Play. Stop. Throw rocks at them.

"Filming a place is not our cup of tea, man."

That's what we said. And then a thunderbolt of creativity and excitement hit us from the heaven above. Not. We decided it would not take much for us to conquer the world, oops, the event if we shot an amateur video, you know.

And here it is! Shaky hands and scriptless. Apologies, much.

Camera ducking celebrities that we are, we persuaded our child actors Sourabh and Jamal to simply run around in the video…hoping other movement would help camouflage the awkward shooting. (hides underneath a blanket.)

We try and keep things formal and professional looking. Again, not. And hence the whacky track that plays in the background. Trust us to act crass. Mostly.

We only intend to show you around the place through the video. Much talking about the place will happen in the posts that follow.

Throwing rocks or stones at us is prohibited. Because we are the ‘cave’ women.

Much love, brownies and lemonade from The CaveWomen.

Cave Hopping

The day we found out we were supposed to cover Mahakali Caves in Andheri (East) for the event, we thought to ourselves: WHY would anyone want to ever visit Andheri of all places for a couple of moments of peace? And yes, we were wrong. Very wrong.

Mahakali Caves, a group of 19 rock-cut monuments, is actually a two thousand year old Buddhist monastery. Sounds interesting, right? A Buddhist monastery in the middle of Mumbai?! Exactly our point.

Upon nearing the place, we were sort of disappointed by the dirt and filth that welcomed us at the entrance. But wait for it … it got cleaner upon entering the actual location. Unlike usual assumption, these caves are anything but smelly, packed with congested air and rats squandering around. No! For all the time that we spent there, not one animal, or wild dog or creepy crawly was spotted.

Apart from being extremely clean, the caves seemed superbly strong. Not one single wobbly spot, we tell you! And whilst discovering the place from within, we came across an adorable looking well complete with the facility to draw out water!

Upon moving further around, we came across vast empty clean room like structures that were used as dinning halls or for meditation purposes in olden times by monks, we were told. There are rooms within these caves that were used as kitchens and for other such activities by monks.

The largest cave is the 9^th cave which locals believe was a granary - due to the positioning of a semicircular shrine.

It is most likely the oldest and certainly the most interesting one among all caves. The walls are adorned by remnants of later Buddhist sculptures, possibly from 6th century AD, including a seated Buddha teaching two attendants. Above him is a damaged row of six smaller Buddhas.

What amused us, however, is the fact that a whole lot of people we spoke to, seemed to be under the assumption that the ‘semicircular shrine’ is a Shivling! We guess the shock of having a Buddhist monastery in the middle of Mumbai leads us to believe that it’s not a Buddhist shrine, but a shelter to a Hindu God.

While we were initially wary of treading deeper into those caves all by ourselves, we soon found company! The local kids, who consider the place to be their ‘hangout’, were highly amused on seeing us photographing the place. A couple of questions broke the ice and we found ourselves being shown around by these tiny tots on naked feet.

Contrary to popular belief, these caves aren’t home to any anti social elements who walk up to you and proposition you. Trust us. Being an all-girls team, we were not leached upon on harassed by anyone. The security guard stationed at the entrance was kind enough to take rounds at regular intervals while we were around. And since the construction of a so-called ‘park’ is on a couple of meters away from the caves, the place is never completely uninhabited.

After having walked in and out of these caves enough number of times, we climbed atop them and sat back for a while…soaking in the pleasantly gleaming sun…looking as human civilization buzzed kilometers away. And then it was time to pack up and leave!

How to get there:

• Board a train to Andheri. Bus number 333 from Andheri station will directly drop you off at the entrance of Mahakali Caves. The frequency of the bus is decent.
  
  
• Board a train to Jogeshwari. From outside the station, from east, hire an auto rickshaw. A ride of about 20 minutes, mostly uphill, will cost you Rs 40 approximately and you’ll find yourself at the caves.

Tips:

• Wear decent clothes.
• Carry your own bottle of water.
• Photography is allowed. Do not cause much commotion while inside the caves.

PS: If you are broke and are worrying yourself to death, worry not! The entry to the caves is absolutely FREE! FREE! FREE!

Much love, brownies and lemonade from The CaveWomen.

Been there, seen that.

While we were faffing around the place, clicking pictures and watching out for snakes that might want to Hissss at us, we bumped into a couple of people who were amused to see us acting all tourist-like. Because this place sees tourist-like people as often as Mumbai sees the likes of Obama. Yes. That often.

This is what they had to say about ‘their’ caves.

(Names have been changed to protect identity. Pictures have been posted to reveal the same.)

Sachin, local, Student:

(We found him studying all by himself in one of the many caves.)

“This place is as it has always been. I’v been coming here for quite some time now. I usually come here on weekdays because there’s barely anyone fooling around. It’s an extremely safe place and I have never come across any sort of illegal or anti-social activities happening here, considering the fact that it’s quite a deserted place. The crowd only gets a little rowdy on Sundays with the local boys crowding the place.”

Sharda, local, Housewife:

(She passes the place regularly while picking her daughter from school.)

“I shifted to Mumbai only a couple of years back and have been passing this place on a daily basis. As a woman, I believe it’s very safe and there’s always a security guard around. On Sundays, all the kids from our locality gather around here to play. There’s some construction going on for building a park which will make the place look beautiful and they say there will be film shoots happening too. We have no issues with the construction. Infact, we are excited! Who know, we might get to see stars!”

Kadam, local, Cleaner:

(His family, wife and kids, stay at a stone’s throw from the caves and he is in charge of the basic cleaning and maintenance of the caves.)

“Nobody knows much about this place and its history. They mistake the Buddha stupa to be a Shivling. The place is however well maintained and we have our head office in Sion. I stay right here with my family and I can vouch for the safety. The air is usually pleasant and we are hoping that the place becomes more tourist friendly once the construction of the park is complete. Until then, let the lovers and the couples find solace here!”

Mr and Mrs Kamath, non-locals:

(Residents of Kolhapur, they are in Mumbai to visit a relative. They were the only fellow ‘tourists’ we spotted at the caves.)

“My brother lives in Jogeshwari and suggested we visit these caves. These caves are beautiful, mostly because they are quiet and it’s much more peaceful out here. I’v had enough of visiting ‘The Gateway of India’ everytime I come to Bombay. And this place isn’t desolate and for a change, unlike other caves, it is very clean and smells pleasant!”

They are less ignorant than YOU. Feel bad, go there, know more.

Much love, brownies and lemonade from The CaveWomen.

Around the place in 7 shots.

Though the location is not dotted by many trees, the air around the caves is surprisingly pleasant and cool.

Most places inside and around the caves make for excellent locations to conduct a photo-shoot. Almost perfect lighting and almost zero interference from the locals. Trust us.

Grandson brought grandad dearest to the caves for a quiet chat. Not many of us can afford the quietness plush coffee shops have to offer...

A seller of fried snacks, we found him counting his days earning. He probably earns a mere 50 bucks. But, didn't look like he wishes to opt for a more crowded tourist spot.

The regular ‘hang out’.

The cave-women. Us against the sunlight, after we climbed atop one of the caves.

Catching up with the world outside from inside a cave.

Much love, brownies and lemonade from The CaveWomen.