Mumbai (मुम्बई) | Elephanta Island

Updated: Aug 15

Rock-hewn caves in an island honouring Shiva - Elephanta Caves 244

What and Why

The Elephanta Caves (Hindi : घारापुरी गुफाएँ, Gharapuri guphaen) are a series of rock-hewn cave temples predominantly dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva (Sanskrit : शिव, Śiva). While most of the caves are Hindu, there are a number of Buddhist stupas and temples around the island, with all these temples dating back to the 5th century CE. The oldest of these temples dates back to the 2nd century BCE. Unfortunately many of the artwork is defaced and damaged.

There is a certain parallel of the Elephanta Caves with the blogged Ellora Caves (एलोरा गुफाएं ) and Ajanta Caves (अजंता गुफाएँ ), although the theme and preservation do differ.

Toponymy

The island was called Elefante when the Portuguese came to colonise the area during the 16th century CE. They found four elephant statues on the island and hence the name. These elephant statues have been damaged but was restored in the 1900s CE and are now placed in Jijamata Udyaan (जिजामाता उद्यान), the zoo in Mumbai.

Locally the island is known as घारापुरी (Gharapuri), meaning city of caves in Hindi and Marathi.

See

Elephanta Island site map (from internet)

There is one straight path up the little hill from the ferry pier, passing by two main areas: the Cannon Hill (तोप पहाड़ी, top pahādee) and the Stupa Hill (स्तूप पहाड़ी, stup pahādee). There is a cartoonish train ride from the ferry pier leading to Cave 1.

Cave 1

Cannon hill was so named as there are two cannons installed by the British during their colonisation time. The main picture above depicts the rather unassuming Cave 1 which is the actually largest and the grandest of the Elephanta Caves. The small main entrance really humbles the grand squarish mandapa (मण्डप) inside. It is also the best preserved.

There are a few sculptures of significance inside Cave 1 (from left to right):

Yogishvara (योगीश्वर, 9): Also named Lakulisha (Devanagari: लकुलीश), this is the 28th incarnation of Shiva and is the master of yoga (Sanskrit: योग).
Ravananugraha (रावणानुग्रह, 1): Depiction of the popular story of Rāvaṇa (Sanskrit : रावण) lifting Mount Kailash (Tibetan : གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ, Kailāsa).
Naṭarāja (Sanskrit : नटराज, 2): Dancing Shiva.
Sadashiva (Sanskrit : सदाशिव , Sadāśiva, 4) or locally as Maheshmurti (Marathi: महेशमुर्ती): The centrepiece of the cave and the main attraction of the island, it powerfully depicts the three-headed Shiva representing his three essential aspects: creation, protection, and destruction.

Kalyanasundara (कल्याणसुन्दर , 6): The beautiful marriage of Shiva with Pārvatī (Sanskrit: पार्वती).
Lingam (Sanskrit : लिङ्ग , liṅga, 16): The manifest of Shiva.

Caves 2 to 5

Just next door to Cave 1, but pretty much the same thing and the sculptures have been heavily defaced and damaged.

Stupa Hill (स्तूप पहाड़ी)

Stupa Hill was closed for visit during my visit, and in any case, there was no properly marked trails leading upto the temples up in the hill. According to the pamphlets, Stupa Hill is significant as Cave 6 was converted to become a Christian church during the Portuguese colonisation, although there is nothing left to see after years of damage.

Eat and Drink

Bombay duck (बोंबील)

The food in Mumbai is fairly similar to the cuisine in other parts of India, which we blogged here, as least from the face of a tourist. There is one local dish that we must try: the Bombay duck (Marathi: बोंबील, bōmbīla), which is actually a fish and not a duck. It has an infamously pungent smell in its dried form, but is actually quite tasty, especially when it is grilled or deep-fried. I had one serving in a posh restaurant called Sheesha Sky Lounge (शीशा स्काई लाउंज).

Getting There and Around

To get to the island, one needs to take a one-hour ferry ride from the Gateway of India (गेटवे ऑफ़ इन्डिया, Bhārat ka Pravesh Dvā r ). The island and the main cave areas can be explored by foot, although climbing the Stupa Hill looks a bit strenuous, and we could not do it anyway. The entrance fee to the caves is INR ₹600 while the ferry ride is ₹200. The island will not spend one more than an afternoon, unless one is an archaeologist.