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Article in Mid-day dated 22ndFeb 2001:
Fewer
Pilgrims at Kanheri Caves this Shivratri:
-By
By Manoj Nair
A
fewer number of devotees appear to have visited Kanheri
Caves this year on Shivratri day, on Wednesday. Envoirnmentalists
say it might be because people paid heed to their appeals
to save the ecosystem of Sanjay Gandhi Park, Borivali, where
the caves are located.
"Till 12:30 pm on Wednesday only about 15,000 people
had entered the park" envoirnmentalist Sanjoy Monga
says. He further added that "If people are made aware
that the caves have nothing to do with Shiva, the number
of visitors would decrease even further."
An average of two to three lakh devotees visit the caves
on Shivratri every year. The visit, made to propitiate Lord
Shiva - even though officials say Kanheri is actually a
Budhist site - causes much litter to be left behind, and
pollution levels , due to vehicular traffic, to increase.
Many devotees, however , say the caves were dug by the Pandavas
while they were in exile.
Envoirnmental volunteers were present at the park's enterance
to discourage visitors from taking plastic bags inside.
Private vehicles were also not allowed to enter, and visitors
travelling to the caves in BEST buses were asked to leave
their plastic bags at the gate. By the end the volunteers
had collected a truckload of plastic bags.
This annual pilgrimage has always intrigues forest officials
and envoirnmentalists alike. There is not a single Shiva
or Hindu deity depicted within the hundred or so caves that
dot the forested hills deep within the park. Visitors have
traditionally left garlands and coconuts and other offerings
and venerated a Vuddhist stupa as a shivling.
Buddhist monks of Hinayana and Mahayana orders dug out the
Kanheri (Krishnagiri) caves between the first century BC
nd ninth century AD. Hinayana monks finished digging out
the first caves around second century AD. During the sixth
century AD, Mahayana monks added more caves . By end of
the ninth century, the area was a large complex of nearly
a hundred caves that served as viharas (Buddhist temples)
and bhikshugihas (residence of the monks).
A majority of visitors are Telgu. Shankar Kaleda , a laboure
contractor, has visited the site for the past 15 years.
"Even my parents used to come here" Kaleda says.
This year he could not visit the ashrams and the temples
built next to the caves. The forest department demolished
these illegal structures three months ago. This Shivratri,
police prevented visitors from visiting the sites.
Deputy Conservator of the Forests, A.R Bharati says "
Mischief makers light fires , which can turn into a full
fledged forest fires and destroy the young saplings and
grass. What has been preserved and nutured for years is
destroyed in a day".
Forest Officials say that since religious sentiments are
involved, they cannot enforce a total ban on visitors .
But , Bharati says, " We hope that with the demolition
of ashrams the number of visitors will decrease."
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