Elephanta Cave Temples

History

Maharashtra Tourism notes 5th–7th century rock-cut caves with Cave 1’s Trimurti Sadashiva as the principal sculpture.

The caves are closed to the public on Mondays; ASI monument access rules apply alongside state tourism visitor guidance.

Stories

Cave temples dated by style, not by record

The Elephanta caves on Gharapuri island in Mumbai Harbour are cut from solid basalt. Scholars date them between the 5th and 9th centuries, most often to the 5th to 7th, and many think they were complete by about 550 CE.

No inscription names the builders, and scholars attribute them to various Hindu dynasties. The island has five Hindu caves, two Buddhist caves with water tanks and some Buddhist stupa mounds from as early as the 2nd century BCE.

Three faces of Sadashiva

The best-known carving is the Trimurti Sadashiva, a three-faced Shiva about 5.45 metres tall, cut from the rock of the main cave. Two other famous figures are Nataraja, the lord of dance, and Yogishvara, the lord of yogis. The layout of the main temple and the other caves is said to follow a mandala pattern. Much of the sculpture has been defaced or damaged over the centuries.

How an island of caves became Elephanta

The Portuguese named the island Elefante after finding elephant statues there, and the name became Elephanta. They set up a base on the island. The main cave had been a place of Hindu worship until the Portuguese arrived, after which the island stopped being an active place of worship. British Indian officials began the first protection efforts in 1909, the Indian government restored the caves in the 1970s, and UNESCO later made them a World Heritage Site.

Good to know

UNESCO Shaiva cave complex — Maharashtra Tourism

Gateway of India ferry access

Trimurti Sadashiva sculpture in Cave 1

Getting there

Ferry from Gateway of India, Mumbai (~1 hour). Nearest airport: Mumbai (BOM). Island access involves steps from the jetty.