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Find unexpected drama in India's Elephanta Caves

There are plenty of reasons to visit India's second most populous city, Mumbai, but the spectacular Elephanta Caves stand out from other attractions. Travelers on India tours can visit the remarkable caves by taking a ferry from Mumbai to a small island in the city's harbor.

The caves take their English name from an imposing elephant statue that stood on the island at the time of Portugese rule in the 16th century. The statue was moved while the British controlled the city, and today stands at the entrance of Mumbai's Victoria Gardens Zoo.

Despite the removal of the elephant, the rest of the site remains remarkably well-preserved from the time of its construction between the 6th and 8th centuries. The main cave group consists of five Hindu shrines cut directly into the island's basalt rock outcroppings. The caverns were sculpted to resemble man-made interiors, with carved pillars, columns and roof beams creating the illusion they are supporting the structure. Even more impressive are the sculptures and high-reliefs of Shiva, many of them massive, adorning the shrines. The most famous of these artworks is a bust of the Mahadeva, whose three faces represent destruction, beauty and the balance between positive and negative principles.

British novelist E.M. Forster described a visit to the caves in a 1953 BBC radio talk. At Elephanta, he said, "one is always finding new effects and unexpected drama."
 

Posted: August 16, 2011

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