Elephanta Island

1400-year-old cave temple and sculptures

Elephanta Island is reached by boat in about an hour from the Gateway of India, the large arch constructed by the British on the western coast of the Colaba area of Mumbai. The trip is interesting and the island is fascinating, with excavated cave temples which harbor magnificent fourteen-hundred-year-old sculptures. It makes for a great one-day excursion. 

Taj Palace and Gateway of India	Leaving Mumbai by water
Happy tourist on boat	Elephanta Island
The caves are up near the green roof	Water sellers on the island
You can take this little train if you don't feel like walking up the long, hot path	Siv is being carried up to the top of the island

As you can see, transportation on the island includes a small train from the boat jetee to the main island, as well as a real "chair lift" up the hill to the cave area.

There are several cave temples on the island, but the main cave is by far the most interesting. It can be entered on three sides. The main structuring element is a matrix of columns. Because the cave is hollowed out of the mountain, the columns play no structural role; they support nothing, but imitate columns in a real, free-standing temple. To the right on entering, there is a temple containing a linga. On its outer walls are sculptures of temple guardians.

North entrance to the main cave - and tourist	South entrance with tourist
Columns inside the cave	Guardians on walls of linga shrine

The temple abounds in beautiful and impressive statues. But the main one, the one to which you are drawn as you enter by the main (west) entrance is the huge and overwhelming image of the Eternal Shiva (shown above).

Ardhanarishvara, androgyonous Shiva - showing his male and female aspects	Andhakasuravatha, angry Shiva slaying a dragon
The rakshasa (demon) Ravana lifting Mount Kailasa	Dancing Shiva, rather broken up

With people in front of it, a photo gives some idea of the size of the magnificent Eternal Shiva, whose head is shown in three different aspects. But we have never seen a photo which comes near to conveying the grandeur of this statue and ours are no exceptions. It is in the center of the back wall as you enter, so at first you have a feeling that something inevitable and awful is lurking back there in the penumbra. As you approach, it slowly wells up in front of you, like an approached mountain peak, arousing fear of something unnameable. Arriving in front of it, you are almost overwhelmed by the size of the statue. But the predominant impression is from the expression on the faces of Shiva, especially the central one, an appearance of calm and confidence which is even more striking after the initial trepidation you felt on approaching. So the sequence uncertainty,  anxiety, awe and calm is almost musical in the way it exploits and delights your emotions.

Back to Mumbai , on to Bangalore, where we met friends, or back to India 2009