On our
short trip to Mumbai, we decided to visit the elephant cave, which is one of
the biggest tourist attractions in India.
Situated on
the Elephanta islands, just 10kms from the east Mumbai in the Arabian Sea, this
place Is just as good as you have heard and believe me, you will not be
disappointed. To get there, we took a ferry from the Gateway of India and it
took us almost an hour to get there. The calmness of the sea and the light breeze
made that journey a magical one, and ones ashore, we were quite mesmerized by
the sheer beauty of the island.
The caves
are at the distance of almost 2 km from the coast, and there is a facility of a
toy train, however we preferred walking. The whole route is bustling with
venders selling different food items, mostly fruits and corn. I specially loved
the ‘kairi’ or raw mango, which I really recommend to anyone who visits the
place. Don’t finish the tour without trying it. Then there are quite a number
stairs to the caves and on the both sides of these stairs are small street
shops with various traditional items and souvenirs, which is in fact a treat
for those who love to shop.
The caves
too are just as beautiful and amazing the rest of the place. These are the
group of 7 caves, of which 5 are Hindu caves and 2 are dedicated to Buddhism.
although it is still unknown, when and by whom these caves were built, the
local belief credit these to the Mahabharata era, and say that these were not
manmade. The main cave which is the first cave you see is a pillared hall with
mesmerizing stone sculptures dedicated to various Hindu gods, especially Shiva
and his incarnations. Most of these sculptures were however destroyed with the Portuguese
invasion, but one can still see the brilliance of these medieval sculptures. Though
one statue, a Trimurti (faces of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh sculpted together),
stands out as completely untouched. Apparently this was the main statue of the
caves and in order to protect it from the invaders, a wooden wall was constructed
right in front of it, so that it is not directly visible to anyone who didn’t
know about it. It was much later after the discovery of these caves that this Trimurti
was discovered. Fascinating isn't
There are 6
more caves which are equally mesmerizing and one can see on them, the imprints
of the rich culture and heritage of India. Even outside the surroundings are
equally amazing with lush greenery and the vast ocean surrounding and keeping
alive the medieval magic.
This
journey from the bustling traffic, rush and noise of the city, to this calmness
of the wilderness, is almost like a leap through time itself, and this touch
with the past is a must do, if you are in India.
The Trimurti
Yashaswini Sauda
No comments:
Post a Comment