves, which are 7 km away and accessible by a park bus. Everything is easily reachable, and the facilities near the park entrance are designed with families in mind. While the Kanheri trail can be a bit tiring for some, it’s manageable. There are 109 caves, with the key ones being the ground-level caves 1 to 4 and others like 11, 34, 41, 67, 87, and 90. Some caves require climbing stairs. Though it’s quite easy for 98% of visitors, seniors might find it a bit challenging. However, a brief visit to the first four caves also offers a great experience. Overall, it’s a family-friendly and accessible destination..

Kanheri caves history

Kanheri caves are a group of 109 Buddhist rock cut caves excavated from 1st to 10th century A.D. The caves are excavated in the hill called Krishnagiri / Kanhagiri which means black hill giving the caves its name. The caves are excavated by cutting into the black basalt rock . Two types of Buddhist caves are vihara & chaitya. Vihara is used for living, studying and meditating, while Chaitya are bigger caves used as halls for worshipping. Majority of the caves here are vihara. Kanheri caves lied on the ancient trade route connecting the port cities of Sopara , Kalyan to Nashik , Junnar , Ujjain, Paithan and beyond. As such many merchants used to provide patronage to the Buddhist caves. Many inscriptions in numerous caves point out to donations made by merchants/ traders & kings. Inscriptions are found in Brahmi, devnagari & Pahlavi scripts. Few inscriptions mentioned water cisterns donated by Satavahana dynasty kings. ( The trade route which went to Junnar via Naneghat also has a cave mentioning Satavahana dynasty )

Sanjay Gandhi national park Timing & Tickets ?

National Park Entrance	Rs 94	8:30am to 5:30pm ( Monday closed)
Kanheri caves	Rs 20	8:30am to 5pm
Bus to Kanheri caves	Rs 10 , Rs 25 (AC)	first bus 8:30am from main gate last bus 5:15pm from Kanheri caves. Bus after every 10-15 minutes
Tiger & Lion Safari	Rs 148	Lunch break 12:30pm to 1:30pm
Toy train	Rs 100	Undergoing renovation
Boating (15minute rides)	Rs 94 – 2 seater Rs 190 – 4 seater	Lunch Break 12:30pm to 1:30pm
Tiger Orientation centre, Orchid park, Taxidermy centre , Children park, Gandhi Tekdi	FREE	8:30am to 5pm
Butterfly Trail, Shilonda trail, Malad trail, Kanheri upper trail, Bamboo trail, Highest point trail	Check with SGNP authority

Government fees are subsidized for Indians, so foreigners can expect 2 to 3 times the normal fees.

Food at Mumbai national park ?

A conscious decision seems to be made with the non-availability of the junk food. Only two canteen are seen inside the park, one at Kanheri caves and another near the Tiger Orientation centre. While people from the jungle tribes are seen almost everywhere selling jungle fruits, cucumbers , some boiled nuts & juices. Very hygienic & healthy option as well. I bought my own lunch hence didnt visit the canteens.

How to reach Sanjay Gandhi national park within Mumbai ?

Where is Sanjay Gandhi national park located? This Mumbai national park is located in Borivali to the North of Mumbai. It is 18 kms from Mumbai airport, 25 kms from Bandra & 40 kms from South Mumbai. For anyone travelling from long distance can take the railways with aim of reaching Borivali or CST station and then plan the local travel accordingly.

• Nearest railway station is Borivali railway station. Check on m-indicator app for local train timings to take any early morning train from Churchgate to Borivali on the western line. The park is 10minutes walk from the Borivali railway station.
• Nearest metro station is Rashtriya udyaan on Metro 7 Red line. 2 minute walking distance to the park.
• The park lies on the Western express highway. Thus easily reachable by private vehicle. Paid Parking is available outside the park ( I found it costly ). Outside vehicles apart from cycles are not allowed inside the park.

Drinking water: A washroom is available at Kanheri caves entrance, while there are atleast 5 more at the parks entrance near the important places to visit. There are 3-4 drinking water stations as well. Make sure to get your own bottle as plastic bottles are not sold here. Kanheri Cave 52 & 64 water tanks were used by the security guards as drinking water.

How to reach Kanheri caves ? How to travel inside the park ?

All the major attraction apart from the caves are about 1-2kms from main gate. But Kanheri caves is 7-8kms from the main entrance. So you can walk to Kanheri caves but it will be time consuming. Best option is to take the frequent buses running between entrance gate and Kanheri caves. And then on the return journey ask the driver to drop you near the safari booking point. Normal bus is 10Rs one side and Ac bus is 50 Rs to and fro. Other options is to take the EECO/van sharing which will take Rs50 per seat till Kanheri.

If you are too lazy to walk to the museums, centres then there is another electric buggy service from the main gate which will take you around all the important points apart from Kanheri caves. The buggy will give 10minutes at each point for you to take a look around and then return you to the main entrance again.

Should i rent a cycle for Kanheri caves ?

One can also rent a cycle to reach Kanheri caves or just ride around the park. Remember getting tired in the beginning means less power to explore the caves. Hence only do it if you are more focused on cycling than exploring the caves.

• The parks cycle rental is just after the main entrance where you will get a cycle for Rs 80 for 2 hours on submitting an ID. After 2 hours charge is Rs 20 extra for every 30minutes. Deposit is Rs 300. Returning after 4:30pm has a fine of Rs 500.
• Just outside the main gate there are private cycle vendors who can rent out cycles for entire day which amount from Rs 300, 500, 800, 1000+ depending on the cycle type
• You can also get your own cycle which will be allowed inside after paying an entry fee for the cycle which is Rs 30-60 ( Need confirmation, I forgot)

Sanjay Gandhi national park blog: TheFreeBird’s story

I had planned one of my weekend treks in western ghats / sahyadri near Mumbai. But then a sudden slight ankle pain prevented me from going for that strenuous trek. Not wanting to waste a day I decided to spend my day at Sanjay gandhi national park which would be less taxing on my ankle. My plan was to explore the complete Kanheri caves and everything else the national park has to offer. Hence I reached here at 0830am when the gates open for tourists. I had reached the Borivali railway station and walked 10minutes to reach the entrance. Inside the park, the first thing one sees is the AC bus waiting to pick up passengers for Kanheri caves for Rs 25. I walked around it to reach to the normal bus stop a little ahead and took the bus directly till Kanheri caves for Rs 10. I spend 1000s on normal stuff but on treks I feel happy saving Rs 15 on a bus ride😁

Near this bus stop there is a QR code to buy the Kanheri caves ticket online for Rs 20. The offline ticket counter at Kanheri caves takes Rs 25 for a printed ticket. The bus passes by the toy train track which is deserted now and passes by some local villages which are largely untouched by ‘MUMBAI’ and feel like how a real Indian village appears in the hinterlands. Many spotted deer can be seen grazing near these villages as the deer seemed to have got slightly domesticated by the easy food available around such villages. Few centuries of free food and they would evolve into goats 😁.

KANHERI CAVES

After getting dropped at the Kanheri caves without wasting any time I started towards the cave before the crowd. Saved some time by passing the ticket queue by showing the online tickets I had booked at the bus stop near the main gate. Climbing the stairs i reached the cave map which I didnt like hence i made a better one below. Zoom for seeing the efforts I have taken in making this Kanheri caves map. To appreciate my work , follow me on social media.

Cave 1-4

The first group of caves are among the most well known rock monuments amongst the 109 Kanheri caves. Buddhist caves are of two prominent types vihara & chaitya. Vihara is used for living, studying and meditating, while Chaitya are bigger caves used as halls for worshipping. Cave 1 was a planned Chaitya but deeper excavation was stopped probably because of faulty rock structure. The first time you see the cave 1 in person you realise the scale at which the caves were sculpted – more of surprise when you see the cave 3

The neighboring cave 2 is completed. It has 3 stupas in the front and many viharas at the back side of the cave. There are few rock cut water tanks in the front. Walls behind the stupas have Buddha sculptures carved in various meditation poses like Abhaya & vyakhyan mudra seen below. The carvings are supposedly from 6th-7th century

This Chaitya is the biggest one in Kanheri. The pillars of are intricately carved with elephants, people and animals. Reciting verses here would have been very meditative. Throughout the cave there are various sculptures with unique detailing which one needs to see to appreciate. Just outside cave 3 is the cave 4 which has a stupa and few sculptures and is supposedly the oldest one in Kanheri caves i.e. the first cave to have been excavated

Cave 5-30

On a slightly higher ground ( yellow caves in my map) are the caves 5-30 which are in various levels of wear and tear. The caves 13-18 are on the left route below while everything else lies on the right. Cave 13-18 show highest level of wear and tear , hence can be avoided if you are low on time. Few people might like them for the very reason. I quickly saw them and went on right

Caves 5-10 are just tanks or show too much wear and tear and not much significant sculptures. Cave 7 does have Brahmi inscription. I made my way to cave 11 over stairs which has a waterfall cascading over it in monsoon. Cave 11 is a huge hall with about 11 cells at the back and side. Hence though it can be called a vihara it is much more being equal to Dharamshala or place of assembly. In a dark room at the back and by the verandah there are Buddha carving but are disfigured over time.

Cave 12 in front is small compared to 11 so do most of the remaining caves. Cave 12 houses a Buddha sculpture at back which is similar to what you will see later on as well. After going ahead cave 19-30 lie on the opposite side of the water stream. The caves here dont have much significant carvings and I decided to visit them later if time permits.

Cave 31-48

From 31 till 100 the external cave structure is almost on similar line. But the interiors of different caves have unique significance. Just by looking at a cave externals you could never gauge what beauty lies within each cave. No doubt we say that dont judge a book by its cover, person by her face you never know what inner beauty or anger she holds.

Cave 34 appears a normal cave but houses four Buddha sculptures & it is one of the only caves in Kanheri caves where paintings are found. Imagine my FRSUTRATION when i couldn’t locate the painting as I searched it everywhere but I didn’t look up on the ceiling. A good reason to visit again. The painting is of Buddha in bhoomi sparsha mudra ( touching ground)

Cave 36 also has a stupa which just got framed out by my friend while taking the above pic. Cave 41 is also one of the most important caves which houses the only stone sculpture in India of 11 headed Avalokiteshvara . Avalokiteshvara or Padmapani Boddhisattva is the most famous Buddhist God. Imagine my frustration yet again when the cave 41 chamber outside the main cave was closed for some work , not letting me see the idol. Cave 41 interiors have many sculptures in the inner room.

Just ahead from cave 41 are caves 42-48 which are not on the official map , but on a obscure trail and dont have any significant remains. Hence header up on rock cut stairs to see caves 49-55

Cave 49-55 & 61-69

The caves from this range are almost identical from outside

If you can see properly you will the water flow from the slopes are diverted through channels so as to not fall on the cave opening directly. Also the same water was diverted to the rock cut water tank. All the caves have its own rock cut water tanks. Cave 67 is one the larger caves here and is also the most intricately carved cave with many sculptures. This cave is also called as Chitrashala (picture gallery ) as it depicts various sculptures related to life of Buddha. You will find Dipankar (historical Buddha living hundred thousand years ago), Jataka (Buddhist stories) and Sravasti miracles (Flying Buddha) among the sculptures.

Cave 74-83

These cave are almost at the top and are very similar in appearance. Most of them have the basic verandah, inner room while sculptures are very few and sparse. Being at the very top you can see the thinner roof on the below cave 78. Cave 78 has few sculptures and inscriptions

Cave 84-87

These caves are considered burial grounds due to the presence of many brick stupas. These caves are not seen on the official map and enquiring with security guards yielded no answer. I could see same photo being circulated on the internet for cave 87 with no information on how to reach there. Will probably research some more before visiting again

Cave 88-102

These appear to be the most uninspiring caves with a very dull appearance. Appearances can be deceiving. Cave 88 had only an inscription but cave 89-90 had the highest number of sculpture density compared to it small area. The same square frame sculpture was repeated throughout the cave which consisted to Buddha seated on a throne with Padmapani Avalokiteshvara  and Bodhisattva by his side

Entire cave 89 was filled with sculptures in every nook and corner and had a big sculpture of Buddha in the inner room. Must have been very pleasant to recite verses at such a place. When I came out of the cave 89 I was almost certain that I had seen the cave with most detailed carvings. But then I entered cave 90

Above Avalokiteshwara is shown beside Goddess Blue Tara on his left and Goddess White tara /Bhrikuti on the right (clarification needed). Around them are the ten fears around like danger of elephant, lion, snake, fire and few more which have got defaced. Two Bodhistavas (person on path of enlightenment) are shown seated on top side. The other side of the wall ( below) has lots of extensive carving.

Cave 90 verandah also has a Japanese inscription dated 12 Century & also a Pahlavi inscription. Once out of the cave a couple of caves were basic structure but the cave 93 was full of sculptures, unfortunately it was closed that day . It contained similar sculptures which I had already seen through the day hence moved on the last set of caves 95-102 which dont have any signifcant carving apart from the structure. But they do have some throne like carvings outside probably to sit and enjoy the view

I was almost at top and climbed few more stairs to reach the very top . Form here the tall skyscrapers of Borivali & Thane side are visible on a clear day. Tulsi lake is also visible on one side. Walking a bit we reach 4 huge rock water tanks and from here you can also see atleast 2 big caves on the opposite hill which have been restricted for general public. I would love to see sunset from here but I still had lots of things to do in Borivali National park.

With no time to chill, I got down from this small Kanheri hill and took the bus towards the main entrance of the park and asked him to drop me near the Tiger & Lion Safari booking centre.

TIGER & LION SAFARI

Was lucky to have got tickets without much of a queue and were quickly taken to the safari. The safari is not a safari in a traditional sense. We are transported some 10 minutes to a Lion’s park where we can see a Lion and Lioness in their respective cages. After 14 years a new lion cub has been born on 16 January 2025 taking the total lion strength to 3. 5 minutes from there is the tiger park where there are atleast 4 tigers in different cages and one tiger who has been left out free to roam which gets the crowd excited. Update

The lion was not in his cage and was probably taken for a check up. The safari lasted just about 30minutes where the kids in the safari bus got real excited. On my way back I asked the driver to drop me at the Taxidermy centre and save my 10minutes walk.

TAXIDERMY CENTRE

Taxidermy is a science of preserving an animals body for studying or display. These guys had done a fantastic job in how well these animals had been preserved and kept in a picture perfect positions. More than the safari this entry-free centre was much appealing to me.

There are so many animals and birds here which you can see up close. A true animal lover will really enjoy it. Being low on time I headed to the Orchidarium

ORCHIDARIUM

There are lots of orchid species which painted the green house in myriad colors . Again something you can really admire for long time if you have spare time.

There were so many different colored flowers but I couldnt really share them all as the blog is already too long. Just behind this orchidarium is the Tiger Orientation centre where history of different animals especially cats is presented in an interesting way.

TIGER ORIENTATION CENTRE

By now I was running low on time but still had few more things to do . And this centre was not the one to be sidelined for something else. I did cancel visit to some fragnance parks & few other things due to tine constraint.

TOY TRAIN

Near the sanjay Gandhi National park entrance is the Toy train ‘ Vanraani’ which goes around the small hill called Gandhi Tekdi. The rail track passes through two tunnels & passes by the Dahisar river before returning to its main station. Children as well adults find this very amusing as there are deer & peacocks visible on the route. If not out in the open there are two huge cages which house peacocks and deers – spotted ones & the normal ones which are seen just after the toytrain leaves the station. Currently the entire track has been removed for renovation ( Jan 2025) But i did walk a bit ahead from the “Krishnagiri railway staton” to see the peacocks & deer.

GANDHI TEKDI

A small hill near the park’s entrance is called Gandhi Tekdi named after father of the nation ” Mahatma Gandhiji” . This small climb can be completed in less than 20minutes but I had ran out of time. The top of the hill has a monument from where you can see the entire Mumbai city from a birds eye view. The monument also has a pond of golden & koi fish. On the climb itself one can spot many birds & butterflies. Plus because of the climb probably the least crowded place in the park. Running out of time I decided to just sit near the boating area eating some fruits & boiled nuts from the fresh fruit stalls.

There are too many things to do in Sanjay gandhi national park especially exploring the large number of Kanheri caves. But the easier things near the entrance also have there own charm where I could have easily spend the day just chilling. For now its time to go home.

That’s it for the Sanjay gandhi National park blog aka Kanheri caves blog.

Bye !!!