Travellers Factoid
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Elephanta
Caves is in Elephanta islands , which is located in the neighborhood of
rushing metropolitan Mumbai. It is a wonderful tourist attraction and
recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Elephanta Caves was named by
Portuguese traveler, after being amazed to see a statue of elephant near the
landing of the island. The Elephanta caves are located 10 km away from
Mumbai and house a number of elegant sculptured temples cut from rock, way
back to the 5th century. These rock cut temples are dedicated to Lord Shiva,
the whole of temple complex is huge, about 60000 square feet and consists of
three chambers, one is main and other two are laterals. It is said that
caves were used as a target practice for the Portuguese and they had
constructed a fort and prepare a small army to stave off pirates. Their
practices profaned most of the sculptures, later on Britishers captured it
from Portuguese and tried to lift the monolith elephant to England but
couldn’t lift it. It is now preserved in Bombay Museum. A large hall in
the middle of temple has nine sculptured panels representing Lord Shiva in
different tempers. The symmetrical temple plan with important focal point
worked out in a geometric Mandala(the design that represent the energy
field).
It was a brilliant experience at Elephanta Caves, we were first afraid
to travel in monsoon but caves are incredibly beautiful and we had literally
seen monsoon coming over the ocean. The beauty can’t be pen down.
Jason Love, a software engineer by profession and traveler by hobby
explained.
Who Designed Elephanta Caves?
The history of Elephanta Caves is ambiguous as some historian believe that
great warrior prince of Chalukya dynasty Pulesin II built the temples to
celebrate his triumph while some other suggest that these caves were built
by the Kalchuri King Krishnaraja in 6th century AD.
Gateway of India
Landmark of
Mumbai is located on the
water’s edge of Apollo Bunder. It is a huge archway and starting point
for most of the travelers. It was built in 1911 to commemorate British
Monarch, king George V and queen Marry.
Chowpatty Beach
Chowpatty beach is famous for Hindus religious ceremonies like annual
thread tying ceremony, ‘nariel purnima’ and Ganesh Chaturthi’immersion.
The beach is located at the end of Marine Drive.
Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus
Though station is one of the busiest station in the world also famed for
architecturally one of the finest stations in the world. It built in the
combination of Gothic and Indian style. This railway station is worth a see.
Location : 10-km away from New Delhi
Speciality : Awesome carved sculptures in various
temples.
Best time to Visit : Through out the year.
Getting There
You can only reach Elephanta Caves by boat from the Gateway of India. The
ferry ride from Gateway Of India is a fantastic experience, going past
through fishing boats, large ships and some tiny islands. It takes around 15
minutes to reach the Caves.
By Air : Mumbai airport is the busiest airport in India
and connect almost all the major cities of world. The International terminus
is known as Sahar and domestic is known as Santa Cruz.
By Rail : Central Railways runs services to the east and
north, the Western Railways also runs trains to North India from Church gate
and Central stations. Railways are good option to travel between states.
By Road : Those who want to travel by bus within India
can easily available from the State Transport Terminal situated opposite
Mumbai’s Central Railway Station. Most of the neighboring states like
Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh have their state bus company
offices located here.
Excursion : Pune,
Nasik.
Many thanks to Jason Love, who shared his experience with us.
