Elephanta Caves, UNESCO World Heritage site in Mumbai, India

ELEPHANTA CAVES
About ten kilometres north east of Apollo Bunder, lies the island of Elephanta, the glorious abode of Lord Shiva.
An epitome of Hindu cave culture, Elephanta consists of seven caves of which the most notable is the Mahesa-murti cave. It has a very impressive size with a main body of 27 meters square supported by rows of six column each.The main temple consists of a large pillared manadapa (hall) and a free standing square shrine at the west end of the hall. The pillars and reliefs in the cave are gigantic in scale.
Set various niches are a number of large reliefs depicting different aspects of Shaivaite iconography. Around the perimeter of the cave are sculptured compartments in this cave with images from Hindu mythology. they depict Lord Shiva as Andhakasuravadha, impaling the demon of darkness, as Kalyanasundara-the gentle loving god, as Ardhanarishawara, Shiva and Shakti, male and female, Nataraja- Shiva as the cosmic dancer and as Ravana anugraha- the destroyer of enemies.
Tourist Information
Open on all weekdays (except Mondays) from 0900 to 1700 hrs.
Entry fee for those above 12 years: Rs. 5.00. for Royal enclosure and Vitthala temple.
Free entry on Fridays.
Best Time To Visit
November to March is the ideal time to visit the island.
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