SCOPE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN URBAN HERITAGE CONSERVATION A CASE OF THE ROCK-CUT CAVES OF MUMBAI

Mumbai’s heritage includes a plethora of sites. Amongst these sites, the lesser known are rock-cut caves of Mumbai. Dating to Ancient and Early Medieval Period, these caves are predominantly Buddhist and some are Hindu temples as well. Most well-known is Elephanta caves situated in an island near the coast of Mumbai. The group of rock cut sites include Kanheri and the lesser known Mahakali, Mandapeshwar and Jogeshwari. The conservation of these caves has been a longstanding issue. It has also been grossly neglected. Mumbai’s increasing population and urban sprawl encroaches into these heritage monuments. The paper attempts to analyse the historical importance of rock cut caves in Mumbai and also explore digital technologies that can be leveraged to conserve these sites.
These two case studies demonstrate unique challenges in the context of heritage conservation in an urban area. Through the analysis of these two sites, the researcher attempts to suggest the usage of digital technologies to conserve and preserve the rock-cut caves of Mumbai