Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TOP OF CHAPTER
1
Elephanta Island
Nine kilometres northeast of the Gateway of India in Mumbai Harbour, the rock-cut
temples on Gharapuri, better known as
Elephanta Island
(
http://asi.nic.in
/; Indian/foreigner ?10/250;
caves 9am-5pm Tue-Sun)
, are a Unesco World Heritage Site and worth crossing the waters for.
The labyrinth of cave-temples, carved into the island's basalt rock, contain some of India's
most impressive temple carving. The main Shiva-dedicated temple is an intriguing lattice-
work of courtyards, halls, pillars and shrines; its magnum opus is a 6m-tall statue of
Sadhashiva, depicting a three-faced Shiva as the destroyer, creator and preserver of the
universe, his eyes closed in eternal contemplation.
The temples are thought to have been created between AD 450 and 750, when the is-
land was known as Gharapuri (Place of Caves). The Portuguese called it Elephanta be-
cause of a large stone elephant near the shore, which collapsed in 1814 and was moved by
the British to Mumbai's Jijamata Udyan. There's a small
museum
on-site, with informative
pictorial panels on the origin of the caves.
Aggressive, expensive guides will meet you at the jetty and try to convince you to em-
ploy their services; you don't really need one. Opt instead for Pramod Chandra's
A Guide
to the Elephanta Caves
, for sale at the stalls lining the stairway.
Launches
(economy/deluxe ?120 /150)
head to Gharapuri from the Gateway of India every half-
hour from 9am to 3.30pm. Buy tickets at the booths lining Apollo Bunder. The voyage
takes just over an hour.
The ferries dock at the end of a concrete pier, from where you can walk or take the
mini-
ature train
(?10) to the
stairway
(admission ?10) leading up to the caves. It's lined with
souvenir stalls and patrolled by pesky monkeys. Wear good shoes. The stairs are a bit
steep, so avoid the mid-day heat.
