Elephanta Caves, A Timeless Sanctuary of Shiva's Rock Art
Path to caves, Sheva, Kulāba, Raigad, Maharashtra, India
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Introduction
Elephanta Island is an island located 11 kilometers northeast of the Gateway of India, Mumbai, and is regarded as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The island's area is relatively small, covering only over ten square kilometers. The most famous site on the island is the Hindu cave temples and statues built in the 8th and 9th century, which is one of the masterpieces of sculpture art in the world. These monuments have experienced destruction by the Portuguese army, but the first cave temple of God Shiva is still the most famous and best-preserved monument today, which includes the most famous statue of the Trimurti, which is 6 meters high. If you want to visit Elephanta Island, you need to take a ferry and then go up the stairs leading to the caves. Along the way, there is also a shopping street where you can buy natural amethyst. During the ferry ride, tourists can also throw potato chips and corn kernels to attract seagulls to eat, which is quite interesting. Address Path to caves, Sheva, Kulāba, Raigad, Maharashtra, India
Opening hours Open all year round, closed on Mondays.
Transportation Take a ferry from the dock in front of India Gate. The journey lasts about an hour and costs 140 rupees for a round trip. Ferry departures for the outbound journey are from 9:00 to 14:30, while for the return journey they are from 12:30 to 18:00.
The Elephant Island is full of stone carved statues which are worth seeing
