Elephanta Caves is in Elephanta islands , which is located in the neighborhood of rushing metropolitan Mumbai. It is a wonderful tourist attraction and recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Elephanta Caves was named by Portuguese traveler, after being amazed to see a statue of elephant near the landing of the island. The Elephanta caves are located 10 km away from Mumbai and house a number of elegant sculptured temples cut from rock, way back to the 5th century. These rock cut temples are dedicated to Lord Shiva, the whole of temple complex is huge, about 60000 square feet and consists of three chambers, one is main and other two are laterals. It is said that caves were used as a target practice for the Portuguese and they had constructed a fort and prepare a small army to stave off pirates. Their practices profaned most of the sculptures, later on Britishers captured it from Portuguese and tried to lift the monolith elephant to England but couldn’t lift it. It is now preserved in Bombay Museum. A large hall in the middle of temple has nine sculptured panels representing Lord Shiva in different tempers. The symmetrical temple plan with important focal point worked out in a geometric Mandala(the design that represent the energy field).
It was a brilliant experience at Elephanta Caves, we were first afraid to travel in monsoon but caves are incredibly beautiful and we had literally seen monsoon coming over the ocean. The beauty can’t be pen down. Jason Love, a software engineer by profession and traveler by hobby explained.
Who Designed Elephanta Caves?
The history of Elephanta Caves is ambiguous as some historian believe that great warrior prince of Chalukya dynasty Pulesin II built the temples to celebrate his triumph while some other suggest that these caves were built by the Kalchuri King Krishnaraja in 6th century AD.
Gateway of India
Landmark of
Mumbai is located on the water’s edge of Apollo Bunder. It is a huge archway and starting point for most of the travelers. It was built in 1911 to commemorate British Monarch, king George V and queen Marry.
Chowpatty Beach
Chowpatty beach is famous for Hindus religious ceremonies like annual thread tying ceremony, ‘nariel purnima’ and Ganesh Chaturthi’immersion. The beach is located at the end of Marine Drive.
Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus
Though station is one of the busiest station in the world also famed for architecturally one of the finest stations in the world. It built in the combination of Gothic and Indian style. This railway station is worth a see.
Location : 10-km away from New Delhi
Speciality : Awesome carved sculptures in various temples.
Best time to Visit : Through out the year.
Getting There
You can only reach Elephanta Caves by boat from the Gateway of India. The ferry ride from Gateway Of India is a fantastic experience, going past through fishing boats, large ships and some tiny islands. It takes around 15 minutes to reach the Caves.
By Air : Mumbai airport is the busiest airport in India and connect almost all the major cities of world. The International terminus is known as Sahar and domestic is known as Santa Cruz.
By Rail : Central Railways runs services to the east and north, the Western Railways also runs trains to North India from Church gate and Central stations. Railways are good option to travel between states.
By Road : Those who want to travel by bus within India can easily available from the State Transport Terminal situated opposite Mumbai’s Central Railway Station. Most of the neighboring states like Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh have their state bus company offices located here.
Excursion : Pune,
Nasik.
Many thanks to Jason Love, who shared his experience with us.
