ELEPHANTA CAVES, MUMBAI

Its a month and a half since i stepped into Mumbai as a newly wedded.. lady or girl or woman.. whichever suits for the readers and only today I had the time and thought to browse the map of Mumbai and the first thing that attracted me was the Elephanta caves. i love history (except the dates.. BC and AD..that's quiet hard to remember!!!) and Elephanta caves is a historical spot.
So here goes all that i got through browsing..

The Elephanta Island (also called Gharapuri Island or Place of Caves) are a great tourist attraction in the vicinity of the large Mumbai metropolis. The Elephanta island is located 10 km/9 nautical miles away from the Gateway of India at Mumbai on the Gharapuri Island, a confabulation of three small villages.
These caves, a UNESCO world heritage site, are frequently visited by domestic and foreign travelers.



The caves assumed to be dating back to the period 9th to 13th century AD, are famous for the ancient sculptures and the temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.
These caves house rock cut temples dating back to the 5th century CE.
The Elephanta island was so named by the Portuguese, after the statue of an elephant near the landing area of the island( the elephant sculpture collapsed in 1814, when the British relocated it to the Victoria Gardens now Mumbai's zoo, where it still stands).



How They were Constructed:
This rock cut temples were created by carving out rock, and creating the columns, the internal spaces and the images. The entire temple is akin to a huge sculpture, through whose corridors and chambers one can walk. The entire complex was created through a process of rock removal. Some of the rock surfaces are highly finished while some are untreated bare rock.



The entire cave temple complex covers an area of about 60000 square feet and it consists of a main chamber and two lateral ones , courtyards and several subsidiary shrines. Above the temple is a mass of natural rock.



There are three entrances to this temple. The ones on the east and the west marking the axis of the temple. A 20 pillared hall lines the axis, and on its western end is the cell in which is enshrined a Shivalingam. The pillars consist of fluted columns standing on square bases, and are crowned with fluted cushion capitals.





The enigmatic image of Trimurti Sadasiva: The Sadasiva manifestation of Shiva is carved in relief at the end of the north south axis. This collossal 20 feet high image of the three headed Shiva, Trimurthy is a magnificient one, considered to be a masterpiece of Indian art. This colossal image represents Panchamukha Shiva, only three faces of whom are carved into the wall and it demands immediate attention upon entering the temple through the northern entrance.



Also on the southern wall are grand sculptured images of Kalyanasundara, Gangadhara, Ardhanariswara and Uma Maheswara. To the west of the northern entrance are sculptured images of Nataraja and Andhakaasuravadamoorthy, and to its east are images of Yogiswara and Ravanaanugrahamurthy.



To the east of the main temple is a courtyard, flanked by the secondary shrine. This temple contains six pillars at its entrance, four of which are free standing and two engaged. The entrance leads to a hall decorated with sculptured panels depicting legends from the Shiva Purana.



Getting there:
Approach to the Island is by boat. Luxury and ordinary launches as well as catamarans leave for Elephanta from Apollo Bunder at the Gateway of India. Boats usually leave every half-hour from 9 am to 2 pm from Apollo Bunder and between 1 pm and 5 pm from Elephanta Island. Tickets are sold at booths near the Gateway of India and the MTDC offers daily tours to the Island. During the monsoons the ordinary boat services are usually suspended.





Current Rates: (April 2009)
Boat Ride from Gateway: Rs.100-120 (Rtn)
Mini Train from Pier to Base: Rs.10 (Rtn)
Entry to Village (Govt Toll): Rs.5
Entry in Caves: Rs. 10 (Indian)
Rs. 250 (Foreigners)

WEBSITES:
Maharashtra Tourism
Must See India
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