Elephanta Island

Elephanta Island, Hindi Gharapuri (“Fortress City”)Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Entrance to a cave temple (8th–9th centuries), Elephanta Island, India.© 1997; AISA, Archivo Iconográfico, Barcelona, Españaisland located in Mumbai (Bombay) Harbour of the Arabian Sea, about 6 miles (10 km) east of Mumbai and 2 miles (3 km) west of the mainland coast of Maharashtra state, western India. Elephanta Island has an area of 4 to 6 square miles (10 to 16 square km), varying with the tide. In the early 16th century Portuguese navigators named the island Ilha Elefante (“Elephant Island”) in reference to a large stone elephant that was found there; the statue was later moved to Victoria Gardens (now called Jijamata Udyan), Mumbai. The island’s Hindi name, Gharapuri, derives from a small village at its southern end.

Detail of a stone relief, Elephanta Island, India.© 1997; AISA, Archivo Iconográfico, Barcelona, EspañaStone reliefs in a cave temple on Elephanta Island, India.Atlantide Phototravel/CorbisElephanta’s famous 8th- and 9th-century cave temples were designated UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1987. Atop a large hill, they occupy some 54,800 square feet (5,000 square metres). The main temple is a long hall stretching 90 feet (27 metres); carved into the rock on the walls and ceiling of the cave are rows of columns and crossbeams. The plan of the temple is such that important points are laid out in the form of a mandala. A series of sculptured panels lining the walls of the cave portray images from Indian mythology, the most celebrated of which is the 20-foot- (6-metre-) high Trimurti, a three-headed bust of Shiva in the roles of destroyer, preserver, and creator emerging from a mountain. Other sculptures depict Shiva crushing Ravana with his toe, the marriage of Shiva and Parvati, Shiva bringing the Ganges (Ganga) River to earth by letting it flow through his hair, and Shiva as the embodiment of cosmic energy, dancing to drums. A linga (Hindu symbol of Shiva) is housed in a sanctuary at the western end of the temple.

When the island was ceded to the Portuguese by the kings of Ahmadabad in the 16th century, it ceased to be a place of worship, and the caves and sculptures were damaged by Portuguese soldiers. In the 1970s the temples were restored and preserved, and the island became a popular tourist site.