Elephanta Caves
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The Elephanta Caves are the focal point of the Elephanta Island, located in the Mumbai harbour off the coast of Mumbai, (Bombay) India. In 1987 the caves were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It is visited by hundreds of domestic and foreign tourists. In recent years complaints have been made that visitors mistreat this important cultural and historic site.
The caves are thought to date back to the Silhara kings of the 9th through 13th centuries (810-1260). Some of the sculptures of this site are also attributed to the imperial Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta (in present day Karnataka), the Trimurti of Elephanta showing faces of Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheswar embodied as one being one among them. This was also the royal insignia of the Rashtrakutas. Other Rashtrakuta sclptures here are the reliefs of Nataraja and Sadashiva and the splendid sculptures of Ardhanarishvara. About the Trimurti, historian Grousset points out, "The three countenances of the One Being are here harmonized without a trace of effort. There are few material representations of the divine principle at once as powerful and as well balanced as this in the art of the whole world".
The site of these magnificent caves contained beautiful reliefs, sculptures, and a temple to the Hindu god Śiva. The caves are hewn from solid rock.
External links
- [Information on the caves]
- [Description of Rashtrakutas architecture in the caves]
- [A useful Travel Tip & Video on Elephanta caves]
| Caves around Mumbai |
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Elephanta Caves • Jogeshwari Caves • Kanheri Caves • Mahakali Caves • Mandapeshwar Caves
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