Mandapeshwar equally important for Buddhists, Hindus and Christians

The hustling-bustling financial capital of Mumbai and its suburbs are full of surprises -- whether it be thick forests or old historic caves.

One such set of caves is Mandapeshwar, located in the far suburbs of Borivli.

These caves are equally important for Buddhists, Hindus and Christians -- and are protected by the Archaeological Survey of India.

“Mandapeshwar means 'Hall of the Lord'. It was originally a Buddhist cave which was later converted into a Shaivite cave temple. With the coming of the Portuguese, the sculptures were defaced and were converted into a church by sealing the walls. It was referred to as Mont Pezir by the Portuguese,” said Riddhi Joshi, a heritage expert.

“After the Marathas defeated the Portuguese, the church was destroyed and the temple was re-established. When the Britishers came, they realised that this place was of sacred importance to the Buddhists, Hindus and Christians. Thus, they built a church dedicated to Notre Dame de la Misericorde above the cave temple,” says Joshi.

Joshi is presently working as a visiting faculty for History at the School of Law, Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) and for Humanities at the Manohar Phalke College of Architecture and at the INSTUCEN Trust. He would be conducting a heritage walk here to make people aware about this marvel.

It is an ASI-protected site which evacuated the church and restored the temple. The church was then rebuilt elsewhere by the parish as the IC (Immaculate Conception) Church was very close to the caves.

Mandapeshwar caves give a message of co-existence of many religions together.

According to late Prof. Walter Spink, it is an “Open Cave” plan. There is a cross on the entrance of the temple. Important panels include the Lakulisha, Natraj, Holy Cross, ruins of the church and the Marathi inscription. This shrine is still under worship.

Mumbai and the larger Mumbai Metropolitan Region have caves that stand silently amidst the flurry of activity of some of the busiest suburbs of the metropolis which lie on the island of Salsette (Shatshashthi) and on the neighbouring island of Elephanta, which is 11 kms offshore. The most important ones are the Hindu caves of Jogeshwari, Mandapeshwar and Elephanta, and the three Buddhist caves of Mahakali, Kanheri and Magathane.

The fact that many of these caves were excavated on Salsette was not a mere coincidence. The island is situated near the flourishing ports of Sopara, Kalyan and Chemula. This area had a wealthy local population which must have funded the excavation and upkeep of these temples and monasteries.