Police were stunned when they discovered a mother and her two young daughters had been living in isolation in an abandoned forest cave for over seven years.

Nina Kutina, 40, and her two daughters, aged four and six, were found by authorities undertaking a routine patrol of Ramatirtha Hill, India.

The Mirror reported that local police said the Russian family had been living in the cave undetected for years following the expiry of Ms Kutina’s visa eight years ago.

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The mother told local media that they had passed the time by making art, singing, reading books and living peacefully.

A police spokesperson said they had convinced Ms Kutina to come out of the cave by warning her of the risk of a landslide in the area.

She had used red saris to form a makeshift curtain at the entrance of the cave, and inside had decorated the walls with pictures of Hindu deities.

The family of three had reportedly lived off instant noodles.

A police statement revealed a text message the mother had sent her friends after she was discovered.

“Our peaceful life in the cave has ended — our cave home destroyed,” Ms Kutina wrote.

The family have been moved to a detention centre and will be made to return to Russia.

Sridhar SR, a local police inspector, said Ms Kutina had told police that she worked as a Russian language tutor in Goa, a coastal tourist district in India.

“She had kept a schedule for kids which includes drawing, singing, chanting mantras, yoga and other exercises. Even on Sunday morning, she was teaching her kids yoga. It is nothing but her love for adventure that brought her here,” Sridhar said.

Police were surprised that the family had survived in the woods, and said thankfully nothing “untoward” had happened to them while they were in the forest.

Ms Kutina told ANI that her family had a “big experience” in the jungle.

“We were not dying, and I did not bring my daughters to die in the jungle. They did not feel bad, they were very happy,” she said.

“They swam in the waterfall, they lived, had a very good place for sleeping, a lot of lessons with art making, we made from clay, we painted, we ate good, I was cooking with gas, very good and tasty food.”