Jogeshwari Caves: The Hidden Historical Place in Mumbai (2024)
The Jogeshwari Caves is one of the few large cave structures in Mumbai. The caves are also one of the few large-sized Hindu cave structures in India. Though it is not an immensely popular tourist location, fans of ancient art, archaeology, and culture make it a point to visit these caves whenever they can. If you are in Mumbai city and plan to visit the caves, read this article to know what to expect.
The Jogeshwari Caves Experience
The Caves have excellent structural strength even today, so you get a better idea of their use back in the day. Within the cave structure, there is a contemporary Ganesh temple. The Ganesh idol is red. You will also see intricate architecture at the gateway and the walls of the caves, so you get an idea of ancient architecture as well. 
At the Jogeshwari Caves, you will see a temple of Yogeshwaridevi. Some believe that the name of the place, Jogeshwari, is inspired by Yogeshwari Devi. Down the path, you will see a Hanuman temple as well. The caves have a shrine for Lord Shiva. All around, you will see carvings of Lord Shiva and other deities. Two large ground structures make up most of the cave structure.
The temple structure is large and has several pillars, which again have ancient art and architecture on them. The caves have a rich history. Before they turned into a Hindu temple, they were buildings of Buddhist shrines.
Though the Jogeshwari caves are in good condition, there is not much to learn here. There are no props, apart from the art and architecture on the walls and pillars of the cave. However, the Jogeshwari Caves makes itself a landmark and a must-visit place in Mumbai because it is so accessible and has aged well.
The destination is the blend of history, religion, and contemporary structures. The other cave structures in Mumbai are Kanheri Caves, the Kondivite Caves, and the Elephanta Caves, making the Jogeshwari Caves the most accessible cave structures in the city.
The caves have a mythological connect as well. Legend states that these are few caves that the Pandavas built during their years of hiding. You can spend an hour or so at the Jogeshwari Caves. And if you have a whole day at hand, you can visit the other exciting places in Mumbai.
Places to Visit Near Jogeshwari Caves
Next to Jogeshwari is the Bombay Convention Centre in Goregaon. If you are in luck, you can visit any of the exhibitions that happen in this place. For a few years, the Bombay Convention Centre was the venue for Comic Con India. The BCC has several such conventions, including ones in which you can buy products, like the Camera Expo.
Jogeshwari does not have many places that you can visit, apart from the Jogeshwari Temples, but it is near the other tourist locations in Mumbai, Andheri, and Borivli. Though Jogeshwari does not have many tourist locations, it has popular and retro restaurants on the road that leads from the railway station to the highway. The restaurants are well-known for their meats menu and serve authentic Mughlai cuisine.
You can head over to Andheri and visit the destinations of and tourist interest there. Outside Andheri, the railway platform is a flea market that has everything for men, women, and kids. The flea market has everything, like clothes and beauty accessories. Across the road, you will see another market that has other products like mobiles, electronics, and home and kitchen products. Once you complete that stretch, you can catch an auto-rickshaw to Andheri, and spend some time in Veera Desai Road. Though this road does not have tourist spots, you can take a gander at the offices of Yashraj, Balaji Telefilms, and Mukta Arts. But before that, you can take a walk on the streets of Andheri and get a slice of urban life.
If you would like to return to nature, head over to Borivali, and you can spend a quiet afternoon in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. The park is a green lung right in the middle of the city. You see nature, wildlife, and even historically important structures in the SGNP.
How to Reach Jogeshwari Caves?
Reaching the Jogeshwari Caves is simple as Jogeshwari is on the Western line of the railways. You will need to catch a train towards Borivali if you are traveling from Churchgate and vice versa if you are traveling from Borivali.
From the Jogeshwari station, you can take an autorickshaw to the Jogeshwari Caves. You can also board a bus that plies on this route. If you would like to take in the city more, you can hire an auto-rickshaw or a cab from wherever you are in the city. Mumbai now has cab aggregator services that make road travel in the city easy.
