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The
Great Cave at Elephanta is one
of the great monuments near
Bombay. It is one in a complex
of Hindu caves on Gharapuri
(Elephanta is the name given
to the island by the Portuguese),
dating to the sixth century
AD.
The
cave is designed to accommodate
Hindu ritual of circumambulating
the cave, and encountering a
number of images related to
Shiva, in a great mandala.
One
of the major attractions of
Maharashtra, the Elephanta Caves
are situated near the metropolitan
city of Mumbai. The Elephanta
island is located 10 km away
from the Gateway of India. There
are various rock cut temples
present in these caves, which
are as old as 5th century.
The Elephanta island was named
by the Portuguese, after the
statue of an elephant near the
landing area of the island.
The Mystical Images
The magnificent image of Sadasiva,
a manifestation of Shiva, is
carved in relief at the end
of the north south axis. The
stupendous 20 feet high image
of the three headed Shiva, known
as Trimurthy is a magnificent
one. It is regarded as a masterpiece
of Indian art. This huge image
represents Panchamukha Shiva,
whose only three faces are carved
into the wall. It attracts your
attention just as you enter
the temple through the northern
entrance.
Along with this image there
are grand sculptured images
of Kalyanasundara, Gangadhara,
Ardhanariswara and Uma Maheswara
on the southern wall. Other
sculptured images of Nataraja
and andhakaasuravadamoorthy
are to the west of the northern
entrance and the images of Yogiswara
and Ravanaanugrahamurthy are
to its east.
There are three entrances to
the main temple in the complex-
from the north, east and west.
The main gallery is divided
by columns into equal rows and
aisles. To the west, and outside
this area, is a square sanctuary
containing a monolithic Linga.
The huge, high-relief works
in the main cave, on both sides
of the three entrances and on
the south wall, are characteristic
of the cult of Siva and considered
to be among the most perfect
expressions of Indian art of
their time. The most well-known
is the six metre high Trimurti,
showing Siva in the three roles
of creator, preserver and destroyer.
This sculpture is supposed to
be one of the centerpieces of
the Indian sculptural tradition.
Other panels include representations
of Siva as Ardhanarisvara (part
female), Kalyana-sundara and
Nataraja.
Known as Gharapuri since the
time of the Konkani Mauryas,
the island's present name is
due to a sculpture of an elephant
found here. This piece was moved
to the Bhau Daji Ladd museum
near the Jijamata Udyan in Bycullah,
where it can still be seen.
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How
to Reach
Mumbai is easily accessible
from all parts of India by a
good network of air, rail and
roads. The Elephanta caves can
also be reached by ferry from
the gateway of India.
Air - The nearest airport
is Mumbai International Airport
Rail - Nearest railheads
are Church gate, Chhatrapati
Shivaji Terminus.
Road - One can reach
Mumbai by road from the neighboring
states as regular bus services
are available. One has to take
a ferry from Appollo Bunder
near the Gateway of India to
reach the cave temples. |
