Elephanta

Located seven miles east from Bombay's Gateway of India, lies the island of India's greatest temples housing what is probably the finest example of Indian sculpture. The temples are an exotic testimony of the Konkan Mauryas.

Anciently known as Gharapuri (fortress city), this island capital of the erstwhile Mauryas was built in the 7th century. It was the Portuguese who named it Elephanta in the 16th century, after a huge rock-cut elephant with its baby perched on the back, which originally stood on a knoll a little to the east of the Gharapuri village. Today, the caves of Elephanta are designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The magnificent caves contain beautiful relics, sculptures, and a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Lord Siva. In fact, there are seven caves out of which the most important is the Mahesamurti cave. It has a magnificent 18 feet high, three-headed bust of Shiva or Maheshmurti. It portrays Siva as the creator, the preserver, and the destroyer of the world, and at the same time as the savior and bestower of blessings.

The main body of the cave, excluding the porticos on the three open sides and the back isle, is 27 metres square and is supported by rows of six columns each. There are sculptured compartments in this cave with remarkable images of Ardhanarisvara, Kalyana-sundara Siva, Ravana lifting Kailasa, Andhakari-Murti (slaying of Andhaka demon) and Nataraja Siva. The gigantic figures of dvarapalas (doorkeepers) here are very impressive.


Reaching Elephanta

The best way to reach this ancient and exotic site, if you travel to Bombay, is by boat from the Gateway of India waterfront. As you chug along at a modest speed out of the Bombay Harbour, you come to realize why the ancients called Elephanta an island of purification. The hustle and bustle of the busy metropolis gradually falls away as you weave past large steamers and small fishing boats and oil terminals from the Bombay High into the open sea.