ELEPHANTA CAVES PART 13 - TOPOGRAPHY OF ELEPHANTA CAVES

ELEPHANTA CAVES PART 13 - TOPOGRAPHY OF ELEPHANTA CAVES - GHARAPURI

GHARAPURI - ELEPHANTA CAVES 13

TOPOGRAPHY OF ELEPHANTA CAVES

courtesy Dr. Hiranandan Sastri. A guide to Elephanta - 1934

Western India consists of at least 900 rock cut cave temples or Stupa’s or Viharas which throw a flood of light on the history of Architecture and religion in India. Mumbai region in itself has about 130 of them in both Elephanta and Salsette Islands. The Sahayadri range of mountain made up of hard Basalt rock or Trap rock were the most easiest to carve the structure and also in a unique gigantic sizes.

FLOOR PLAN OF ELEPHANTA MAIN CAVE

The caves are situated in an island 11 Kms from Mumbai - Gateway of India and are reachable be ferry boats which take an hour journey to the islands. The island which is of 4 square mile’s has two hills with a narrow valley in between them. The island was christened by the Portuguese as” Elefanta Ilha” because the landing place in the Island known as Rajghat, had a colossal rock statue of an Elephant 13.2” by 7.4” as if welcoming them. In 1814 the neck of the elephant got dismantled and in 1864 the same was transported to Victoria Gardens in Mumbai and Restored. From the landing place in the island - Rajghat, the Caves are about a quarter mile climb by easy steps with (inscribed tablet),laid by a merchant named Shri.Thakar Karamsi Ranmal Lohana in the year 1854 ( People like him who made the visit to the Cave temples possible, is lost in the annals of History).

The main caves and is extensions were originally adorned with paintings, which are lost to time with faint traces left. It was an active place of worship for the island's Hindu residents well until the 1500s, when the Island was handed over to the Portuguese by the kings of Ahmedabad.

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