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Introduction
India's economic capital and the abode of the candyfloss
silver screen, the spark called Mumbai attracts thousands
of moths towards itself round the year. Though it is
the lure of the Bollywood glamour and the promise of
a livelihood that make people run to Mumbai; the Arabian
sea and the Western Ghats topped up with the lip smacking
Paw Bhaji and Vada Paw along with important historical
monuments like Gateway of India, Haji Ali mosque, along
with the Bombay Stock Exchange, the water parks and
shopping malls, this truly cosmopolitan city offers
a heady cocktail of history and the contemporary. The
Elephanta Caves, Mumbai offer a breathtaking array of prehistoric
stone sculptures and frescos dating back to 9th century
BC.
Location
The Elephanta Caves are located on the Elephanta Islands,
10 km from the Gateway of India. A regular ferry service
connects the islands to the main land.
Entry
A toy train takes the tourists from the ferry station
to the cave entrance and back. The entry fee to the
caves is Rs 10/- for Indian nationals and Rs 460/- for
foreigners. Video cameras are charged Rs 25/-. The caves
remain open everyday from 09:30 hrs to 17:30 hrs. They
remain closed on Mondays.
At a Glance
The Elephanta cave temple complex has three entrances
from the north, west and east side.A rock elephant on
the courtyard at the mouth of one of the caves welcomes
the visitors. The island was christened Elephanta by
the Portugese because of this elephant. The caves are
adorned with huge larger than life sculptures depicting
Hindu mythological figures. The 23 ft high and 19 ½
ft broad Trimurti - the three-headed Hindu trinity is
one of the most famous. The Shivalingam, Ardhanarishwar,
Shiva-Parvati, Ravananugraha are equally famous. The
temple complex is strewn with pillared halls, corridors
and courtyards. The cave temple complex stands on about
60000 square ft area. The Elephanta caves, Mumbai unfortunately
have been subjected to a lot of abuse first from the
Portugese and then from the tourists. That and the constant
exposure to saline sea breeze are the reasons why we
cannot anymore see any of the frescos that once adorned
the walls of the temples. It was declared a UNESCO World
Heritage Site in 1987.
History
Though the exact date of the construction of these
temples cannot be cited, they are generally conjectured
to have come to existence between 5th and 13th century
B.C. the caves are traced to the Silhara Kings (9th-13th
century B.C). Some sculptures also seem to resemble
the style of the Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta (now Karnataka).
Interestingly, a few Jain shrines are visible along
with those dedicate to Hindu gods at Elephanta. The
Elephanta Caves remain an architectural and artistic
marvel till date. It is our duty to preserve them.
Indianholiday.com offer information about the Elephanta
Caves Mumbai as a place of tourist interest.
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