Why in news? G20 delegates visited the Kanheri Caves in Mumbai after attending the development group meeting of G20

About Kanheri Caves

• They are a group of caves and rock-cut monuments cut into a massive basalt
• Location : Forests of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park
• They contain Buddhist sculptures and relief carvings, paintings and inscriptions, dating from the 1st century CE to the 10th century CE
• Rock-cut channels above the caves fed rainwater into cisterns,
• Avalokiteshwara is the most distinctive figure.
• Connected with many trade centers :Ports of Sopara, Kalyan, Nasik, Paithan and Ujjain.
• It was a University center under Maurayan and Kushan empires
• Inscriptions : Marriage of Satavahana ruler Vashishtiputra Satakarni with the daughter of Rudradaman
• Cave 17 at Nasik Caves is contemporary with the Great Chaitya at Karla,
• Cave number 34 : Unfinished paintings of Buddha on the ceiling of the cave
• Cave No.3 : Great Chaitya
• Cave No.11: Darbar Cave , is a cave bearing the name of the Maharaja or Darbar Cave, which is the largest of the class in the group,