Elephanta Caves Maharashtra

Elephanta Caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an assortment of cavern sanctuaries transcendently committed to the Hindu god Shiva. They are on Elephanta Island, in Mumbai Harbor, 10 kilometers east of Mumbai Mahārāshtra. The island, around 2 kilometers west of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port, comprises of five Hindu caves and a couple of Buddhist stupa hills that go back to the second century BCE, just as a little gathering of two Buddhist caverns with water tanks.

The Elephanta Caves comprise rock reduce stone sculptures that display syncretism of Hindu and Buddhist thoughts and iconography. The caves are hewn from stable basalt rock. The main temple's orientation in addition to the relative place of different temples is positioned in a mandala pattern.

The local neighborhood Marathi parents popularised this island as Gharapuri, however, Elephanta has become not unusual place parlance after the Portuguese took over the land from the Gujarat Sultanate in 1534 and named it so after the huge rock-reduce elephant statue that stood sentinel over the sea. The colonizers recognized the shape as a landmark to dock their boats and to additionally inform it other than the opposite smaller islands at the Arabian Sea. You can not locate this monolithic elephant statue right here because it becomes broken in an try to flow it to England. In 1914, it become reassembled by

Cadell and Hewett and positioned withinside the Jijamata Udyaan, a zoo, and lawn in Byculla, Mumbai, in which it stands today.

Destination: Elephanta Caves, Maharashtra

Destination Type: Island, Caves, Historical

Location: Elephanta Island, Gharapuri, Mumbai Harbour, Maharashtra 400094

Distance from Mumbai Gateway of India: 26 km

Things to do in Elephanta Caves: visit the historical place

Best time to visit Elephanta Caves: Any

Where to stay in Elephanta Caves: Hotels in Mumbai

Why To Visit Elephanta Caves: If you are interested in a historical place then visit here.

Entry: Rs 10

Elephanta Caves Timing: 09:30 am and 05:30 pm

Near By Place to Visit Elephanta Caves : Marine Drive, Prince of Wales Museum, Jehangir art gallery, Colaba Market, Juhu Beach, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat, Haji Ali Dargah.

By Ferry: To reach the Elephanta Island, you need to take a ferry from the Gateway of India. The first ferry start from the Gateway of India at 09:00 am and takes you to the Elephanta caves in around an hour. From Elephanta first return boat is at 12.00 Noon and boat is at 5.30 PM. The ferry charges around INR 150 for a two-way trip. From here you can either walk the 1 KM from the harbour to the base of the western hill or take a toy train to the site. The toy train charges INR 10 per passenger.

Nearest Bus Stop to Elephanta Caves: Gateway of India is the bus stop where can get down and come walking for Gateway of India. There are two city buses, 111 and 112 that depart from Mumbai CST and Ahilyabai Holkar Chowk and drop you at the Gateway of India. From Gateway of India, you can buy a ferry ticket and can go Elephanta Island

Nearest Railway Station to Elephanta Caves: Churchgate and Mumbai CST both are nearby stations to reach the Gateway of India. From station sharing taxi running continue to go Gateway of India.

Nearest Airport to the Elephanta Caves: Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Mumbai is the nearest airport for Elephanta Caves. From the airport either you can get a private taxi or can go nearest local station and take the local trains for CST.