The Elephanta Caves is on a small island Elephanta just 11 km north-east of the Apollo Bandar, Mumbai. This is a small round island which is 7 km in circumference. The island is named after a colossal elephant found in the island, which is popularly known as ‘Gharapuri’.
After reaching the island one can either walk by a narrow road or go by a narrow-gauge toy train from the boat area to the base of the steps leading up to the caves. As the caves are located on the top of a hillock one has to climb up a flight of 600 steps to reach the caves. The island consists of two groups of caves: the first is a large group of five Hindu caves, the second, a smaller group of two Buddhist caves. The caves we visited here are:
These caves hewn from solid basalt rock have been dated to between the 5th and 8th centuries. The Hindu caves contain rock cut stone sculptures, representing the Shaiva Hindu sect, dedicated to the god Shiva. The sculptures here not only huge, but also magnificent and beautiful. These caves have been declared a World Heritage Site.
The place is open from 9 a.m to 5 p.m. To reach this place one has to travel by ferry or boat from the Gateway of India in the Mumbai. The journey takes 1 hour to reach the island by sea.
After reaching the island one can either walk by a narrow road or go by a narrow-gauge toy train from the boat area to the base of the steps leading up to the caves. As the caves are located on the top of a hillock one has to climb up a flight of 600 steps to reach the caves. The island consists of two groups of caves: the first is a large group of five Hindu caves, the second, a smaller group of two Buddhist caves. The caves we visited here are:
These caves hewn from solid basalt rock have been dated to between the 5th and 8th centuries. The Hindu caves contain rock cut stone sculptures, representing the Shaiva Hindu sect, dedicated to the god Shiva. The sculptures here not only huge, but also magnificent and beautiful. These caves have been declared a World Heritage Site.
The place is open from 9 a.m to 5 p.m. To reach this place one has to travel by ferry or boat from the Gateway of India in the Mumbai. The journey takes 1 hour to reach the island by sea.
45 comments:
great info and photos
thanks
what a great place to see!
ALOHA from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
=^..^=
Interesting place :)
Elephanta fascinates the visitor with its incredible architecture and sculpture.
LOvely CLICKs
Sounds like an interesting island to discover. Was it a volcano? (I ask because it is round)
One hour? That's pretty amazing. As are the caves. And I'm assuming the huge elephant is still hanging around? I think I saw his trunk in with some of the other luggage. :)
They are such a wonderful place to visit and photograph
It looks as if these caves are worth the trip. The sculpture is beautiful.
Great shots of an interesting place.
Intriquing post and photos about your world for OWT ~ great post ~ thanks,
carol and artmusedog
www.acreativeharbor.com
the boat is similar to the ones i saw in bangladesh. it's really appealing.
Wow, it is an adventure to reach the caves. It is an interesting place to explore. Great photos.
I always enjoy captures of such historic and beautiful places and this one is certainly no exception!! Fascinating!! Thanks for sharing, Rajesh! Hope you have a great week!
What a great place to visit.
Yes , nice pictures , I like that interesting place ! Really gorgeous caves full of art! Greetings !
This definitely is a wonderful place to explore some beautiful sculptures and carvings. Nice post, Rajesh.
Waiting to be see these caves Rajesh!
I have not visited this place, looks more like ellora that I visited. Nice captures..
Sounds like a place worth visiting! Thanks for the information about it
very interesting; have a nice Tuesday
much love...
always ENTERTAINING.
ROG, ABC Wednesday team
Very interesting, Rajesh! Thanks for this post! Good choice!
Wil, ABCW Team.
Fascinating.
Been here a few years back and loved it!
It is an interesting place to visit. Great photos.Have a nice day!
Wonderful pictures and a nice post :-)
Very interesting, and great photos.
A boat trip combined with a world heritage site, perfect.
India is a fascintating country :)
The caves sound very interesting to visit. The water taxi also looks like a fun ride. - Margy
I really wish to visit these caves once!
Rajesh , I too have written about Elephants Caves.
I have been to the Elephanta Caves. A very unique and interesting place.
It must be an amazing place to see in person, considering how far back it dates.
Visiting from the Thursday Challenge.
~Lindy
Lovely captures!
Beautiful captures from Elephanta Caves :)
Hari OM
It's an amazing place - love the shot of the ferry with its many 'fenders' though!! YAM xx
I had been there once. I enjoyed the ride and the place. There were a lot of monkeys. Nice photographs.
Beautiful captures and thanks for the info :)
Went there when I was very young, now only the photos remain. Thanks for taking me down the memory lane :)
Great shots. I'd been to Elephanta caves. It's a fun place.
Lovely...
have been to this place .... but somehow did not like it much ..it was overcrowded
The journey to the caves looks equally interesting!
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