ELEPHANTA CAVES
Elephanta anciently known as "Gharapuri" or the Fort Town,
the island capital of Konkan Mauryas, is celebrated for its colossal image of
Maheshamurti with three heads each representing a different form. Later the
Portuguese took possession of the island and as they first found a monolith
elephant the island was named Elephanta.
Many Faces Of Shiva - Elephanta Caves
There are seven caves out of which the most important is
the Mahesha-Murti cave. The main body of the cave, excluding the porticos on the
three open sides and the back isle, is 27 metres square and is supported by rows
of six columns each. The gigantic figures of Dvarapalas, or doorkeepers here are
very impressive.
The cave temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, was excavated
sometime in the 8th century by the Rashtrakuta Kings who ruled the area between
AD 757-973. Elephanta closelyfollows the pattern of the Dumar Lena cave in
Ellora.
There are sculptured compartments in this cave with remarkable
images of Ardhanarisvara, Kalyana-Sundara Shiva, Ravana lifting Kailasha,
Andhakari-Murti (slaying of Andhaka demon) and Nataraja Shiva.
