Elephanta Island Things to Do

2 more images

On the western side of the cave entrance there is a trail which you need to hike to the top of island till Cannon Hill. The hiking is little steeper and the steps are broken at places so be careful while climbing up. At the top there is a large old Cannon and some ruins. You'll get a nice view of the island from the top.

4 more images

The main temple on Elephanta Island is the cave worth seeing on the island. It is a temple dedicated to Shiva with halls of pillars, shrines and courtyards. On the walls are beautiful stone carvings.

When you enter the cave you will see a 6 metre tall statue of Sadhashiva in front of you. Sadhashiva is a three faced Shiva where Shiva is the destroyer (the face to the left), the creator (the face to the right) and the preserver of universe (the calm central face). In the main hall there is a Shiva Shrine. It has four doors with big statues - doorkeepers - outside.

There is a footpath going around the island (which I didn’t take) and there are three villages on the island. After seeing the caves I decided to walk up to Cannon Hill. Halfway up there was a stall selling snacks and drinks so I stopped to buy a Coke. As the rain started to pour down I stayed there for a while before continuing. On Cannon Hill there are two cannons and some ruins of buildings. And from the top there is a fine view.

It takes about an hour to go by boat to Elephanta Island from Mumbai. When you arrive to the island the boat stops at the end of a long pier. After the pier you will walk past souvenir stalls and food stalls, and have about 120 steps to climb to the entrance where you pay the admission. Admission for foreigners in June 2010 was Rs 250. The caves are open Tuesday - Sunday between 9 - 17.
Just after the small office where you pay the admission there is a small museum where it can be good to begin the tour.

2 more images

The central area in the Main Cave is referred to as Mandapa, which is essentially a hypostyle hall in Hindu Temples. It is a large columned hall preceding the main sanctuary. Here it contains numerous square columns supporting the flat ceiling. Each column has a cylindrical carved capital, and some also have little elephants above the corners of the square base. The Mandapa is surrounded by porches on three sides, two of which lead to inner courtyards and shrines beyond.

Known locally as Gharapuri, i.e. "Place of Caves", the island was not named Elephanta until the Portuguese took possession of it in 1534 AD. Upon discovering a large monolithic stone elephant statue on the island, the Portuguese called it Elephanta. Centuries later, this statue collapsed, but was reassembled by the British and moved to Victoria Gardens in Bombay/Mumbai. The island is located in the Bombay Harbour about 10km northwest of the Gateway of India.

4 more images

A huge sign by the ticket office warns the visitor against feeding the monkeys. The island is filled with them and they roam the archeological area freely. The sign says the monkeys could attack you. Nevertheless, I saw numerous tourists feeding the monkeys and approaching them. I preferred only to photograph them.

Officially assigned the number 1, the Main Cave is the reason one travels all the way to Elephanta Island. It is the largest and most elaborately decorated cave temple on Elephanta Island and is dedicated to the god Shiva. It is also the first cave one encounters upon arrival to the archeological site. Like the other caves on the site, the Main Cave was probably carved between 450 AD and 750 AD, originally as a Buddhist temple and continued as a Hindu temple when Buddhism declined. Therefore, much of the carvings here probably date from the later period as they are more exclusively Hindu in character. The stunning carvings are described in more detail further down on this page.