Mumbai (मुम्बई) | Elephanta Island
- Maximus Nostramabus
- Nov 10, 2020
- 6 min read
Updated: 29 minutes ago
Rock-hewn caves in an island honouring Shiva - Elephanta Caves 244
What and Why
The Elephanta Caves (Hindi: घारापुरी गुफाएँ, Gharapuri guphā'ēm̐) are a series of rock-hewn cave temples predominantly dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva (Sanskrit: शिव, Śiva). These caves are located a 16 km² island off Mumbai (मुम्बई). While most of the caves are Hindu, there are a number of Buddhist stupas and temples around the island, with all these temples dating back to the 5th century CE. The oldest of these temples dates back to the 2nd century BCE and these are mostly Buddhist temples. Unfortunately many of the artwork is defaced and damaged.
There is a certain parallel of the Elephanta Caves with the blogged Ellora Caves (एलोरा गुफाएं, Ēlōrā guphā'ēṁ) in Aurangabad (औरंगाबाद) and Ajanta Caves (अजंता गुफाएँ, Ajantā guphā'ēm̐) in Fardapur (फर्दपुर) although the theme and preservation do differ.
Toponymy
The island was called Elefante when the Portuguese came to colonise the area during the 16th century CE. They found four elephant statues on the island and hence the name. These elephant statues have been damaged but was restored in the 1900s CE and are now placed in Jijamata Udyaan (जिजामाता उद्यान), the zoo in Mumbai.
Locally the island is known as 'घारापुरी (Gharapuri)', meaning 'city of caves' in Hindi and Marathi.
See
There is one straight path up the little hill from the ferry pier, passing by two main areas: the Cannon Hill (तोप पहाड़ी, top pahādee) and the Stupa Hill (स्तूप पहाड़ी, stup pahādee). There is a cartoonish train ride from the ferry pier leading to Cave 1.
Cave 1
Cannon hill was so named as there are two cannons installed by the British during their colonisation time. The main picture above depicts the rather unassuming Cave 1 which is the actually largest and the grandest of the Elephanta Caves. The small main entrance really humbles the grand squarish mandapa (मण्डप) inside. This spatial design reflects cosmic and spiritual order. It is also the best preserved.
The main entrance and the main Shiva statue is perfectly aligned along the north-south axis. This is considered unusual as Shiva usually faces west. Shiva is replaced by a lingam (लिङ्ग, liṅga), position 16 on the picture below, at the west entrance.
There are a few sculptures of significance inside Cave 1 (from left to right):
Yogishvara (योगीश्वर, 9): Also named Lakulisha (Devanagari: लकुलीश), this is the 28th incarnation of Shiva seated in a padmasana (पद्मासन) and is the master of yoga (Sanskrit: योग). The background contains several smaller statues of unclear deities, as well as monks and sadhus (साधु, sādhu). These statues are badly damaged, but one can still trace out Brahma (ब्रह्मा, Brahmā), Indra (इन्द्र) and Vishnu (विष्णु, Viṣṇu) riding their respective vehicles of swan, elephant and Garuda (गरुड, Garuḍa) on the murals.
Yogishvara Ravananugraha (रावणानुग्रह, 1): This panel depicts a series of stories relating Shiva to his abode Mount Kailash (Tibetan: གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ, Kailāsa), although many of them have been defaced and damaged. The one clear depiction of these popular stories is that of Rāvaṇa (Sanskrit: रावण), the villain unsuccessfully lifting Kailash, which clearly upsets Shiva.
Naṭarāja (Sanskrit: नटराज, 2): Shiva manifesting himself as the lord of the dancers, a common depiction of Hindu deities.
Sadashiva (Sanskrit: सदाशिव, Sadāśiva, 4) or locally as Maheshmurti (Marathi: महेशमुर्ती): The centrepiece of the cave and the main attraction of the island, it powerfully depicts the three-headed Shiva representing his three essential aspects: creation, protection, and destruction. Many literatures refer this statue as the Trimurti (त्रिमूर्ति): the triple deity of Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu. While technically the three symbolisms are the same, Trimurti are three different specific deities whereas Sadashiva are three different forms of Shiva. In a sense this statue represents Shaivism (Sanskrit: शैवसंप्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ), that Shiva is the supreme being and the ultimate worship and thus replaces the Trimurti in Hinduism.
Flanking Sadashiva on its left and right Ardhanarisvara (Sanskrit: अर्धनारीश्वर, Ardhanārīśvara) and Gangadhara (Sanskrit: गंगाधरः) to its right respectively. Ardhanarisvara is half-Shiva and half-Pārvatī (Sanskrit: पार्वती), his wife, representing the combination of masculine and feminine energy of the universe. The image of Gangahara is damaged beyond recognition.
Kalyanasundara (कल्याणसुन्दर, 6): The beautiful marriage of Shiva with Pārvatī (Sanskrit: पार्वती) according to the legend. This mural appears in Ellora Caves as well.
Caves 2 to 5
Just next door to Cave 1 sits Cave 2, which is an unfinished temple but pretty much the same thing and the sculptures have been heavily defaced and damaged. Caves 3 to 5 are all very damaged that there is no recognisable sculptures and carvings inside the caves.
Cave 4.
Stupa Hill (स्तूप पहाड़ी)
Stupa Hill, adjacent to the hill of Caves 1 to 5, was closed for visit during my visit, and in any case, there was no properly marked trails leading upto the temples up in the hill. Cave 6 can be viewed from the picture below which is pretty much inside the bushes. According to the pamphlets, Stupa Hill is significant as Cave 6 was converted to become a Christian church during the Portuguese colonisation, although there is nothing left to see after years of damage.
According to the pamphlets, there are two Buddhist stupas dating back to 2 BCE off Cave 7. As the trail was closed, we could not visit them.
Elephanta Island also houses two gigantic British cannons mounted on rotating platforms, dating back to early 20th century CE. To reach the cannons, one has to walk out of the cave complex and head back to the ferry pier and then head to the other direction towards the west of the island. Nothing particularly interesting or historically significant.
Eat and Drink
Bombay duck (बोंबील)
The food in Mumbai is fairly similar to the cuisine in other parts of India, which we blogged here, as least from the face of a tourist. There is one local dish that we must try: the Bombay duck (Marathi: बोंबील, bōmbīla), which is actually a fish and not a duck. It has an infamously pungent smell in its dried form, but is actually quite tasty, especially when it is grilled or deep-fried. I had one serving in a posh restaurant called Sheesha Sky Lounge (शीशा स्काई लाउंज).
Stay
While there are inhabitants in the Elephanta Island, there are no lodging available in the island. All visitors must leave the island before dusk.
Travel Suggestions and Logistics
To get to the island, one needs to take a one-hour ferry ride from the Gateway of India (गेटवे ऑफ़ इन्डिया, Bhārat ka Pravesh Dvār). The island and the main cave areas can be explored by foot, although climbing the Stupa Hill looks a bit strenuous, and we could not do it anyway. The entrance fee to the caves is INR ₹600 while the ferry ride is ₹200. The island will not spend one more than an afternoon, unless one is an archaeologist. It is definitely a good side-trip from Mumbai.
The island is inaccessible for tourists during the months from November to February as this is the monsoon season, making the ferry ride extremely dangerous.
UNESCO Inscription
The 'City of Caves', on an island in the Sea of Oman close to Bombay, contains a collection of rock art linked to the cult of Shiva. Here, Indian art has found one of its most perfect expressions, particularly the huge high reliefs in the main cave.
References
Comments
Please share your thoughts and comments about the blog. If you need suggestions to build a travel itinerary, please let me know. More than willing to help. I would also like to build a bespoke-in-depth travel community around UNESCO WHS and ICH.
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