Elephanta- The Island Cave...!!

A half an hour boat ride from Mumbai takes you to the very famous Elephanta caves. Situated on an island hill, the rock cut caves date back to between 5AD and 8AD. Elephanta island is made up of two hills most of which are covered with scattered forest patches and rock cut caves. The island has in total 7 caves of which 5 are Hindu caves and 2 are Buddhist caves. Except for the main cave, the remaining six are either partly completed or dilapidated and does not offer much to the visitors. The island was earlier known as Gharapuri which got a change in its name to Elephanta after the Portuguese invasion during which they found a large stone cut statue of an elephant on the island. The island is presently taken care by the Archaeological survey of India and is also a UNESCO world heritage site. The first eye catcher as I alighted at the jetty was the toy train filled with passengers. Visitors can either take a train ride or walk languorously to the foot of the hills. From there it is a climb up past the artifact vendors, restaurants and tourists to the caves.

Well paved path ways leading to the caves greet you and the first one that you see is the main cave. This cave which is also known as Cave no.1 and Shiva cave has a huge hall with numerous carved pillars. The walls have sculptures related to the legend of Shiva and various forms of the lord. There is also a sanctum with a Shivaling inside it and huge carvings of doorkeepers on the walls. The cave has two open areas in the form of courtyards on both sides and also a water cistern in one corner. This is also the largest of all the caves.

Cave 1

Inside cave 1

Andhakasura Vadhamurthi

Kalyan Sundramurthi

Ardhanareeshwara

Gangadhara

Shivling inside inner sanctum

The main attraction of the cave is the Trimurti. The sculpture which is a three headed Shiva garners the biggest attention from visitors and photographers. The 20 feet tall creation depicts Shiva as the Creator, the Protector and the Destructor. This carving is also known as Maheshmurti and is flanked by other carvings on the wall.

Maheshmurti

After gaping at the wonderful sculptures for quite some time I came out and headed towards the other caves.  The remaining caves look incomplete and does not have much to explore. Some of them have a Shivling inside a small sanctum while others are just hollow rooms with one cave having a few pillars. The other hill has 2 Buddhist caves with restricted access. There is also a canon on the hill which attracts visitors. 

Cave 2

Cave 3

Inside Cave 3

Cave 4

Cave 5

If you are a first time visitor or an archaeological lover this island cave will captivate and leave you spellbound for long. The caves might not seem very big but the sculptures, the pillars and the slabs will take you back to the long chiseling years spend in the creation of this cave wonder.

Signing Note- A beautiful island with captivating caves and brilliant sculptures...!!

Location- Off Mumbai coast.