Elephanta Island lies east of the city of Mumbai in Maharashtra. It is also known as Gharapuri, which means ‘place of caves.’ Elephanta Island is indeed famous for its caves. These caves have been carved out of rock, and the rock-cut temple complex covers an area of 5574 square metres. It consists of a main chamber, two lateral chambers, courtyards, and subsidiary shrines.
It is believed that the caves were carved between 400 and 800 AD. The statues depict stories of Lord Shiva. The most important sculpture inside the Elephanta Caves is that of Trimurti Sadasiva. Other sculptures depict Lord Shiva in the dancing pose, the yogic pose, and also show the River Ganges’ descending from His matted locks.
A large statue of an elephant guarded the island. The Portuguese invaded the area in 1547, and gave the island its English name on catching sight of this sculpture. Sadly, they also damaged and defaced the caves.