Jogeshwari Caves

The Jogeshwari Caves are some of the earliest Hinduism cave temples sculptures located in the Mumbai suburb of Jogeshwari, 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, Jogeshwari is the earliest major cave temple in India and (in terms of total length) "the largest".[1]

Jogeshwari Caves
Jogeshwari caves interior
Location	Jogeshwari (E), Mumbai
Coordinates	19.1391°N 72.8568°E / 19.1391; 72.8568
Elevation	15 m (49 ft)
Entrances	3
Difficulty	easy

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 at the end. Idols of Dattatreya, Hanuman, and Ganesh line the walls. There are also relics of two doormen. The cave also has a murti and footprints of goddess Jogeshwari (Yogeshwari), whom the area is named after. 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.[2] The caves contain six sculptural panels depicting different episodes from Shaivism including the marriage of Shiva and Parvati, Andhakasura Vad, Shiva accepting Ravana as his disciple, Shiva and Parvati playing dice, Nataraja and Lakulisha Shiva.[3]