Elephanta Caves – Mumbai’s First UNESCO Site
Mumbai, the teeming megapolis, has a history that goes beyond Portuguese rule. Some of the oldest known cities of Mahikavati, Gharapuri, and Sthanaka existed in the island state. Our good fortune is that we still get to see these marvelous structures and cities within. By the way, Mahikavati is today’s Mahim, Sthanaka is Thane, and Gharapuri, as you will discover now, is the famed island of Elephanta.
The elephant statue that gave Elephanta Island its name has travelled some. The British wanted to take it to England and hence removed it. Result? It got damaged. So, they placed it in Victoria Gardens in 1864. A couple of British archeologists reassembled it in 1914, and now the grand pachyderm sits at Bhau Daji Lad Museum in Byculla, with its more famous neighbour, the Jijamata Udyan or the Byculla Zoo.
Getting there
A one-hour ferry ride from the Gateway of India takes you east to Elephanta Island. Though locals know it as Gharapuri (House of Caves), the Portuguese gave it the name ‘Elephanta’. The reason was a large elephant statue on a hilltop that distinguished this island from the bunch in the vicinity.
As you disembark on a long jetty, a cute toy train invites you to take a cheap ride of a few hundred metres. This ride takes you to the 120 steps you climb to get to the Elephanta Caves. Eateries and souvenir shops line this moderate ascent, and their presence provides a much-needed shade during the climb.
Sadashiva Trimurti (Trinity) – the most famous bas relief in Elephanta Caves 
One of the 15 elaborate bas reliefs surrounding the Lingam sanctum sanctorum
Elephanta Caves – The History
During the Gupta Empire era, it may seem that carving monolithic structures by hollowing out basalt mountains and hills was de rigueur. This artistry flowered between the 2nd and the 10th centuries. Elephanta Caves came about the same period as the Ajanta Caves – between the 5th and the 6th centuries CE.
King Krishnaraja of the Kalachuri Dynasty is credited with the creation of the Elephanta Caves. The basis for the dating to a mid-6th century completion is numismatic evidence, construction style, and inscriptions. In fact, the island bears testimony to a continuous stretch between the 2nd century CE and the 18th century CE.
Bas relief near the entrance of Cave #1 
Another bas relief near the entrance of Cave #1
The presence of a couple of excavated Buddhist stupas on the island indicates the caves may have had a Buddhist origin. Like the Harvalem (Arvalem) Cave in Goa, brahmins may have usurped even these later on.
Elephanta Caves – The UNESCO Site
The UNESCO-inscribed complex is a cluster of five caves, cave #1 being the most important. It got its UNESCO listing in 1987. The layout of Cave #1 is a Mandapa (Pavilion) layout. It is a pillared square hall with 15 bas reliefs that surround the Lingam sanctum sanctorum. These reliefs are not just a splendid example of Indian stone carvings but are also the most important collection for the cult of Shiva.
While I could go on about these reliefs, the masterpiece amongst these is the Sadashiva Trimurti (the Trinity). Another remarkable bas relief of this Trinity exists in the UNESCO-inscribed Chittorgarh Fort in Rajasthan.
The Mandapa has a north entrance, and this relief is positioned just across the hall in the south. It represents the aspects of Shiva. Creation, protection, and destruction. In Hindu Mythology, the manifestations of the aspects are ‘Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh’, in that order.
Defacing of Elephanta Caves
There is no common ground for historians about this aspect. While many believe the most destruction was caused by the Islamic Sultanate, the other schools of belief talk of the Portuguese using the caves and the statues as a firing range. Yet another school of thought claims the Marathas to be the biggest culprits in defacing the site by trying to remove the plaster put on the reliefs by the Christians. Whatever be the truth, the site you see today still inspires awe, as even the remains of basalt carvings are splendid, and we know it well that carving basalt has never been easy.
Remarkable sculpting of basalt rock 
The Lingam sanctum sanctorum (Garbh Griha)
As you head out of Cave #1 and move towards the rest of the caves, you realise the artists have failed to equal the magnificence of the first cave. A perfunctory walk around the rest of the complex will make you hurry back to the exit. The work in the rest of the caves is not humble. But then, as humans, our tendency is to compare. Q.E.D.
Entrance of Cave #2 
Entrance of Cave #3
If you come to Elephanta in the morning, remember to catch some lunch in some eatery as you make your way to the ferry jetty. An afternoon visit, though, should make you hurry back to the jetty as the last ferry departs at 5 pm. Do visit this unique island as almost two millennia of history awaits you there.
