The Elephanta Caves consist of a series of rock-cut caves located on two hills of Elephanta Island. This site is mainly split into two parts—the larger western section and the smaller eastern section.
Ajanta was built from the 3rd century BC to the 5th-6th century AD, with nearly all the caves dedicated to Lord Buddha. They feature the monasteries of the Hinayana and Mahayana traditions. When we look at Ellora, Badami, Pattadakal, and Hampi, they are primarily Shaivite and were constructed during the 5th-8th centuries. Similarly, the Elephanta Caves are entirely dedicated to Lord Shiva and are believed to date back to the 5th-8th century AD.
The Elephanta Caves are situated on an island known as Gharapuri (which means ‘village of caves’) panchayat, approximately 11 km from the Mumbai coast in the Arabian Sea. ‘Ghara’ refers to the Sudra priests of the Shaivite temple, while ‘puri’ means town.
Entire halls, pillars, statues, and shrines were carved directly out of solid basalt rock. No separate blocks or stones are used in the entire Elephanta.
Where it is situated: On an island, 11 km from Mumbai, India.
What to see in Elephanta Caves: Ancient rock-cut cave, A UNESCO World Heritage Site
When it was built: Between the 5th and 8th centuries CE.
Who built it: uncertain but often linked to Kalachuri or Rashtrakuta dynasties
Why it was built: Dedicated to Lord Shiva. The site reflects the strong influence of Shaivism in ancient western India.
Why is it named Elephanta? Originally known as Gharapuri, meaning “village of caves.” The later name “Elephanta” was given later by the Portuguese for a large stone elephant statue near the island. Now removed from this place.
Today, they remain one of Mumbai’s most famous historical and cultural attractions, visited by tourists and devotees from around the world.
We spent three nights in Mumbai on our way back from Egypt. It was my first time visiting the city.
I had a brief plan to explore this amazing metropolitan area.
Day 1, I focused on the Gateway of India in the morning and caught a local tour bus at 11 AM from India Gate.
Day 2 was all about the Elephanta Caves and a stroll through the local market at Colaba Causeway to feel the vibrant energy of the people here.
Day 3 involved visiting the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), formerly the Prince of Wales Museum, and the Siddi Vinayaka temple and spending the evening at Marine Drive.
I definitely missed out on a few attractions like checking out old film star homes, the Hanging Gardens, and maybe even the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and the Kanheri and Mahakali caves.
Today, on day 2, my main destination was the Elephanta Caves.
We arrived at the Gateway of India around 9 AM after enjoying a complimentary breakfast at our hotel, Marine Plaza, on Marine Drive. We took some photos at the Gateway but missed out on having tea at the Taj.
From this spot, there are plenty of small boats heading to the Elephanta Caves, and tickets can be bought right here for private boats (Rs. 800 per person), along with government-operated boats. The ticket counters were a bit chaotic, thanks to the private operators and the lack of government counters. It was quite surprising.
We hopped on the boat, and as expected, it was crowded, but still comfortable.
The ride was fantastic and unforgettable, with the boat bobbing up and down in the Arabian Sea. A lot of birds were flying around the boat during the journey, adding a unique touch to the beautiful feeling of this journey (Incredible India), something I had seen before on my earlier trip to Prayagraj Sangam.
The journey took about an hour through the Arabian Sea, and I spotted numerous cargo ships along the way to Elephanta.
As we got off the boat and took a few steps, a local toy train was ready for us (ticket price Rs.40), but we could also choose to walk the 2 km if we wanted. Since we are senior citizens, we opted for the toy train.
It only took about 5 minutes to get to the bottom of the Elephanta Caves.
However, as we expected, there was a long flight of stairs waiting for us to climb to actually reach the caves.
I think there must be at least 120 steep steps. Palanquins are available for Rs.1200. We can take breaks and do some shopping at the small souvenir shops lining the stairs. I bought a tourist book here to learn about the architecture, plans, and layout of these caves.
What to see in this Island
There are many caves on this island, but the main one is Cave 1, and we can also see a few caves like Caves 2, 3, and 4. I could not locate caves 5 and 6, as I think these are abandoned now.
The main cave 1
The Main Cave contains around 24 sculptural panels and shrines in total, mostly devoted to different forms and legends of Shiva.
This is the entrance of the main cave 1, and here we can see Trimurti, or Maheshmurti, Nataraja, Yogishvara, Ardhanarishvara, Gangadhara, Kalyanasundara (marriage of Shiva and Parvati); Ravana Shaking Kailasa (Ravananugraha); and a few more.
This is an 18-foot-high colossal image of Mahesh Murti, the Lord Shiva. It is flanked by two dwarpalas (guards) accompanied by a dwarf attendant.
The calm face represents “Tatpurusha of Mahadeva” with full sensuous lips and adorned by rows of necklaces. The left face is the “Bhairava” form of Lord Shiva, which manifests as the destroyer who ends both life and time. The cruel and bulging mouth, twirling mustaches, and the symbols of death—skull and serpents—are in his hands. The right face represents Shiva as Vamadeva or Uma. The face itself is female beauty, full of solitude. The hand holds a lotus while hair is decorated with pearls.
On either side of this panel is Shiva bearing the river Ganges (Gangadhar Shiva), and on the other side is Shiva as Ardhnarishwar.
Let us know the stories behind Andhakasur vadh and Gangadhar to understand these panels.
Andhakasur-Vadh
This mutilated panel depicts the story of the destruction of the demon Andhaka by Shiva. Andhakasura, a demon king enamored by the beauty of Parvati, attempts to abduct the goddess. Shiva impaled the demon, but a boon from Brahma has made Andhaka invincible. Each drop of blood shed by the demon produces a mighty new demon, making it difficult for Shiva to destroy Andhaka. Then Shiva created the goddess Chamunda to hold Andhaka’s blood in a skull cup. Shiva was about to kill Andhaka when the demon praised him and, after many penances, obtained his pardon. Andhaka was appointed chief commander of Shiva’s ganas (dwarf attendants).
In this panel, Shiva dancing with destructive fury consumes the entire scene. Behind him is the hide of the elephant-demon Nila, friend of Andhaka, whom Shiva has overcome by dancing him to death. The god is depicted with a furious face, has fangs, his eyebrows are knotted, and his third eye is bulging in his forehead. His dramatic appearance with the elephant hide held in the upper two hands, a fearsome three-quarter profile, and an array of weapons in his several hands and a skull cup in the left lower hand is a truly formidable work of art. – January, 2023, Archaeological Survey of India, Mumbai Circle, Mumbai
Gangadhar-Murti
The panel depicts Lord Shiva’s central role in the great cosmic event of the descent of the river goddess Ganga from heaven. The descent of the river Ganga is described in the Puranas (Hindu scriptures), where King Bhagiratha, grandson of Sagara, performed severe austerities to propitiate the celestial river. Pleased with the king’s penance, the goddess agreed to descend from the heavens but needed terrestrial support to resist the force of her descent. Lord Shiva, happy with King Bhagiratha’s sacrifices, agreed to receive the powerful Ganga, who cascaded through his matted locks and revived Sagara’s sons. Accordingly, the river goddess is shown with three heads, representing three aspects of Ganga when she traversed the three worlds, namely Mandakini, Bhagirathi, and Bhogvati.
In the center of this fine panel are the figures of Shiva and his consort Parvati. Ganga, sister of Parvati and her rival, is a triple-headed diminutive shape above Shiva’s crown. Parvati, jealous of her Lord’s proximity to the river goddess, is shown with her head slightly turned away from him, while one of Shiva’s arms extends towards Parvati to reassure her. To the right of Shiva kneels the devoted figure of King Bhagiratha. – January, 2023, Archaeological Survey of India, Mumbai Circle, Mumbai
There is also a very attractive panel of marriage of Lord Shiva with Parvati.
In the main courtyard of the primary cave, there’s an impressive Natraj statue with eight arms. Its expression is serene.
On his right side stands Parwati, and above them, Vishnu is depicted with a Garuda (eagle). You can spot Indra riding the elephant Erawat, and nearby is Kartikeya, the god of war and son of Shiva, along with Lord Ganesha, featured in this fresco.
There are certain more caves
There is nothing in cave 2.
Cave 3 consists of three cells in a row; being the main shrine, it is large in size and placed in the center, sharing a common verandah supported on six tall massive pillars on the front, which were restored by the ASI. The central shrine has a rock-cut pitha in the center, once enshrining a linga, which is missing now. The sanctum has an elegantly carved trishakha doorway with large flanking dwarapalas, though mutilated in condition, but still preserved the essence of Rashtrakuta art. Another rectangular recess was on the left (north), now in ruined condition, perhaps meant for residential purposes.
Cave 4 is comprised of 4 cells, and the facade is very much dilapidated. The central
shrine has a Trishakha doorway flanked by Shiva dwarpals.
Epilogue
To truly soak in the serene beauty of this island, you’ll need at least 6 hours. Just think about how the locals stumbled upon this village, explored it, and deemed it perfect for carving those massive monolithic statue panels.
The lush greenery, the enjoyable 1 hour and 20 minutes of boating, and the chance to witness this 1400-1500-year-old culture make for an unforgettable experience. This place is a true gem of Mumbai, and no trip to the city is complete without a visit to these caves.
Unfortunately, we missed out on two more caves in Mumbai that I found out about later. One is the Kanheri caves, located about 7-8 km from Borivali railway station, and the other is the Mahakali caves (also known as Kondivate), which are just 6 km from Andheri railway station.
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