FASCINATING BUDDHIST SPIRITUALITY AT THE KANHERI CAVES

Description The vitality of Mumbai with its spectacular monuments and the fascinating Buddhist spirituality of ancient caves: a combination that kindles strong emotions during a thrilling journey into Indian culture and Buddhist asceticism.

What we will see

• Stop for photos at the Gateway of India
• Ancient complex of the Kanheri Caves
• Tour of the caves
• Amazing Buddhist statues
• Short panoramic tour on the way back

What we will do

• We leave the cruise terminal behind us and venture by coach into the city of Mumbai, a charming city teeming with life and suspended between modernity and tradition.
• Our sightseeing tour takes us to admire the Asiatic Society Library which was once the Town Hall and the famous Rajabai Clock Tower, designed by a British architect and modelled on Big Ben in London.
• We stop off for photos at the Gateway of India, maybe the city’s most famous monument: an imposing stone archway 26 metres tall built in the early 20th century to celebrate the visit of King George V and his wife.
• We then proceed along Marine Drive, the wide boulevard overlooking the ocean, and drive past Haji Ali, the famous white-walled mosque with its towering minaret surrounded by the sea.
• We head out of the city to reach the Kanheri caves, a Buddhist monastery complex carved into the rock whose buildings operations started in the first century B.C. and continued until the 11th century AD.
• We visit this incredible site characterised by over one hundred caves carved into the rock mainly made up of a simple cell, some with monumental façades proceeding for kilometres along the coast characterised by hills of volcanic origin.
• We remain enchanted in front of the incredible Buddhist statues found in some of the caves like the colossal Buddha in cave 3 or the large statue of the Bodhisattva of compassion in cave 2. But art and spirituality are not the only fascinating things here: the site boasted an advanced water system as testified by the tanks and large basins used to collect water.
• We then head back to Mumbai where we reach the port driving past other significant monuments providing wonderful memories.

What you need to know

• This excursion is not recommended for guests with limited mobility.
• The payment of rights for the use of cameras and / or video equipment inside the caves to be paid directly on site is expected.