Elephanta Caves
UNESCO World Heritage Site: Elephanta Caves (1987) · Gharapuri, Maharashtra
A group of rock-cut cave temples on Gharapuri, an island in Mumbai harbour an hour by ferry from the Gateway of India, dedicated to Shiva and carved mostly in the fifth and sixth centuries. The Portuguese named the island after a stone elephant they found near the landing, which now stands in a Mumbai museum. The Great Cave, the main one, is a pillared hall cut into the basalt, and in its back wall is the Trimurti, a six-metre relief of Shiva with three faces, creator, preserver and destroyer, which is one of the masterpieces of Indian sculpture. Around it are panels of Shiva as the lord of dance, the marriage of Shiva and Parvati, and the descent of the Ganges. Much of the carving was damaged, reportedly by Portuguese soldiers using it for target practice, but what survives is superb. The caves are a World Heritage Site. From the jetty a short toy train and then about a hundred and twenty steps, lined with souvenir stalls and monkeys, lead up to the caves. The site is CLOSED ON MONDAYS, and ferries are cancelled in rough monsoon weather.
Gharapuri Island, Gharapuri, Maharashtra, 400094, India
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED; confirm before going. The usual pattern: the caves open around nine and close in the late afternoon, about half past five, CLOSED ON MONDAYS. Ferries leave the Gateway of India from about nine until early afternoon, with the last departure from the island in the late afternoon. In the monsoon, June to September, sailings are cut or cancelled in rough seas. THE TRAPS: Mondays, the last boat back, and a late start that puts you in the Great Cave with every tour group of the day.