DRONAGIRI CAVES, Bombay: Karanja
18.866700,72.950000
Description
NOTE 1: »The southernmost [mountain] or Great Carinja [also: Karanja, Krauncha, Drongiri, Dronagiri] consists of a large portion of the trappean beds, about 100 feet (?) high, of an oblong form, with its longest diameter N. by W. and S. by E. raised up bodily, but wedge-shaped, viz. with its scarp towards the east and slope towards the sea or west« (CARTER 1861: 167). »Karanj. A tree bearing beans which yield oil, Pongamia glabra« (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 25: xv). NOTE 2: Dronacharya, actually Drona (the suffix acharya is a title and means teacher, master) was a great bow-man (archer) and, according to the Mahabharata, the instructor of the Pandava brothers and Kauravas. His favourite pupil is Arjuna. The qualities of Drona are perhaps best painted with the story of Ekalavya, in the Mahabharata the chieftain of a clan, who wanted Drona to teach him the art of archery but was turned down because he was a shudra, a member of the lowest Hindu caste. Thus, Ekalavya forms an effigy of Drona in mud and practices in front of it till be becomes an unsurpassed master in archery. When Arjuna, whom Drona called his favorite pupil, rebukes his teacher, Drona demands as a "teaching fee" his right thump, whereupon Ekalavya loses his ability while Drona's favourite Arjuna regains is title of best archer of the world.
A "cave" temple (man-made rock temple = rock-cut chamber used for religious purposes) excavated from solid trappean beds (note 1) in Dronagiri fort on the summit of the southern of the two hill peaks of the Karanja peninsula (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 15: 23). Dronagiri appears to be a hill (giri) named after Dronacharya, who, according to the Mahabharata, was the instructor (note 2) of the Pandava brothers and Kauravas. His favourite pupil is Arjuna. IDENTITY: Compare Kharvali "Cave" (Karanja).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.9 | KHARVALI CAVE, Karanja | ||
| 2.6 | KARTTIKEYA, Karanja / Dronagiri (Cave of) | ||
| 10.4 | Elephanta Caves | ||
| 15.7 | MAHAKALI CAVES, Mumbai: Udayagiri | ||
| 15.7 | KONDIVATE CAVES | ||
| 17.9 | KARNALA UNDERGROUND | ||
| 18.2 | SEWRI CAVES (Caves at) | ||
| 18.3 | GARBH YONI, Malabar | ||
| 33.2 | JOGESHWARI CAVES |