The Jogeshwari Caves are some of the earliest Hinduism cave temple sculptures located in the Mumbai suburb of

Jogeshwari Jogeshwari (Pronunciation: ͡ʒoɡeːʃʋəɾiː is a suburb located in the western part of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is notable for its caves - 'Jogeshwari Caves', particularly one containing a shrine of the Hindu Hindus (; ; ...

, India. The caves date back to the sixth century,

Chalukya The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynas ...

dynasty. They were found during the excavation of Ajanta and Elephanta. These caves belong to the Hindu deity Jogeshwari. According to historian and scholar

Walter Spink Walter M. Spink(February 16, 1928 - November 23, 2019) was an American art historian who was best known for his extensive study of Buddhist art in India, particularly the Ajanta Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. About his work on the Ajanta cav ...

, Jogeshwari is the earliest major cave temple in India and (in terms of total length) "the largest". Sculptural panels inside Jogeshwari Caves 2

The caves are located off the Western Express Highway, and are surrounded by encroachments. The caves are accessed through a long flight of stairs into the main hall of this cavernous space. It has many pillars and a

Lingam A lingam ( , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or Aniconism, aniconic representation of the Hinduism, Hindu Hindu deities, god Shiva in Shaivism. The word ''lingam'' is found in the Up ...

at the end. Idols of Dattatreya,

Hanuman Hanuman (; , ), also known as Maruti, Bajrangabali, and Anjaneya, is a deity in Hinduism, revered as a divine ''vanara'', and a devoted companion of the deity Rama. Central to the ''Ramayana'', Hanuman is celebrated for his unwavering devotio ...

, and

Ganesh Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva (Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...

line the walls. There are also relics of two doorkeepers. The cave also has a

murti In the Hinduism, Hindu tradition, a ''murti'' (, ) is a devotional image, such as a statue or icon, of a Hindu deities, deity or Hindu saints, saint used during ''Puja (Hinduism), puja'' and/or in other customary forms of actively expressing d ...

and

footprints Footprints are the impressions or images left behind by a person walking or running. Hoofprints and pawprints are those left by animals with hoof, hooves or paws rather than foot, feet, while "shoeprints" is the specific term for prints made by ...

of the goddess Jogeshwari (Yogeshwari), after whom the area is named. The goddess is considered a Kuladevi by some Marathi people and also worshipped by some migrant groups from Gujarat. These caves are the earliest Pashupata Caves in Mumbai. The caves contain six sculptural panels depicting different episodes from Shaivism, including the marriage of Shiva and Parvati,

Andhakasura In Hindu texts, Hindu literature, Andhaka (Sanskrit: अन्धक, IAST: Andhaka; lit. "He who darkens") refers to a malevolent asura, whose pride is vanquished by Shiva and Pārvatī, Parvati.. His story finds mention in various Hindu texts ...

Vad, Shiva accepting Ravana as his disciple, Shiva and Parvati playing dice, Nataraja and Lakulisha Shiva. The cave also includes sculptures and pillars of Mahayana Buddhist architecture.

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Hindu temples in Mumbai Hindu cave temples in Maharashtra Rock-cut architecture of India Former populated places in India Caves containing pictograms in India 6th-century establishments in India Gupta art Legendary footprints Monuments of National Importance in Maharashtra {{India-religious-struct-stub