A team of experts discovered ancient Buddhist caves at Mumbai National Park in India. They found a total of seven caves that they assume to be at least 2,000-years old. The caves are possibly dated between the 1st century B.C. and 5t to 6th century A.D.
The caves served as shelters for monks, dubbed as Buddhist "viharas", thousands of years ago. One of the caves houses the remains of a "harmika", a stupa's top railing.
A team composed of researchers from the Centre of Archeology, Department of Ancient Indian Culture, Sathaye College and Mumbai University, first discovered five of the seven caves in February 2015.
"The newly discovered caves may have been older than the Kanheri Caves as they were simpler in form and they lacked water cisterns, which are found in the more evolved architecture of Kanheri," said Suraj Pandit, the one who led the team.
"Moreover, we found monolithic tools which were prevalent in the 1st century BC. The absence of water cisterns also indicate that monks lived there in the monsoon," he added. The researchers discovered the seven new caves not by accident, but as a result of a comprehensive survey of the area.
To be able to find these ancient caves, the team studied documentary topography and water resources. Ancient people constructed most of viharas near sources of water. Aside from that, they also studied Pali texts, which describe caves in the area of Rajgir, Bihar. The researchers studied areas and texts for three months.
They began their exploration as soon as the forest department gave their permission. Two forest guards helped the team in exploring caves.
"There were caves on either side of the waterfall - three on one side and two on the other. It was very clear these were excavated from the natural rock," Pandit recalled.
"The smooth curve, the plastering, the door beams, the benches to sleep on, were all indications that these were man-made caves," he added.
The team found five caves. After a day, another team of a magazine editor and a student of Buddhism at Sathaye College, found two more caves.
Mugdha Karnik, head of Mumbai University's Centre for Extra-Mural Studies said that many people do not know the history and culture of the country. He believes that such discoveries will help people learn about their heritage and in turn, protect these structures from destruction posed by industrialization and construction of new buildings.
Photo: Ting Chen | Flickr
