Mark Caswell takes a break from the bustle of Mumbai to explore a network of mystical caves on Elephanta Island.
Mumbai’s city centre has plenty of colonial heritage to keep the first-time visitor occupied, but should you wish to delve deeper into India’s history and escape the hustle and bustle of downtown, then the intriguingly named Elephanta Island is a convenient and interesting half-day trip from Maharashtra’s state capital.
Located about an hour’s boat ride from Mumbai, Elephanta Island was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 and houses a complex of caves dating back to about the seventh century, housing an impressive collection of statues dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Originally called Gharapuri, it was renamed Elephanta Island by Portuguese explorers in the 17th century, a nod to the large stone elephant that once stood guard at the island’s port. This sculpture has long since packed its trunk and is now exhibited at the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum in Mumbai (previously the Victoria and Albert Museum), but the moniker has stuck.
The site is not to be confused with the similarly named Elephant Island, an inhospitable ice-covered landmass off the coast of Antarctica in the South Shetland Islands, made famous in 1916 when explorer Ernest Shackleton successfully rescued his shipwrecked crew after they were stranded there for four months.
With boats serving the attraction every half an hour, there are no such worries about being left behind on Elephanta Island – indeed, at weekends, the island teems with locals and foreign visitors looking to escape the city.
The best time to visit is early morning, as you’ll avoid both the crowds and the heat of the afternoon. We took the first public boat of the day at about 9am (there are also several private tour boats serving the island), which doubles as a commuter service for workers heading for other ferries and destinations. I watched as dozens of people risked life and limb jumping and scampering on to boats anchored throughout the harbour, as we zigzagged past them out to sea.
Boats leave the harbour next to the Gateway of India, and as we set off for the island there was a great view back towards the iconic arch and the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower hotel behind, a reminder both of Mumbai’s opulent side and of the terrorist attacks that took place inside the property last year. We also passed the naval base on our way out to the open sea, with huge military ships anchored just offshore. There were signs on our boat prohibiting photography, although the crew seemed to turn a blind eye to this.
There are no cars on Elephanta Island and, on arrival, visitors are transported from the jetty to the site’s entrance by a rickety single-gauge train, a rusty contraption that felt like something out of a theme park from a bygone era. The caves themselves are located on the island’s hillside, and visitors can either climb the 100-odd steps up to the entrance, or travel like a maharaja by hiring a doli (a wooden chair attached to bamboo poles and carried by two or four men, similar to a sedan chair).
On the way up, there’s the usual gaggle of hawkers selling everything from soapstone elephants to colourful bracelets, and women in local dress with huge pots on their heads parading up and down the steps and encouraging you to take photos of them. They’ll expect you to pay for the privilege though, unlike the numerous inquisitive monkeys that inhabit the island.
Inside the caves, it’s easy to forget they’re man-made. The entire 5,000 sqm site was painstakingly carved out of the rockface over several decades, with the huge stone sculptures and columns that appear to be holding up the structure also created out of the same piece of rock, rather than added later on. Unfortunately, many of these statues are now missing their arms and legs – apparently the result of the Portuguese explorers firing at them for target practice. The caves were originally built as a temple but, for the most part, Hindus no longer pray at the site as their religion dictates that they cannot worship broken images.
Despite the damage, this is a fine collection of sculptures and rock panels. They depict Shiva (known as the Destroyer or the Transformer), and many of them detail specific events associated with the deity. One example shows Shiva creating the River Ganges, while another illustrates his marriage to Parvati (the Divine Mother), and a third shows Shiva impaling the demon Andhaka (the evil third son of Shiva and Parvati).
To make the most of your visit, it’s worth hiring a guide at the entrance to the caves – they are employed by the Indian government and ours had a wealth of knowledge about the history of the caves and the significance of the different statues.
The most impressive figure by far is the centrepiece, Trimurti, a six-metre tall, three-headed sculpture showing a crowned Vishnu the Protector flanked by Shiva, with serpents for hair, and the young Brahma the Creator. This statue is regarded by Indians as one of the most important in the Hindu religion and, thankfully, it is pretty much the only sculpture in the caves to remain almost completely intact. The reason isn’t clear, although it’s believed the Portuguese may have spared it from the firing line because of its similarities to the Holy Trinity.
The cave complex offers a cooling respite from Mumbai’s humid climate, and you can easily spend an hour or so taking in the various sculptures. Should you have more time on your hands, there is a 15-minute pathway leading further up Elephanta Hill, past more unexcavated caves to a peaceful summit. As well as a couple of rusting Portuguese cannons, there are great views up here of the island and the chaotic metropolis in the distance, so it’s an ideal place to take a break before you descend.
Visit incredibleindia.org
