elephanta island

elephanta island is a tiny island located off the coast of mumbai's harbour. since it is known as mumbai's most important historical attraction, mike and i knew that we had to visit!

the island is home to a series of hindu caves containing some of the finest temple carvings in india!! the elephant of elephanta originated after the portuguese explorers discovered a massive stone elephant on the shore of the island. although, the statue succumbed to erosion in 1814, the name still remains.

off we went!!!

we decided to pay the premium for 'luxury' transport...and i do say 'luxury' loosely...no wonder the ticket man laughed when i asked if luxury meant air conditioned...clearly i have spent too much time in the uk :)

where's waldo?...oops, i mean, where's krista? we were crammed in like sardines...quite an experience...the boat ride did however, give us a great view of mumbai from the water!! especially the gateway of india as shown below. the gateway of india is mumbai's most famous landmark which was built to commemorate a state visit by king george v in 1924. to the left of the gateway is the taj mahal hotel - one of the classic colonial hotels and considered mumbai's finest. the hotel opened in 1903 as a challenge to foreign prejudice. the founder of the hotel embarked on this project after being refused entry to one of mumbai's british owned hotels for being a 'native'. the taj is still going strong while the british hotels have all faded into the background... the arrival to elephanta island after spending one hour in the boat...

it was a 2km hike in the scorching heat to the main cave of elephanta...

taking a miniature steam train half the distance was an option but we decided to heel-toe it instead...mike was pretty fascinated with the train though...anyone for a mid-journey snack of corn on the cob? at that point all we wanted was a cold drink...mike wanted a t-shirt AND a hat! it was HOT!the sights along the way...when do you ever find 2 shoes alike...isn't it always just one on the side of the road??? it was worth documenting...

this sight was absolutely disgusting...there were actually people standing knees deep in muck...

the entrance to the archaeological zone. from here it was a very steep trek up approx. 200 steps...

again, you could walk or hire a 'dolly' (sedan chair). glad we walked as i dont think the dolly would have make it to the top!!!

mike got his hat but no luck with the t-shirt...see the monkey in the background?

they may look cute but they were vicious and could not be trusted! we witnessed one steal a bag of crisps right out of a lady's hand!!!

crisps...coca cola...they grabbed whatever they could get their hands on! i think it was diet ;)

the main temple on the island created in the 6th century was a fascinating cave of shrines, caverns, open courtyards and prayer halls. reminded us of the carvings we saw at petra in jordan but on a much smaller scale...

carved into the basalt bedrock of the island...the interior of the cave was once painted with colourful frescoes but centuries of erosion have reduced the paintings to a few dabs of turquoise and ochre on the walls...the scale was unbelievable...

difficult to see but this carving is as tall as a double decker bus...

the statue of shiva (one of the principal hindu gods worshipped as the destroyer and restorer of worlds) dancing the divine dance that created the universe. very impressive...

another shot of the interior capturing the scale and the depth of the cave...
one of three smaller caves located on the island...

after the hike and the tour we were exhausted and famished so we had no choice but to sample the local cuisine. we shared some veggie rice...probably the best i have had in my lifetime thus far!! i wont go into details of the place we ate it in or the toilets located behind the cafe!!! perhaps in another blog...