Kanheri Caves
A group of more than 100 Buddhist caves cut into a forested hill inside Sanjay Gandhi National Park
At a glance: Kanheri Caves is a group of more than 100 Buddhist caves cut into a forested hill inside Sanjay Gandhi National Park. Opening hours: Caves about 9 AM – 5 PM; park Tue–Sun 7:30 AM – 6:30 PM, last entry 5 PM. Tickets: ASI ticket ₹25 (Indian) / ₹300 (foreign), plus park entry ₹85 (adults), ₹45 (children), ₹300 (foreign); check current rates. Allow half a day, including the ride up from the gate. Best time to visit: November to February, early in the morning; July to September for streams and waterfalls (the steps get slippery). Nearest station: Borivali (Western line), then BEST bus 188 or an auto to the park gate.
Plan your visit
- Opening hours
- Caves about 9 AM – 5 PM; park Tue–Sun 7:30 AM – 6:30 PM, last entry 5 PM
- Entry fee
- ASI ticket ₹25 (Indian) / ₹300 (foreign), plus park entry ₹85 (adults), ₹45 (children), ₹300 (foreign); check current rates
- Time needed
- Half a day, including the ride up from the gate
- Best time to visit
- November to February, early in the morning; July to September for streams and waterfalls (the steps get slippery)
- Nearest station
- Borivali (Western line), then BEST bus 188 or an auto to the park gate
- Address
- Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Borivali East, Mumbai 400066
About Kanheri Caves
On a basalt hill in the middle of Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Buddhist monks cut more than a hundred caves over about a thousand years: cells to live in, halls to meet and pray in, and cisterns to catch the rain. The oldest are around 2,000 years old, and work went on until about the 10th century.
The name comes from the Sanskrit Krishnagiri, "black mountain". The centrepiece is Cave 3, a great prayer hall with a stupa at the end of a nave of pillars and two standing Buddhas about 7 metres tall at its entrance. Above it, steps cut into the rock lead past dozens of smaller caves to views over the forest.
The caves are about 7 km inside the park's main gate in Borivali, so the ride or walk up the forest road is part of the outing.
Tickets: you need two
Kanheri is inside Sanjay Gandhi National Park, so you pay twice: once at the park's main gate and again at the Archaeological Survey of India counter at the caves.
| Approximate fee | |
|---|---|
| Park entry | ₹85 adults, ₹45 children, ₹300 foreign visitors |
| Caves (ASI ticket) | ₹25 Indian visitors, ₹300 foreign visitors |
| Cycle hire at the gate | About ₹80 for two hours |
| Your own cycle | About ₹37 |
| Car or motorbike | An extra vehicle fee at the gate |
Fees change from time to time. Carry some cash.
Getting there
The park's main gate is on the Western Express Highway in Borivali East, about 15 minutes' walk or a short auto ride from Borivali station on the Western line. From the gate the caves are about 7 km up a forest road. You can get up in four ways:
- Bus. BEST route 188 runs from the east side of Borivali station through the park to the foot of the caves, a few times a day; check the current times in the BEST or Chalo app before you rely on it. The park also runs a bus up from inside the gate.
- Cycle. Hire one at the gate. The road climbs most of the way, so allow time.
- Car or motorbike. Private vehicles can drive up to the caves for a vehicle fee.
- On foot. About an hour or more uphill each way. Pleasant early in the morning, hard work at midday.
From the stop at the base of the hill, rock-cut steps lead up to the caves.
What to see
The caves are numbered and spread up and across the hillside, joined by steps cut into the rock. Most of the 109 are small cells where monks lived. These are the ones to find:
- Cave 3, the Great Chaitya. The prayer hall: a nave of pillars leading to a stupa, laid out on the same plan as the chaitya hall at Karla near Lonavala (our Lonavala guide covers Karla). Two standing Buddhas about 7 metres tall flank the veranda; they were carved centuries after the hall itself.
- Cave 11, the Darbar Cave. A large assembly hall, about 22 metres by 10, probably cut in the 6th century.
- Cave 41. A figure of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara with ten more heads piled above his own, eleven in all.
- Cave 90. A Buddha seated on a lotus throne with attendants, and three inscriptions in Pahlavi, the script of Middle Persian.
- Cave 34. Unfinished paintings of the Buddha on the ceiling.
- The water system. Look for the channels cut into the rock above the caves. They carried rainwater into cisterns beside most of the caves, so the community had water all year.
Kanheri has about 51 legible inscriptions, in Brahmi and Devanagari. One records the marriage of the Satavahana king Vashishtiputra Satakarni to the daughter of Rudradaman I, the Western Kshatrapa ruler.
Planning your visit
- Allow half a day: the ride or walk up from the gate, then two hours or so at the caves.
- Go early. The park opens at 7:30 AM, and the caves face east, so the light is best in the morning.
- Avoid Mondays. Most of the park's activities stop, and listings disagree on whether the caves open.
- Wear shoes with grip. The steps and sloping rock are slippery after rain, and in the monsoon, July to September, streams run across the hill.
- Carry water and something to eat; there is little to buy near the caves.
- Make a day of it with the rest of the national park: the lion and tiger safari, boating and the forest trails.
- Organised tours from South Mumbai with hotel pickup start at about ₹3,000 on the booking sites, if you would rather not manage the train and the ride up.
Tips
- Go early: the park opens at 7:30 AM and the caves face east, so the light is best in the morning
- Wear shoes with grip for the rock-cut steps
- Carry water and snacks; there is little to buy near the caves
- Avoid Mondays, when most of the park's activities stop
Frequently asked questions
What are the Kanheri Caves timings?
Sanjay Gandhi National Park is open Tuesday to Sunday from 7:30 AM to 6:30 PM, with last entry at 5 PM. The caves are open from about 9 AM to 5 PM. Avoid Mondays.
What is the entry fee for Kanheri Caves?
You need two tickets: park entry (₹85 adults, ₹45 children, ₹300 foreign visitors) and the ASI ticket at the caves (₹25 for Indian visitors, ₹300 for foreign visitors).
How do I get to Kanheri Caves?
Take a Western line train to Borivali. BEST bus 188 runs from the east side of the station through the park to the caves; otherwise walk or take an auto to the main gate. From the gate the caves are about 7 km up the road by park bus, cycle, car or on foot.
How far are Kanheri Caves from the main gate?
About 7 km, uphill most of the way.
Can you drive to Kanheri Caves?
Yes. Cars and motorbikes can drive up from the main gate for a vehicle fee.
How old are the Kanheri Caves?
The oldest caves are about 2,000 years old, and monks went on cutting new ones until around the 10th century.
What are the opening hours of Kanheri Caves?
Kanheri Caves opening hours: Caves about 9 AM – 5 PM; park Tue–Sun 7:30 AM – 6:30 PM, last entry 5 PM.
How much does it cost to visit Kanheri Caves?
Tickets for Kanheri Caves: ASI ticket ₹25 (Indian) / ₹300 (foreign), plus park entry ₹85 (adults), ₹45 (children), ₹300 (foreign); check current rates.
How long do you need at Kanheri Caves?
Allow half a day, including the ride up from the gate at Kanheri Caves.
When is the best time to visit Kanheri Caves?
November to February, early in the morning; July to September for streams and waterfalls (the steps get slippery).
Sources
Fares, fees and timings checked 6 November 2026. They change, so check on the day.
- Wikipedia: Kanheri Caves
- Sanjay Gandhi National Park (official): Kanheri Caves
- Sanjay Gandhi National Park (official): how to reach
- Time Out Mumbai: Sanjay Gandhi National Park, August 2026
- LBB: a guide to Sanjay Gandhi National Park
- Gallinews: BEST route 188 to Kanheri restarted
More heritage & landmarks
Bandra–Worli Sea Link
The 5.6 km cable-stayed bridge that became modern Mumbai's postcard
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT)
A working railway station that is also a UNESCO World Heritage masterpiece
Elephanta Caves
UNESCO-listed rock-cut Shiva temples on an island an hour's ferry from the Gateway