The Elephanta Caves are a collection of cave temples predominantly dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, which have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[1][2][3] They are on Elephanta Island, or Gharapuri (literally meaning "the city of caves"),[4] in Mumbai Harbour, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) east of Mumbai in the Indian state of Mahārāshtra. The island, about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) west of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port, consists of five Hindu caves, a few Buddhist stupa mounds that date back to the 2nd century BCE,[5][6][7] and two Buddhist caves with water tanks.[8][9]
The Elephanta Caves contain rock-cut stone sculptures, mostly in high relief, that show syncretism of Hindu and Buddhist ideas and iconography.[7][10][11] The caves are hewn from solid basalt rock. Except for a few exceptions, much of the artwork is defaced and damaged.[12] The main temple's orientation as well as the relative location of other temples are placed in a mandala pattern.[6] The carvings narrate Hindu mythologies, with the large monolithic 5.45 metres (17.9 ft) Trimurti Sadashiva (three-faced Shiva), Nataraja (Lord of dance) and Yogishvara (Lord of Yogis) being the most celebrated.[6][13][14]
These date to between the 5th and 9th centuries, and scholars attribute them to various Hindu dynasties.[2][6] They are most commonly placed between the 5th and 7th centuries. Many scholars consider them to have been completed by about 550 CE.[3][15][16]
They were named Elefante—which morphed to Elephanta—by the colonial Portuguese who found elephant statues on the caves. They established a base on the island. The main cave (Cave 1, or the Great Cave) was a Hindu place of worship until the Portuguese arrived, whereupon the island ceased to be an active place of worship.[6] The earliest attempts to prevent further damage to the caves were started by British India officials in 1909.[17] The monuments were restored in the 1970s.[6] It is currently maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).[10][11]
^Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Elephanta Caves". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
^ abTrudy Ring; Robert M. Salkin; Sharon La Boda (1994). "Elephanta Island". International Dictionary of Historic Places: Asia and Oceania. Taylor & Francis. pp. 252–5. ISBN 978-1-884964-04-6.
^ abCarmel Berkson; Wendy Doniger; George Michell (1999). Elephanta: The Cave of Śiva. Princeton University Press (Motilal Banarsidass, Reprint). pp. 3–5. ISBN 978-81-208-1284-0.
^Cite error: The named reference EB1911 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Dhavalikar, M. K. (Madhukar Keshav) (2007). Elephanta. Archaeological Survey of India. p. 75. ISBN 9788190486606. There are remains of a brick built Buddhist stupa nearby which may belong to circa second century BC. Around it are seven smaller stupas, which may be votive.
^ abcdefElephanta Island, Encyclopedia Britannica
^ abCite error: The named reference geo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Brockman, Norbert (2011). Encyclopedia of Sacred Places. ABC-CLIO. p. 153. ISBN 9781598846546.
^Brunn, Stanley D. (2015). The Changing World Religion Map: Sacred Places, Identities, Practices and Politics. Springer. p. 514. ISBN 9789401793766.
^ ab"Elephanta Caves" (PDF). Unesco. Retrieved 10 February 2010.
^ ab"Elephanta Caves". Works Heritage: Unesco.org. Retrieved 10 February 2010.
^Cite error: The named reference Kramrisch1988p443 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Constance Jones; James D. Ryan (2006). Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Infobase. pp. 148–149. ISBN 978-0-8160-7564-5.
^Stella Kramrisch (1988). The Presence of Siva. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 443–459. ISBN 978-81-208-0491-3.
^Cite error: The named reference Michell2002 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Walter M. Spink (2005). Ajanta: The end of the Golden Age. BRILL Academic. pp. 182–183. ISBN 90-04-14832-9.
^Cite error: The named reference collins25 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
The ElephantaCaves are a collection of cave temples predominantly dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, which have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage...
is a popular tourist destination because of the island's cave temples, the ElephantaCaves, that have been carved out of rock. The island is easily accessible...
have commissioned the Shaivite monuments at the ElephantaCaves and the earliest of the Brahmanical caves at Ellora, where his coins have been discovered...
contrast to later caves on the site, and the highly embellished ElephantaCaves of Mumbai. Each cave has a stone plinth that functioned as a bed. A congregation...
Elephanta can mean: Elephanta (wind), a wind off the Malabar coast of India Elephanta Island, an island in Mumbai Harbour, India ElephantaCaves, cave...
and many sites of tourist interest. ElephantaCaves Jogeshwari Caves Kanheri Caves Mahakali Caves Mandapeshwar Caves Bassein Fort Belapur Fort Bombay Castle...
is also found in the Ellora Caves and other sites such as the ElephantaCaves, Aurangabad Caves, Shivleni Caves and the cave temples of Karnataka. Nearest...
Development Corporation moved the Elephanta Festival of Music and Dance from its original location at ElephantaCaves — where it had been celebrated for...
four rock-cut shrines in Mumbai: ElephantaCaves, Jogeshwari Caves, Mahakali Caves, Mandapeshwar Caves. All four caves have the same sculptures. The sculptures...
important sites such as the Ajanta Caves and ElephantaCaves, both mostly created in this period, and the Ellora Caves which were probably begun then. Also...
Karnataka, India Barabar Caves – Ancient rock-cut caves in India with Ashokan inscriptions ElephantaCaves – Collection of cave temples in Maharashtra,...
Architecture and bears similarity with ElephantaCaves (Cave No. 1) and Dhumar Lena (Cave No. 29) at Ellora Caves. Second half of 6th century – Virgin and...
important sites such as the Ajanta Caves and ElephantaCaves, both mostly created in this period, and the Ellora Caves which were probably begun then. Also...
Bhaja Caves are a group of 22 rock-cut caves dating back to the 2nd century BC located off the Mumbai - Pune expressway near the city of Pune, India. The...
Pune Durgadi Fort Temple, Kalyan Ekvira Mata Mandir, Lonavla ElephantaCaves, near Elephanta Island, Mumbai Kailash Temple at Ellora Ganapati Temple, Redi...
The Barabar Hill Caves (Hindi बराबर, Barābar) are the oldest surviving rock-cut caves in India, dating from the Maurya Empire (322–185 BCE), some with...
Kilometers away from Lonavala. Other caves in the area are Bhaja Caves, Patan Buddhist Cave, Bedse Caves and Nasik Caves. The shrines were developed over...
version of the Trimurti is the Trimurti Sadashiva sculpture in the ElephantaCaves on Gharapuri Island. Despite the fact that the Vishnu Purana describes...
Kumbhoj city. Kailasa Temple in Ellora CavesElephantaCaves Ajanta Caves Temple corridor of the Pataleshwar cave temple, built during the Rashtrakuta Empire...
the city built during this period are the Jogeshwari Caves (between 520 and 525), ElephantaCaves (between the sixth to seventh century), Walkeshwar Temple...
state is home to six UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Ajanta Caves, Ellora Caves, ElephantaCaves, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus)...
Elephanta. These caves belong to the Hindu deity Jogeshwari. According to historian and scholar Walter Spink, Jogeshwari is the earliest major cave temple...
of her anthropomorphic forms can be seen in the ElephantaCaves (dated 500 CE), in the Ellora Caves (dated 550 CE), and throughout Gujarat during the...
centuries after; it saw a new dominance of Hindu sculpture, as at the ElephantaCaves. Across the north, this became rather stiff and formulaic after c. 800 CE...
are found in numerous cave temples of India, such as at the Ellora Caves (Maharashtra), the ElephantaCaves, and the Badami Caves (Karnataka), by around...
Gharapuri Island, also known as Elephanta Island, is the best known of the islands in Mumbai Harbour. The ElephantaCaves located on the island are a UNESCO...
region. Other caves include the Billasurgam caves, Sanyasula caves, Yaganti caves, Yerrajari caves, and the Muchchatla Chintamanu caves (caves are called...
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