The Elephanta Caves, Mumbai is a World Heritage Site, which attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world. The cave sculpture shows different incarnations of Lord Shiva and clearly, the cave builders were followers of Shaivism. The sculptures in the caves date back to 5th Century AD and have been cut out of solid rock. The Elephanta Caves had been so named by the Portuguese settlers because near the shore of island, there is a magnificent statue of an elephant.
The temple complex in the cave is indeed huge covering a total land area of 60,000 square feet. There are separate places for meditation, worshiping chambers, corridors and there are sculptures all over the place. Some of caves are however without any sculptures, while others seem to remain incomplete. The temple has many pillars and roof of the temple is a solid mass of rock. The temple inside the Elephanta Caves had been patronized by many a royal monarchs of different dynasties. These rulers include the Silaharas, Kalyani Chalukyas, Muslim rulers of Ahmadabad, Konkan-Mauryas, Chalukyas of Badami, Trikutakas, Yadavas of Deogiri and Rashtrakutas. The seven caves of Elephanta islands underwent gradual
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development over some two to three hundred years.
The Sculptural Extravaganza Inside the Elephanta Caves
The first cave has a number of statues of unbelievable dexterity. Though the caves had been primarily built for devotees of Shaivism, the sculptures also show elements of Brahminical beliefs and faiths. The most spectacular carvings include the Sadasiva, the Gandhara, Yogiswara, Ravana Anuraga Murthy, Kalyansundara, Uma Maheshwara, Hakasooravada Statue and the idol of Nataraja. The Sadasiva Murti shows three of the five heads of the God and the head of the statue stands 20 feet from the ground level.
Getting to Elephanta Caves in Mumbai
The Elephanta Islands are located just about fifteen minutes rowing distance from the main island of Mumbai. Tourists’ transportation requires regular ferries to ply visitors to Elephanta Caves. The boats start off from a dock near Colaba region.
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