Gilbert Hill, Monolithic rock formation in Andheri, Mumbai, India

Gilbert Hill is a massive monolithic rock formation made of black basalt that rises approximately 60 meters above the ground, featuring striking vertical columns throughout its structure. Human-made staircases have been carved into the rock to enable access to the two temples situated on top.

Gilbert Hill is the remnant of a ridge of vertical basalt columns formed about 66 million years ago in the Mesozoic Era, when lava spread across 50,000 km² of present-day Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The Central Government declared it a National Park in 1952 under the Forest Act, and in 2007 the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai made it a Grade II heritage structure, banning quarrying around it. Erosion has since damaged the rock.

The two shrines at the summit are the Gaodevi and Durgamata temples, set in a small garden reached by a steep staircase carved into the rock. They remain working Hindu places of worship for Andheri residents, and the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation has proposed including the hill as a stop on its Mumbai city tour.

The climb up is made easier by well-carved stone staircases built into the rock, with early morning hours offering the most comfortable conditions for ascending. Wear sturdy footwear and bring plenty of water, as the sun can be intense throughout the day.

The vertical columns at Gilbert Hill once continued into nearby Jogeshwari, where a cluster of similar columns was quarried away about two decades before 2007. Geologists compare the remaining rock to Devils Tower in Wyoming and Devils Postpile in California.