The Elephanta island is located in Bombay,
about 6 mile from Gateway of India.
Elephanta Island has an area of 4-6 square miles,
varying with the tide.
In the early 16th century Portuguese navigators
named the island Ilha Elefante ,
Elephant Island in reference to a large stone
elephant that was found there, the statue was
later moved to Victoria Garden, Bombay.
The island's Hindi name, Gharapuri, derives from a
small
village at its southern end.
Elephanta's famous 8th- and 9th-century cave temples
were added to UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1987.
Atop a large hill, they occupy some 54,800 square
feet.
The main temple is a long hall stretching 90 feet,
carved into the rock on the walls and ceiling of the
cave
are rows of columns and crossbeams.
The plan of the temple is such that important points
are laid
out in the form of a mandapa.
A series of sculptured panels lining the walls of
the
cave portrays images from mythology, the most celebrated
of which is the 20-foot, high Trimurti, the famous three-headed
Lord Shiva posture in the role of destroyer,
preserver,
and creator emerging from a mountain.
Other sculptures depict Shiva crushing Ravana with
his toe,
the marriage of Shiva and Parvati,
Shiva bringing the Ganges to earth by letting her
flow through his hair, and Shiva as the embodiment
of
cosmic energy, dancing to drums.
A linga is housed in a sanctuary at the western end
of the temple.
When the island was ceded to Portuguese by the
Sultan of
Ahmedabad in the 16th century, it ceased to be a
place of worship,
and the caves and sculptures were damaged by
Portuguese soldiers.
In the 1970s the temples were restored and
preserved, and
the island became a popular tourist site.
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