The Jogeshwari Caves are some of the earliest Hinduism cave temples 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 520 to 550 CE. These caves belongs 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 c ...

, Jogeshwari is the earliest major cave temple in India and (in terms of total length) "the largest". 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 ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary '' murti'' or devotional ...

at the end. Idols of Dattatreya,

Hanuman Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and on ...

, and

Ganesh Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu ...

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

murti In the Hindu tradition, a ''murti'' ( sa, मूर्ति, mūrti, ) is a devotional image such as a statue, or "idol" (a common and non-pejorative term in Indian English), of a deity or saint. In Hindu temples, it is a symbolic icon. T ...

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 hooves or paws rather than feet, while "shoeprints" is the specific term for prints made by shoes. The ...

of goddess Jogeshwari (Yogeshwari), whom the area is named after. The goddess is considered a

Kuladevi A kuladevatā (), also known as a kuladaivaṃ, is an ancestral tutelary deity in Hinduism and Jainism. Such a deity is often the object of one's devotion ('' bhakti''), and is coaxed to watch over one's clan (''kula''), gotra, family, and c ...

by some Marathi people, and also worshipped by some migrant groups from Gujarat.

Gallery

Image:Jogeshwari_Caves_carving.jpg, Jogeshwari carving detail Image:Jogeshwari_Caves_entrance.jpg, Entrance to Jogeshwari caves Image:Ganapati Mandir JogCaves.jpg, Ganesh Temple in Jogeshwari caves Image:Hanuman Mandir JogCaves.jpg, Hanuman Temple in Jogeshwari caves

References

External links

Buddhist temples in India Hindu temples in Mumbai Hindu cave temples in India Buddhist caves in India Buddhist monasteries in India Indian rock-cut architecture Former populated places in India Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India Caves containing pictograms in India 6th-century Hindu temples 6th-century establishments in India Gupta art {{India-religious-struct-stub