Future Smiles goes on a field trip

A few days ago, we took our Future Smiles beneficiaries on a field trip as part of their learning experience under this education and career guidance programme.

The students and project staff members went to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Borivali, Mumbai, (also known Borivali National Park), which also house the famous Kanheri Caves. The Kanheri Caves are a group of rock-cut monuments located within the National Park, that demonstrate the Buddhist influence on the art and culture of India. Kanheri comes from the Sanskrit Krishnagiri, which means black mountain.

These caves date from the first century BCE to the 10th century CE. One hundred nine caves have been carved from massive basalt rock. Farther up the hill are canals and cisterns, the remains of an ancient system that channeled rainwater into huge tanks. Once the caves were converted to permanent monasteries, the rock was carved with intricate reliefs of Buddha and the Bodhisattvas.

Around the caves, the park itself offers a variety of flora and fauna, making it a good excursion for tourists and, in our case, students, who spent some time understanding history as well as nature.

Here are a few photos from the trip…