A unique place called Elephanta Island, also known as Gharapuri Island, is located east of Mumbai, on one of the many islands in the city's harbor. This mysterious island is a real magnet for tourists from all over the world. After all, its biggest attraction is the underground stone cave temples, which are decorated with a huge number of amazingly beautiful statues. The entire temple complex was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987.
The island received its current name - Elephanta - in the 17th century thanks to Portuguese explorers, after they discovered a sculpture of an elephant (elephant) carved from a single piece of basalt near the entrance to one of the caves of the temple complex. They decided to take her to Portugal, but this venture ended in failure as they dropped her into the sea. Later it was raised from the bottom by the British, and at the moment this stone figure is housed in the Museum of Dr. Bhau Daji, the former Museum of Victoria and Albert.
The island can be easily reached by ferry that runs between Elephanta and Mumbai Harbor. It departs from the pier right at the historic Gateway to India daily at 9 am and 2 pm and takes about an hour to reach its destination. A direct road leads from the island's pier to the caves. Also, to get to the temples, you can use a small tram that takes visitors directly to the steps leading to the caves. All along the road there are shops and shops where you can buy various jewelry, souvenirs, food and drinks.
The area of the entire island is only about 16 square kilometers, and earlier it was the capital of one of the local principalities. Today it is home to about 1200 people, who are mainly engaged in agriculture - growing rice, as well as fishing and repairing boats. There are three settlements on Elephanta: Shentbandar, Morabandar and Rajbandar, the latter being a kind of capital of the island. Temple caves are located on the territory of Shentbandar.
The exact date of the creation of the caves is unknown. It is believed to be around the 7th century AD, just as the ancient Indian Gupta empire was enjoying its golden age and culture flourished and developed. Then the idea of building a temple in honor of the Hindu deity Shiva arose.
Promotional video:
The caves can be accessed through the main northern entrance, which leads into a large hall supported by several massive columns. It is in this room that the huge statue of Mahesamurti is located. Its height is 6.3 meters, and it depicts the god Shiva in his three forms: Creator, Protector and Destroyer. Other sculptures located near the entrance and on the side panels represent Shiva's achievements. As, for example, a sculpture depicting the process of creation of the Ganges River by Shiva.