Buddhist Kanheri Caves and Global Vipassana Pagoda Meditation centre Tour

Buddhist Kanheri Caves and Global Vipassana Pagoda Meditation centre Tour

Calm and beautiful with a lot of flora and fauna, one such place is the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. Rich with flora and fauna, the park is visited by thousands every day.

The caves give you an insight into the early years of Buddhism as a religion in India. Stupas, carvings, and statues show the impact Buddhism had. It is very rare to find a beautiful scenic village in such a hustling bustling city as Mumbai. But Uttan serves as an example of that. Blessed with beautiful beaches, scenic views and interesting salt pans. Global Vipassana Pagoda which stands as a monument for peace and harmony is truly a very dovish place to be is the place visited in the latter half of this tour. The Global Vipassana Pagoda which was inaugurated by the then president Pratibha Tai Patil in 2009, is a beautiful Buddhist meditation center near the island of Gorai. It is a dome hall and has a capacity to seat around 8,000 meditators at once. The Pagoda serves as a monument of peace and harmony.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Pass By: Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Borivali East, Mumbai 400066 India

An Oasis of green texture in the middle of the concrete jungle. Mumbai's very own National park is a delight to be in. The National park offers lush forest, some animals in their natural habitat and a small toy train.

Stop At: Kanheri Caves, Sanjay Gandhi National Park Borivli East, Mumbai India

Visit historic Buddhist caves built on a hilltop deep inside the Sanjay Gandhi national park. The caves date back to the 1st Century and offer. Buddhist sculptures and relief carvings, paintings, and inscriptions. Most of the caves were Buddhist viharas, meant for living, studying, and meditating. The larger caves, which functioned as chaityas, or halls for congregational worship, are lined with intricately carved Buddhist sculptures, reliefs, pillars, and rock-cut stupas. Avalokiteshwara is the most distinctive figure. A large number of viharas demonstrates there was a well-organized establishment of Buddhist monks.

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Stop At: Global Vipassana Pagoda, Near Essel World Next to Esselworld, Gorai Village, Mumbai 400091 India

Largest meditation center in the world where around 8000 people can meditate at a time. Its traditional Burmese design is an expression of gratitude towards the country of Myanmar for preserving the practice of Vipassana. The shape of the pagoda is a copy of the Shwedagon Pagoda (Golden Pagoda) in Yangon, Myanmar. It was built combining ancient Indian and modern technology to enable it to last for a thousand years.

It is built on donated land on a peninsula between Gorai creek and the Arabian Sea. The pagoda is to serve as a monument of peace and harmony. The Global Vipassana Pagoda has been built out of gratitude to Sayagyi U Ba Khin (1899 - 1971), Vipassana teacher and the first Accountant-General of Independent Burma, who was instrumental in Vipassana returning to India, the country of its origin.


Duration: 1 hour