Elephanta Caves

The island of Elephanta, the glorious domicile of Lord Shiva and an epitome of Hindu cave culture, includes seven caves on an island inside the Sea of Oman near Mumbai which, with their decorated temples and the photographs from Hindu mythology, bear a unique testimony to a civilization that has disappeared. Here, Indian art has determined one in all its maximum best expressions, particularly in the large high reliefs within them in cave. The island of Gharapuri, the 'City of Caves', situated approximately 10 km from Mumbai at the east side of the harbour, owes its call to the widespread stone elephant found there with the aid of Portuguese navigators. This elephant was cut into pieces, eliminated to Mumbai and somehow prepare again. It is nowadays the despair mother or father of Victoria Gardens Zoo in Mumbai, the awesome metropolis of Maharashtra State and India's second town population-wise.The date of the famous Elephanta Caves continues to be very tons debated and varies from the sixth century to the eighth century in line with specific specialists. They constitute one in every of the most hanging collections of rock-artwork in India. There are two group of caves. To the east, Stupa Hill (named due to a small brick Buddhist monument at the top) carries caves, one amongt unfinished, and several cisterns. To the west, the bigger group consists of five rock-cut Hindu shrines. The predominant cave is universally well-known for its carvings to the distinction of Shiva, who is exalted in numerous paper work and actions. The cave includes a square plan mandapa whose facets measure approximately 27 m. Elephanta Caves is an UNESCO World Heritage site.