The Sanjay Gandhi National Park is located in the western suburbs of Bombay , spread over a total area of 104 square kilometers. It does seem amazing that a densely populated city like Bombay could manage to dedicate such a sprawling area to wild life. Though the park can be approached from many sides, the popular ones being from Bombay or from Thane & Mulund, you cannot actually go through it from end to end, unless you trek through. So you need to plan atleast two trips to cover all areas of interest: one day for the Borivali side aka Borivali National Park and another day for the Thane/Mulund side, also known as Yeoor hills.

SGNP has the highest density of leopards and often has been in the headlines for the animal – human conflict.  The park has close to over 200 species of birds, a wide variety of insects, about 100 different species of butterflies and over 20 species of mammals. The park also has two large water bodies, the Vihar and Tulsi Lakes, which supply water to the park as well as the city around it. Barring a Lion and Tiger safari in a small closed enclosure, SGNP does not have any wildlife safaris to explore the vast expanse of the park – so be prepared to walk around for a few hours! For those interested in watching birds, a pair of good binoculars is your best friend. Macro-photography enthusiasts can very well spend an entire day here, photographing the seemingly innumerable insects and plants all along the way. On reaching early enough you also get the added bonus fresh dew drops about to roll off leaf blades.

The “Bombay side’, apart from being home to a large variety of flora and fauna, also caters to those seeking spiritual peace in the form of a Jain temple (Trimurti) and an ancient Buddhist cave system (Kanheri). The park borders on city limits and attracts large crowds on weekends; so to avoid the commotion and enjoy the serenity of the wilderness it is best visited on a weekday. A visit to the Kanheri Caves in the rainy season is the best time to see SGNP in its green splendour. On the day of our trip we started for the caves at 8 am, which is ideal because you can experience nature stirring to life in the absence of humans. We completed the 3 km trek in three hours, taking occasional detours to admire brooks, butterflies, birds and flowers.

Our first impression upon seeing the rock-cut façade was one of simplicity elegantly blended with grandeur. The excavations span a few centuries, and this shows in the contrasting styles employed in the simpler earlier caves and the larger-than-life carvings in the newer caves. The intricate carvings grab your attention; where as the coarse texture of the rock gives an enchanting rustic look. The entire cave system houses around 100 Buddhist caves and more than 50 inscriptions.

The first few caves are starkly different from the rest of the caves. Cave #1 is unfinished and has two large pillars supporting the front screen. Its state suggests that it is one of the more recent caves to be carved. The second cave has three rock-cut stupas, including a monolithic one. The third cave is a cavernous “Hall” or Chaityagruha. Two huge statues of the Buddha flank the entrance to this hall. The roof of the cave is high and vaulted and at the far end in the centre stands the rock-cut Stupa. Cave #4 is a small circular chamber to the left of Cave 3 containing a Stupa. Most of the rest of the caves are lodging rooms for the monks or “viharas”. Here one gets a glimpse of the simplistic lifestyle of the original residents with the rock-cut beds in personal rooms. Most of these rooms were cut near a water body or a natural source of water and were connected with a wonderful water management system that would put most cities to shame

Food & drinks are available at a stall close to the entrance. There however are many vendors on the way & outside the main gate, selling local produce like cucumbers, guavas, berries etc, depending on the season. Its best to carry some light refreshments for the trip, if you aren’t interested in the fried wares of the stall. We had a light lunch of sandwiches and headed back to the main gate. Also remember to be vary of  monkeys lurking around to snatch any eatables they can from you. There are plenty of human settlements scattered around the park. We even managed to see a few spotted deer near the houses.

Again we managed to spot huge butterflies and lovely flowers along the path. Another interesting account about our trip to Kanheri can be read here. Also read the continuation to this post, our trip to SGNP from the Thane side, i.e. the Yeoor Hills.

To see the rest of the images of the trip visit the gallery.