The Elephanta Caves, a group of cave temples mostly honoring the Hindu deity Shiva, are recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They are in the Indian state of Mahārāshtra, on Elephanta Island, also known as Gharapuri (literally, “the city of caves”), in Mumbai Harbour, 10 km (6.2 mi) east of Mumbai.
The island is located around two kilometers (1.2 miles) west of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port and is home to two Buddhist caves with water tanks, a few Buddhist stupa mounds that date back to the second century BCE, and five Hindu caves.
The rock-cut stone sculptures at the Elephanta Caves, which are mostly in high relief, display the fusion of Buddhist and Hindu concepts and imagery. Solid basalt rock was used to hew the caverns. With a few notable exceptions, the majority of the artwork is destroyed and vandalized. There is a mandala pattern in the orientation of the main temple and the relative locations of the minor temples.
Hindu myths are depicted in the sculptures, the most well-known of which are the enormous, monolithic 5.45 meters (17.9 feet) Trimurti Sadashiva (three-faced Shiva), Nataraja (Lord of Dance), and Yogishvara (Lord of Yogis).
These are said to have originated from several Hindu kingdoms and date from the fifth to the ninth century. The most typical placement for them is between the fifth and seventh centuries. A few of academics believe they were finished by 550 CE.
When the Portuguese colonists discovered elephant statues inside the caverns, they gave them the name Elefante, which eventually became Elephanta. On the island, they built a base. Before the Portuguese came, the main cave, also known as the Great Cave or Cave 1, was a center of Hindu devotion.
After that, the island lost its religious significance. In 1909, authorities from British India initiated the first measures to stop more damage to the caverns. In the 1970s, the monuments underwent restoration. Currently, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is in charge of its upkeep.
Geographical
Less than 2 km (1.2 mi) west of Jawaharlal Nehru Port and around 11 km (6.8 mi) east of the Gateway of India in Mumbai Harbour are the locations of Elephanta Island, also known as Gharapuri. At high tide, the island is around 10 km2 (3.9 sq mi), while at low tide, it is roughly 16 km2 (6.2 sq mi).
A little settlement called Gharapuri is located on the island’s southern coast. With the exception of Monday, when the Caves are closed, daily boat services from the Gateway of India in Mumbai are available to reach the Elephanta Caves. Mumbai is connected to the Indian Railways and boasts a large domestic and international airport.
The island has two hills that reach to a height of around 150 meters (490 feet) across its 2.4 km (1.5 mi) length. The two hills are divided by a deep, narrow valley that extends from north to south. The hill rises softly from the sea on the west, spans over the valley to the east, and then gradually rises to the very east, reaching a height of 173 meters (568 feet).
The hills are covered in patches of palm trees and covered in forest growth with clusters of tamarind, mango, and karanj trees. Mangrove shrubs can be found on the periphery of the sandy and muddy coastline.
Three tiny hamlets, Set Bunder in the northwest, Mora Bunder in the northeast, and Gharapuri or Raj Bunder in the south, are located close to landing quays.
On the western hill are five rock-cut caves, while on the eastern slope is a brick stupa. The hill to the east is known as Stupa Hill and features two Buddhist mounds. Caves 6 and 7 on the eastern slope are close to the five caves on the western hill.
The Great Cave, also known as Cave 1, is the most popular and noteworthy cave on the western slope. It may be accessed by walking approximately one kilometer up a steep, graded hill. In compliance with UNESCO’s criteria, Elephanta Island is classified as a protected monument area.
The Indian government published a notice in 1985 designating a buffer zone that delineates “a prohibited area” that extends one kilometer (0.62 mi) from the beach.
An Explanation
There are two clusters of solid basalt rock-hewn caverns on the island. Hindu sculptures may be seen in the main set of caverns, which comprises of five caves on the island’s western slope. The main cave, known as Cave 1, is located facing the Mumbai harbor around 1.0 km (0.62 mi) up a hillside.
Nestled close to Cave 1 to the southeast, in a row, are Caves 2 through 5. Though geographically on the edge of the eastern slope, Caves 6 and 7 are situated around 200 meters (660 feet) northeast of Caves 1 and 2.
There is a path that runs between the two hills. Because of their historical colonial designations, which refer to the ancient Stupa and the Portuguese-era fire Canons they house, respectively, the eastern hill is also known as the Stupa hill, and the western hill as the Canon Hill.
Each of the caverns is a temple carved out of rock, totaling 5,600 square meters (60,000 square feet). They contain two lateral rooms, a main chamber, courtyards, and auxiliary shrines at their most complex, though not all of them are that well-developed.
The largest cave is number 1, measuring 39 meters (128 feet) deep from the front entrance to the rear.
The main focus of the temple complex is Shiva’s residence, which is shown in well-known sculptures that tell Shaivism’s myths and stories. Nonetheless, the artwork honorably incorporates motifs from Hinduism’s Vaishnavism and Shaktism traditions.
Past Events
Neither Buddhist nor Hindu chronicles mention the island’s prehistoric past. Numerous artifacts discovered during archaeological investigations indicate that the little island may have had a thriving prehistoric culture, with indications of human habitation dating back to the second century BC.
Before the Brahmans came to the island, the Hinayana Buddhists used the Elephanta location to build a great stupa dedicated to the Buddha surrounded by seven smaller stupas. This was most likely done in the second century BCE. On the island, coins from the Kshatrapas, or Western Satraps, from the fourth century CE were discovered.
The Gupta Empire era is when the history of the area was first written, yet these records do not specifically mention these caverns.
This has led to a historical controversy regarding the beginnings and the century in which the Elephanta caverns were constructed. Based mostly on the dating of other cave temples in the Deccan region, their dates have varied, ranging from the late 5th to the late 8th century AD.
The Rashtrakutas constructed the caverns in the 7th century or later, according to colonial historians. This notion was refuted by further research, mainly because of significant parallels with the Ellora caverns.
The Archaeological Survey of India and UNESCO state that the cave temples were constructed between the fifth and sixth centuries and the site was inhabited in antiquity. The temples were completed around the second quarter of the sixth century, according to modern experts, who also see it as an extension of the Gupta Empire’s creative flourishing.
These academics credit the Kalachuri dynasty’s ruler Krishnaraja with building these cave temples. Based on numismatic evidence, inscriptions, building style, and more accurate dating of Dandin’s Dasakumaracarita and other Deccan cave temples, such as the Ajanta Caves, the monument is dated to the mid-6th century and is primarily a Shiva monument constructed by a Hindu Kalachuri king.
Charles Collins claims that a deeper understanding of the Elephanta Caves’ significance may be gained by examining them in relation to other Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain cave temples located throughout the subcontinent, as well as ancient and early medieval Hindu literature.
The mythology, philosophies, and spiritual themes contained in the Vedic books on Rudra and subsequently Shiva, the epics, the Puranas, and the Pashupata Shaivism literary corpus of Hinduism written by the fifth century served as the inspiration for the historical Elephanta artwork. By around 525 CE, Indian cave architects and painters were well-versed in the concepts and narratives shown on the panels.
The mythology presented in these manuscripts varies greatly and has been heavily altered by subsequent interpolations; nonetheless, the panels found in Elephanta Cave depict the most important version of the story from the sixth century.
The artwork and panels convey the impact of post-Vedic and Vedic religious ideas on Hindu culture in the middle of the first millennium CE through its eclecticism, flux, and mobility.
Following the construction of the caverns in the sixth century, Elephanta gained popularity in the area as Gharapuri, or “village of caves.” In the regional Marathi language, the term is still in use. It was incorporated into the governance of the Gujarat Sultanate, who in 1534 gave it over to Portuguese traders.
The enormous elephant statue carved out of rock, which the Portuguese used as a landmark to identify the island from other nearby islands and as a place to berth their boats, led them to call the island “Elephanta Island”.
After attempts to send the elephant monument to England failed, it was moved to the Victoria Gardens in 1864, where it remained until Cadell and Hewett rebuilt it in 1914. Today, the statue is housed in Mumbai’s Jijamata Udyaan.
Regarding who harmed and vandalized the Elephanta Caves the most, scholars cannot agree. Macneil concluded that the monuments and caves had already been vandalized during the Sultanate period, based on an inscription in Persian found on a door leading to the main cave. Conversely, other scholars, like Ovington and Pyke, assert that the Christian Portuguese troops’ use of the caverns and sculptures as a target practice area and firing range is what caused the most of the damage.
Although Macneil acknowledges that the Elephanta Caves suffered vandalism and destruction during the colonial era, he places the blame on the Portuguese government rather than the troops. British writings from the colonial era claim that they were “defaced by the zeal of Mahommedans and Portuguese”.
The Portuguese gave the island to the British colonists in 1661, but by then the Caves had sustained significant damage. An inscribed stone from the caverns had also been taken out by the Portuguese and subsequently lost.
Many European visitors to Bombay during the British era visited the caverns, and many of them wrote diaries and impressions thereafter. It was referred to be “enormous artwork, of extraordinary genius” by some, while others criticized it for having “nothing of beauty or art”.
Because of the British reliance on Bombay (now Mumbai), the port city grew to be a significant urban center and saw a migration of Hindus seeking employment.
The Elephanta caverns resurfaced as a hub for Hindu devotion, and documents from the British administration indicate that the government had been imposing a temple tax on pilgrims from at least 1872.
Hindus petitioned the government in 1903 to forgive this cost, and the British promised to do so provided Hindus consented, on three days of the Shiva festival. If not, the Elephants Caves would still be in a state of destruction.
The main cave was renovated by the Indian government in the late 1970s in an effort to turn it into a tourist destination and cultural landmark. According to UNESCO’s cultural criteria, the caves were named a World Heritage Site in 1987.
They were said to “represent a masterpiece of human creative genius” and “bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared.”
Cave1: Great Cave, Main Cave
The main cave, also known as Cave 1, Grand Cave, or the Great Cave, has a layout that is 39.63 meters (130.0 feet) square and has a mandapa (hall). The fundamental layout of the cave is reminiscent of the old Buddhist viharas in India, which were constructed between 500 and 600 years ago and had a square court encircled by cells.
There are other entrances to the Cave; the principal one is modest in size and conceals the enormous hall within. Two side doors face east and west, while the main entrance faces north. Unusual for a Shiva shrine, the cave’s primary entrance faces north-south instead of east-west.
On the other hand, there is an east-west oriented, integrated square plan Linga temple (garbha-griya) within that faces dawn.
Arrangement
(You can also view it in 3D. Click on this Link)
1. Ravananugraha
2. Shiva-Parvati, Mount Kailash
3. Ardhanarishvara
4. Sadashiva Trimurti
5. Gangadhara
6. Wedding of Shiva
7. Shiva slaying Andhaka
8. Nataraja
9. Yogishvara
16. Linga
East Wing Shrine
10. Kartikeya
11. Matrikas
12. Ganesha
13. Dvarapala
West Wing Shrine
14. Yogishvara
15. Nataraja
A tourist or pilgrim must ride the tourist toy train or hike up 120 steep stairs from the seashore to reach the main cave. Four pillars support the main entry, which also features three open porticoes and an aisle in the rear.
There are six pillars in each row that split the hall into smaller rooms. Concealed beams supported by stone columns connected by capitals make up the hall’s roof.
The temple has no external walls and is encased within the cave. As they bear the weight of the slope above, the pillars provide symmetry and space. On the south side, the main mandapa recedes into a pillared vestibule called Ardha-mandapa, with a pillared portico called Mukha-mandapa connecting it to the main entrance.
Dedicated temples are embedded in the Great Cave; the biggest is the square-plan Linga shrine (see plan 16). It is situated in the right portion of the main hall and is a square garbha-griya (womb house) with four entrances.
The sanctuary, which has a linga in the mulavigraha style, is reached via steps from each of the four doors.
There are eight dvarapalas (whose heights range from the floor to the ceiling) to watch over each entryway. When the Portuguese gave the British power over this region, they were severely destroyed. Like other Hindu temples, the linga shrine is encircled by a mandapa and a circumambulation route (pradakshina-patha).
The pillars have an east entrance and are oriented similarly to this shrine’s east-west. This temple’s construction appears to be merged with another open temple that faces three faces toward Sadashiva and is oriented north-south.
Shiva’s two famous symbols are one anthropomorphic and manifest, and the other abstract and unmanifest. Both of their mandapa pillars line up.
Two ruined panels of Shiva, dating from the Gupta dynasty, flank the cave’s northern entrance. Shiva as the Lord of Yoga is shown in the left panel as Yogishvara, while Shiva as the Lord of Dancing is portrayed in the right panel as Nataraja.
Two sizable friezes, one depicting Ardhanarishvara and the other Gangadhara, flank the Sadashiva. Additional Shaivism legends are painted on the mandapa’s walls. According to Stella Kramrisch, all of the friezes depict the vyaktavyakta idea of Samkhya, which is the point at which spiritual existence shifts from the unmanifest to the manifest.
The figures appear to be reaching out to meet the viewer as they emerge from the cave walls. It even shows the embodied Sadashiva emerging from the stones.
Large sculptures of Shiva-related stories that are more than five meters (16 feet) tall may be seen on each wall. On the south wall, across from the main entrance, is the major Shiva relief, Trimurti. Often referred to as the Sadashiva, this pancamukha linga’s characteristic shape is arranged in a mandala pattern with Shiva’s abstract linga form.
Largely measuring little more than 6.27 meters (20.6 feet), the Sadashiva is a massive sculpture that represents Tatpurusha (Mahadeva), Aghora (Bhairava), Vamadeva (Uma), and Sadyojata (Nandin).
The Tatpursha at Elephanta faces north, pointing towards the main entrance, contrary to the typical old Hindu books on murti design, which specify that it should face east. This makes the sculpture unique.
At the east and west extremities of the caverns are smaller shrines. The shrine in the eastern sanctuary has traditional Shakti imagery and functions as a ceremonial entry.
Trimurti, Sadashiva
The Trimurti is regarded as the most significant sculpture in the caverns and a masterpiece. On the south wall of the cave, facing the north entrance, it is etched in relief along the north-south axis. It goes by the names Maheshmurti and Sadashiva as well.
Standing at a height of 7 meters (23 feet), the picture represents Panchamukha Shiva and features three heads.
Shiva’s three heads stand for his three primary attributes: creation, protection, and destruction. Another interpretation is that the three heads represent knowledge and compassion. He is seen clutching a lotus bud on the right half-facial (west face), which stands for the promise of creativity and life.
This face represents the feminine aspect of Shiva and creator, Uma, or Vamadeva, or Brahma, the creator. The young man with a mustache has a left half-face, often known as the east face. This is Shiva as the dreadful Aghora, also known as Bhairava, the one who creates and destroys chaos.
Alternatively referred to as Rudra-Shiva, the Destroyer. Tatpurusha, the benevolent and contemplative visage in the center, is similar to Vishnu, the preserver.
The “master of positive and negative principles of existence and preserver of their harmony” is the Shiva form. In Shaivism, the three-headed Shiva represents his creator, preserver, and destroyer. They represent Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma in a similar way since they are the three facets of Shaivism.
Gangadhara
The Gangadhara tale lies to the right of the Trimurti Shiva, while Ardhanarisvara, a composite of Shiva and Parvati, sits to its left. Shiva and Parvati are seen standing in the Gangadhara image to the right of the Trimurti.
Shiva is responsible for bringing the Ganges River down from the sky, and when she does so, her enormous strength is skillfully restrained in her hair. Up high, the craftsmen created a tiny goddess with three bodies, representing Saraswati, Yamuna, and Ganges. Beside Shiva, the mother goddess Parvati is erect and grinning. The sculpture is 5.207 m (17.08 ft) high and 4 m (13 ft) broad.
There is extensive damage to the Gangadhara picture, especially to the bottom portion of Shiva’s figure reclining with Parvati, who is depicted with four arms, two of which are shattered.
The three main rivers mentioned in Hindu literature are represented by a cup with a triple-headed female figure (with broken arms) hanging from the crown. The three-bodied goddess in the Gangadharamurti panel, both here and elsewhere, can also be interpreted as Mandakini, Suradhani, and Bhagavati, symbolizing the restorative powers of rivers.
Shiva is carved and decorated in this grotto setting, where gods assemble to see the cosmic wellspring of earthly prosperity.
The depicted gods and goddesses, which include Brahma (left), Indra (left), Vishnu (right), Saraswati, Indrani, Lakshmi, and others, may be recognized by their vahanas (vehicles) and iconography.
Shiva’s famous coiling snake, with its hood visible close to his left shoulder, is encircled around one of his arms. A second, partially fractured hand resembles Shiva embracing Parvati, his hair matted over his head. His lower body, below the waist, is covered in a torn ornate drapery.
To Shiva’s left is a carved image of Parvati with a coiffed hairstyle and covered in jewelry. A dwarf jester known as a gana stands between them, his expression filled with confusion and fear as to whether Shiva would be able to hold back the powerful river goddess.
The heroic mythological monarch Bhagiratha is depicted in the bottom left corner of the panel as a kneeling, devoted man in the namaste pose.
Bhagiratha worked hard to bring the river of wealth to his earthly kingdom, but he was ignorant of the potentially destructive powers that came with it.
Ardhanarishvara
A damaged carving of Ardhanarishvara, with four arms, is located on the wall east of the Trimurti. This picture has a height of 5.11 meters (16.8 feet). It symbolizes the age-old Hindu idea that the creation, sustenance, and annihilation of the cosmos depend on the intrinsic interdependence of the feminine and male elements.
In this Elephanta panel on the right, it is shown as half woman, half Parvati, with breasts, waist, feminine hair, and objects like a mirror in the upper hand. Shiva is the second half of a man, having traits indicative of a man and objects that serve as his emblem.
Shaivism uses imagery to represent the transcendence of all dualism, including gender, and the idea that the spiritual realm is devoid of distinction and is made up of energy and force (Shakti, Parvati), which are united and inextricably linked to the soul and consciousness (Brahman, Shiva).
The panel’s relief depicts a double-folded headgear with two pleats draped towards the female head (Parvati), and curled hair, and a crescent on Shiva’s right side. The right male image has hanging hair, armlets, and wristlets, while the female form has all the adornment—broad armlets and lengthy bracelets, a huge ring in the ear, and jeweled rings on the fingers.
Shiva’s rather well-preserved mount, the left horn of the Nandi bull, is where one of his hands rests. The two hands behind are likewise adorned with jewels; the left hand of the feminine side holds a mirror, while the right hand of the masculine side holds a snake.
While the majority of the lower half of the panel was destroyed at some point, the front left hand is fractured. There are three tiers of symbolic figures surrounding Ardhanarishwara. The human figures that are facing the androgynous picture with reverence are the lowest or on the same level as the spectator.
Gods and goddesses seated on their vahanas, including Brahma, Vishnu, Indra, and others, are above them. Above them, with garlands, music, and festive offerings, are soaring apsaras making their way toward the united Godhead.
Andhaka is killed by Shiva
A rare sculpture depicting the narrative of Andhakasura-vadha may be seen on the wall near the west entrance and the Linga shrine (see 7 in the plan) on the northwest side of the cave. This depicts Bhairava, also known as Virabhadra, a fierce manifestation of Shiva who vanquishes the demon Andhaka (which means “blind, darkness”).
The relief is 3.5 meters (11 feet) high, depicted in movement, and severely damaged below the waist. Despite being in relief, the carvings give it a three-dimensional appearance, as though the fierce Shiva is emerging from the rocks to impale Andhaka with his trident.
Bhairava’s headdress has a snake over the forehead, a skull, a ruff on the back, and a crescent on the right. His look is one of wrath, one of conviction in what he has to accomplish, and one of being in the thick of something. Portuguese vandalism is blamed for the fractured legs and five of the eight arms.
Bhairava’s picture is visible underneath the smaller, fractured image of Andhaka. The symbolic weapon that Shaiva mythology claims Shiva used to defeat the destructive elephant monster is also seen in his right hand.
According to Shaiva folklore, it was imperative to gather the blood pouring from the killed Andhaka into a bowl, as the blood may have the potential to spawn young demons if they were to feed themselves on the ground.
The artwork also features two dwarfs, a little person in front, two ascetics, destroyed portions of a man and two female shapes, and figures of both. The top section depicts apsaras in flight with garlands.
Shiva’s marriage
The marriage of Shiva and Parvati is shown in the niche figure carved on the southwest wall, next to the Linga temple (see 6 on the plan). Hindu literature refers to this narrative as the Kalyanasundara. Standing on Shiva’s right, as is usual for a Hindu bride during the wedding, is Parvati.
Although the sculptures are severely damaged, the sculpture’s destroyed remnants have contributed significantly to academic research on Hindu literature. The wedding occurs in King Parvata’s palace in several surviving Puranic stories.
Nonetheless, the story presents an earlier iteration in this panel from Elephanta Cave. In this instance, Brahma serves as the priest in the grotto relief while King Parvata, who is positioned behind Parvati, presents the bride to Shiva.
As they cheer on the wedding, gods, goddesses, and heavenly apsaras are there. Standing towering behind the seated Brahma on the right side of the panel, Vishnu bears witness to the marriage.
A few figures hanging from the ceiling and rishi (sages) are seen blessing the wedding just above the primary paintings.
Parvati is shown as sensitive and reserved, whereas the groom Shiva is regarded as youthful and serene. His hand, now fractured, is clutching hers, her head turned towards him, her eyelids down with delight.
Their attire reflects Hindu traditions. She wears the traditional jewelry, while he wears the sacred thread across his breast. The other figures in the wedding are depicted carrying or holding objects that are customarily displayed in Hindu weddings.
For instance, the moon deity Chandra is holding a Kalash, a typically adorned water container. To the right, sitting down, Brahma, the priest, is ministering to the yajna fire (agni mandapa).
Yogishvara, the Yoga Lord
Shiva in Yoga is shown in the panel on the east side of the portico adjacent to the north entrance (see plan number 9). This manifestation of Shiva is known as Mahayogi, Yogishvara, or Lakulisa.
Stella Kramrisch claims that Shiva is the “primordial yogi” on this panel. He is the supreme disciplinarian, the master instructor of yoga, and the one who demonstrates how practicing yoga and meditation may help one realize the ultimate truth.
The majority of the arms and legs are shattered, and the relief is in a state of disrepair. He’s buried in his concentration, sitting in padmasana. His well-formed stance indicates that the artist from the sixth century was familiar with this pose.
He is seated on a lotus with his legs crossed symmetrically, and a stalk protruding from the ground. In a namaste pose, two nagas stand in front of the lotus, demonstrating their respect.
Numerous Vedic and Puranic gods and goddesses, monks, and sadhus are approaching the great yogi, but he is shielded from them by a halo as if they are admiring him but don’t want to interfere with his meditation.
Though there are minor distinctions, the yogi artwork seen in this Hindu cave is comparable to that found in Buddhist caves. Wearing a crown, Yogi Shiva, also known as Lakulisa, is seen here with his chest vaulting forward, seemingly in the style of breathing exercises common in Hindu yoga scriptures.
His face and torso convey distinct energies. According to Kramrisch, this Shiva yogi is referred to in medieval Indian poetry as Guhesvara, the “lord of the caves”.
Charles Collins claims that the Yogi Shiva seen in Elephanta Cave 1 is consistent with the Puranas, which date to the early and middle of the first millennium CE.
Nataraja: Dancing Lord
Shiva is depicted as the Nataraja, “cosmic dancer” and “the lord of dancers” on the panel facing the Yogishvara on the west side of the portico close to the north entrance (see 8 on the plan). Another name for it is the Nrittamurti.
The severely damaged relief panel sits low on the wall, measuring 4 m (13 ft) in width and 3.4 m (11 ft) in height. In the Lalita mudra, his arms and body are depicted as madly gyrating, signifying his full-bodied weightlessness, soaring vitality, and occupation of all space.
The Tatpurusha, or manifested form of Shiva, which upholds and protects all creation and creative activity, is what his face looks like in this instance. This is a representation of Nataraja with eight arms.
The panel’s surviving portions indicate that he is grasping an axe, and its top is encircled by a coiling snake. In another, he is holding a folded piece of cloth that may be a Maya veil.
This panel in the cave has a smaller number of gods, goddesses, and watchers than the others. Brahma, Vishnu, Lakshmi, Saraswati, and Parvati are visible, and their expressions suggest that they are mesmerized.
His kids, jumping Ganesha and Kartikeya carrying Shiva’s staff, as well as an ascetic and a rishi, are also depicted, tying together the secular and spiritual realms via figurative dance symbolism: family life and austere monastery life.
Shiva’s destroyer and dancer characteristics are concentrated in the northwest of the cave, while his creator and yogi aspects are located in the northeastern sections.
The architectural features of this sixth-century Nataraja are similar to those of temples in Gujarat and the upper Deccan area in western South Asia.
Both Ravananugraha and Mount Kailash
The east entrance’s sculptures are distorted and worn. One at the mandapa’s southeast corner (see Figure 2 on the design) portrays Shiva and Parvati atop Mount Kailash in the Himalayas, while the other illustrates the tale of Umamaheshvara.
Horizontal cloud layers and rocky landscapes are features of the scene. Shiva, with his four arms extended, and Parvati sit beside him on the rock. Amidst the clouds above, heavenly apsaras float, while Nandi stands beneath them.
Behind Shiva, there are remnants of a disk and a crown, but everything is broken. The abundance of supplementary figures in the tableau could indicate that the eastern entry was intended to have a religious theme.
According to a mythology known as Ravananugraha, the panel facing Mount Kailash toward the northeast corner (see 1 on the plan) shows the demon king Ravana attempting to raise Kailash and annoy Shiva.
Shiva and Parvati are reclining on Mount Kailash in the upper picture. With a crown, Shiva is easily recognizable, whereas other figures have severe damage. A fragment of the austere skeletal devotee Bhringi’s relief remains, showing him sitting close to Shiva’s feet.
A silhouette of what may have been Kartikeya and Ganesha can be seen next to Shiva. Beneath the mountain’s surface, the demon-king Ravana may be seen attempting, but failing, to shake Shiva and Parvati at Mount Kailash with a few arms. The remaining information is hazy and conjectural.
Though there isn’t a direct correlation between this panel’s elements and any one text, Charles Collins claims that they are generally compatible with those found in Puranas from the medieval age.
Linga temple
The free-standing, square stone cella in the heart of the Great Cave temple has entrances on all four sides. There are eight dvarapalas (gate guardians) around the temple, two for each entry. The eight dvarapalas are approximately 4.6 meters (15 feet) tall. With the exception of those near the shrine’s southern entrance, all are ruined. The armed Shaiva guardians stand in front of the entrances.
From the floor level, there are six stairs that lead to the inside of the cella. The mulavigraha Linga, which is positioned in the center, is elevated 1.8 meters (5 feet 11 inches) above the temple floor. It represents the creative source and the regenerative aspect of creation as the abstract, unmanifest emblem of Shiva in union with the Yoni and the symbol of Parvati.
The cella is visible from anywhere within the cave and is the most important development, with the temple and all of the pillars arranged to direct the pilgrim’s attention towards it.]
Wing to the east: Shaktism
A second shrine is located on the east side of the main hall. It is a circular pedestal courtyard that is 17 meters (56 feet) wide. Remaining remains, it formerly had a sitting Nandi facing the Linga shrine. The Shaktism temple, depicting a lion sitting with its forepaw elevated as a protector, is located to the south of this eastern courtyard.
Along with Parvati, Kartikeya (Skanda), and Ganesha, the “seven mothers” are known as Sapta Matrikas and are located inside the west face of this modest temple (see plans 10–12). The sanctuary of the smaller shrine is surrounded by a road that circles it and has a linga. There are Shaiva dvarapalas on the sanctuary door.
The unique aspect of the Shakti panel in the east shrine is that, in addition to Parvati, it depicts eight mothers, or Astaka matrikas, during a time when Sapta matrikas were more prevalent, as in the caves of Samalaji and Jogeshwari.
Furthermore, typical artwork from the mid-1st millennium depicts the Shakta moms with Shiva and Ganesha, while on the other side, the mothers are accompanied by Skanda (Kartikeya) and Ganesha.
Sara L. Schastok claims that the significance of the Skanda in Elephanta Cave 1’s east shrine, as well as the one at the Hindu temple site at Deogarh, lies in the fact that both are surrounded by gods and goddesses and are shown with regalia, weapons, and symbols resembling Shiva.
The artists are probably conveying the unity of Skanda-Shiva by depicting him so prominently that all these deities are essentially the same spiritual concept, “all emanations of the lingam at the very heart of Elephanta,” according to Schastok. Skanda is associated with the Krittikas legend and thus Kartikeya by painting him with Matrikas.
West wing: Additional customs
There is another linked shrine, but in considerably worse shape, on the west side of the main hall. Greater than the shrine on the eastern side, the larger cave on the south side of the west shrine is closed and has ruins.
By the middle of the 19th century, some of the local artworks—including those featuring Brahma, Vishnu, and other figures—had been transferred to museums and private collections.
The two panels on the western face depict another avatar of Shiva in yoga (see Plan 14) and another avatar of Nataraja (see Plan 15). There is a sanctuary with a Shiva Linga in between these.
Although this Yogi Shiva panel is damaged, the leg posture in the yoga asana has remained, in contrast to the other Yogi portrayals. Seated on a lotus, the Yogishvara is surrounded by two severely vandalized figures that appear to be an ascetic and probably Parvati.
The ruins of heavenly gods, goddesses, or apsaras are situated above him. Once more, there is a zone of seclusion surrounding the meditating yogi Shiva, who is adorned with a crown, and no other figure is allowed to enter.
Beneath the lotus, beneath him, are Nagas and many severely injured individuals, two of which have the Anjali mudra.
The Nataraja within the main mandapa and the one displayed in the west shrine have a similar style. Collins notes that, although being more vulnerable to water damage and weather, the carving depth appears to be lower.
Caves 2–5: Mount Canon
Cave 2 is located southeast of the Great Cave. There is unfinished business in the cave. This cave’s facade was entirely demolished and rebuilt with four square pillars in the 1970s. Its back has two tiny cells.
Cave 2 and Cave 3 are next to each other as they move further away from the main shrine. It is a mandapa with pillars and a portico with six pillars. The portico is supported by four rebuilt pillars and measures 26 meters (85 feet) in length and 11 meters (36 feet) in depth.
There are three rooms beyond the portico. The rear of the portico’s primary door opens into a dilapidated shrine that appears to be the sanctuary for a vanished Linga.
The shrine is a simple space with a modest altar that is 6 m (20 ft) deep and 5.7 m (19 ft) wide. There are some signs of sculpting on the shrine entrance.
Now in pieces are the dvarapalas on either side, leaning on dwarfs with figures in flight over their heads. On each side of the shrine are the remaining two rooms.
Cave 4 is severely damaged, with all of the columns missing from the huge verandah. It seems from the relief remnants that the cave was also formerly a Shaiva temple. There’s a lingam in the shrine in the back. At either end of the verandah are chapels and three monastic cells.
There are no artistic remnants in Cave 5, which is extremely damaged and incomplete.
Stupa Hill: stupas 1-2, caverns 6-7
Two Buddhist caves, water tanks, and the ruins of a stupa are located on the opposite side of the hill across the valley from Cave 1. It appears that the island’s original residents were Buddhists.
Cave 6, sometimes referred to as Sitabai’s temple cave, is a spacious hall located at 18.963835°N 72.934125°E. There are two pilasters and four pillars in the portico. The rear of the hall features three chambers: a shrine in the middle, and two more for monks or priests.
With the exception of the central shrine’s door, which is adorned with lion figurines on the threshold and has pilasters and a frieze, the hall is bare. There is no longer a picture in the sanctuary.
Because the Portuguese modified Cave 6 and used it as a Christian chapel later on when the island was a part of their colony, Cave 6 is noteworthy historically (at some time between 1534 and 1682).
Cave 7 (18.965100°N 72.934766°E), another modest excavation with a veranda that was likely to contain three chambers but was abandoned after a rock fault was discovered, is located next along the eastern hill to the north of Sitabai’s cave.
There’s a dry pond to the east of Cave 7, lined by multiple Buddhist cisterns and big man-made stones. A mound near the cistern, which is currently at the tip of the hill’s north spur, has been determined to be the remnants of a Buddhist stupa (18.966026°N 72.936753°E).
Originally considerably taller, this stupa, which is stated by Michell and Dhavalikar, dated to around the second century BCE.
Missing memorials
Major museums across India currently house a large number of artworks from the remains of the Elephanta Caves. Among these is a nearly entirely shattered statue of Durga, leaving just the buffalo demon and Durga’s limbs and a little portion of her waist intact.
A portion of the head of Brahma, multiple Vishnu ruins from various statues, a variety of panels, and free-standing stone sculptures are among the other academic studies of Elephanta sculpture that are kept in museums.
Some of these are “definitely not part of the Great Cave,” according to Schastok, although it’s unknown where they were discovered after being relocated or when the ruins were cleaned and the restoration work started.
It is challenging to situate and describe the important Vishnu sculptures inside the remaining caverns. According to one interpretation, some of the caverns had to be symbolic of the Vaishnavite tradition.
In addition to the caverns, some academics, including Moti Chandra, propose that the island had housed open-air Hindu temples; nevertheless, it is believed that these structures were the first to be destroyed due to art theft.
Among the Elephanta ruins are statues of Vishnu that exhibit a variety of styles. One holds a conch at an angle close to his thigh, wearing a dhoti and a looped girdle. Based on what’s left of his sides, this was probably a four-arm figure.
There are aspects of Shiva and Vishnu in another statue. Pramod Chandra recognized it as Shiva, Moti Chandra as Kartikeya, and others as Vishnu. There is a chain link close to the thigh, a gada (mace) on one side, and a person standing next to him who appears to be a Devi because of their thin waist and large breasts. This statue is also dressed in a dhoti.
Records from the 18th century also mention a stone horse on the island, similar to the stone elephant that led the Portuguese colonists to refer to it as “Ilha Elefante”. But before to 1764, this horse was transported to an unidentified place.
