At Kanheri, always …

 

That day, at Kanheri

When I saw you overlooking the ridge,

I had a realisation

Upon these lonely hills

The past before us –

These meditating caves

The guardian deities

And a forgiving Buddha

 

Blue clouds, that day, on the horizon

Golden wildflowers

Basalt dark, Kirshna Giri

Overrun in rain fed greens

The smell of fecund monsoon

The fresh flavours of morning

And wild waterfalls reminding

The churn of eternity

 

And you, in front

Lost, just like me,

Looking into the future

For ahead lay a sleepless city

Thoroughfares of commotion,

Skyscrapers of humanity

And towering over them all

A golden pagoda

 

The same Buddha behind us

Now reincarnated in front

Despite all liberations -

Rock turned to gold

Statue turned to stupa

There, his ashes preach

Where his stony silence

Stays behind, asking us

 

 

‘Did we understand his lessons?’

Perhaps he smiles,

When he sees us

You and I unknowingly

Forming that bridge

Standing on a hill,

Looking at the plain

We are the river of time

 

Only when we reach the sea

Will we be able

To truly turn back

Look at the source

And realise there never was time

Just silence, a single moment

A single you, a lonely me

And sentinels of stone

 

Along with a bunch of monsoon clouds

Painting indigo, seeping jade,

As you stare, at endless city

And I wonder in petrichor

In a single second, endless

Where we finally understand

The Buddha’s lessons in stone,

Once upon a time in Kanheri...

 

20^th Jan, 2026

 

The Kanheri Caves, located inside Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai, are a large complex of over 100 rock-cut Buddhist caves dating from around the 1st century BCE to the 10th century CE. They served as a major centre for Buddhist learning, meditation, and monastic life, with structures that include viharas (monks’ cells), chaityas (prayer halls), inscriptions, and an advanced rainwater harvesting system carved directly into the basalt rock. From the upper caves, visitors can see the nearby Global Vipassana Pagoda area in the distance, which houses a modern Vipassana meditation centre. The view highlights the continuity of meditation traditions in the region, linking the ancient Buddhist caves with present-day meditation practice, and makes the hike especially rewarding for travellers interested in history, culture, and panoramic views of Mumbai’s green belt.