The above image depicts the idol of lord Shiva which is sculptured in these beautiful elephant caves.
Elephanta caves are a network of sculpted caves located on Gharapuri which translates to ‘city of caves’ in Mumbai Harbor.
This island which is located on an arm of the Arabian Sea are mainly divided into two parts—the first is a large group of five Hindu caves and a smaller group of two Buddhist caves.
The main cave was a Hindu place of worship until the Portuguese rule began in 1534 which damaged the caves to a great extent. This cave was renovated in the 1970’s after years of negligence. It is currently maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India .
The larger group of caves contains rock cut stone sculptures which represents the Shaiva Hindu sect, dedicated to the Lord Shiva.
These caves were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 to preserve the artwork due to its marvelous craftsmanship.
Created between AD 450 and 750, they represent some of India’s most impressive temple carvings. The main Shiva-dedicated temple has a lot of courtyards, halls, pillars and shrines. These caves contains an opus which is a 6m-tall statue of Sadhashiva, depicting a three-faced Shiva as the destroyer, creator and preserver of the Universe.
The Portuguese were the one to name the place as ‘Elephanta‘ due to the presence of a large stone elephant near the shore. This stone later collapsed and was moved by Britishers in 1814. A small museum is present on site with informative pictorial panels on the origin of the caves.
Although expensive guides are available, you don’t really need one. A book named ‘A Guide to the Elephanta Caves’ is more than sufficient.
Main Cave
The above picture depicts the entrance to the largest cave-Cave 1. This main cave or the Shiva cave is 27 metres (89 ft) in height. It sports a square in plan with a hall (mandapa). When you enter, you will find four doors with three open porticoes and an aisle at the back.
The hall is divided into series of small chambers which are divided further by pillars, six in each row. The roof of the hall is supported by concealed beams joined together by capitals.
The above picture is a small map of the cave.
This cave entrance is aligned east-west which is typically unusual for a Shiva shrine. The entrance towards the north cave has 1,000 steep steps which are flanked by two panels of Shiva. The left panel depicts Yogishvara (The Lord of Yoga) and the right shows Nataraja (Shiva as the Lord of Dance).
The central Shiva shrine (see number 16 in plan above) is a square cell containing four entrances which is located in the right section of the main hall. Smaller shrines are located at the east and west ends of the caves.
Each wall has large carvings of Shiva which are more than 5 metres in height. The central Shiva carving, Trimurti is located on the south wall and is flanked by Ardhanarisvara-a half-man, half-woman representation of Shiva, on its left and Gangadhara to its right.
The main cave boasts of ancient Chalukyan architectural which features massive figures of the divinities, guardians, and square pillars with custom capitals .
Many other carvings which are related to the legend of Shiva are also seen in the main hall at strategic locations, like : Kalyanasundaramurti, depicting Shiva’s marriage to the goddess Parvati, Andhakasuravadamurti or Andhakasuramardana, the slaying of the demon by shiva is depicted by Andhaka and many more.