The Elephanta Caves Near Mumbai Are Not to be Missed – Find out Why Here
I am not from Mumbai, but have been living in the city for 5-6 years now. I have been to a lot of places around the city in this time, including Matheran, Lonavla and Khandala, Alibag, Daman, and Goa among others. But somehow I missed out Elephanta. It is quite a shame, I agree. After all, the Elephanta caves are so close to Mumbai. You could head out to the sea, visit the caves, and return the same day. But this time I made up my mind. No matter what happens, the next weekend I would be at Elephanta. I had given it a slip for far too long.
For those who don’t know, Elephanta is a series of caves located in the Arabian Sea on an island. It takes just about an hour from the jetty at Gateway of India. The island is located at a distance of 9 nautical miles. There was a time when the island was known as Gharapuri. That was before the Portuguese arrived. It was eventually changed to Elephants, because of the stone carvings of elephants here. The island is of course famous for the Elephanta caves and their stone carvings.
Anyway, I left early because I wanted to take the first ferry – it leaves the jetty at 8.30. The journey was very enjoyable. I loved it as the early morning sea breeze hit me on the face. It was so refreshing. Shortly after leaving the jetty, I could see the island coming up on the horizon. I was there in an hour.
I took the toy train to reach the base of the steps that would take me to the caves. I had read about this, and so knew what to expect. There were hawkers everywhere selling their key chains, anklets and necklaces. I moved on.
There were quite a few caves to see. There was the Maheshmurti Statue in one of them. It was stunning. Shiva is shown here as the destroyer, protector and creator. There were sculptures of Lord Shiva and Ganesha as well, though not in the best condition. I was told that the caves and all the work inside were all hand-cut with simple tools. Awesome!
Frankly, I am no expert. But even I could understand that the rock cut architecture that dates back to the 5th century was outstanding.
I had my lunch at the MTDC run Chalukya Restaurant. It was time to return already.
In hindsight, I’m glad that I visited the Elephanta caves. You will love the tamarind, mango and palm trees here even if you are not too much into ancient Indian architecture and art.
