Elephanta Caves
techGadget
How to reach Elephanta Caves Mumbai | When should i visit Elephanta Caves | Everything you should know before going Elephanta Caves
Elephanta is an island off the Mumbai (Bombay) coast. So the first point is to get to Mumbai. This is one of the most connected cities in India. A large number of daily flights are operated to Mumbai (BOM) from the rest of the main cities in India. So are the international connections to Mumbai.
Once in Mumbai head for the Gateway of India. This is an immensely prime landmark of Mumbai. It is from this point the ferries to Elephanta Island operate. Though heavily crowded during the peak hours, Mumbai has an excellent suburban local rail network.
From wherever you are in Mumbai, catch a local train to Churchgate or CST station. Both are terminal stations, so it is a bit easy to get out and get in. By the way, CST (Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus) railway station itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From Churchgate or CST, one can walk to the Gateway of India along the heritage lane. It’s a 20 to 30-minute walk. Or a 10-minute taxi ride.
Once you reach Gateway of India then you can find before the entry gate there is some counter you will see so you can buy the tickets from the counter avoid buying the tickets from the anonymous person. Once you buy the ticket (Ticket cost per head 200 (3 USD) rs return ticket in general as far as I know it might differ for India or foreign tourist) you need to take entry before going inside few security checks then you are finally seeing the Gateway of India. The reaching timing is almost 60 min from Gateway of India to Elephanta Caves.
As you approach this locality you can easily notice the imposing Gateway of India structure facing the sea. Walk towards it and on your left is where you can board the ferry to Elephanta. In all probability by this time selling the ferry tickets for Elephanta would have approached you shouting ELEPHANTA!! at the top of their lungs.
They collect Rs10 inside the boat to sit on the upper deck. It’s worth this ‘premium’ as you can get a good panoramic view, the crowd and noise are relatively less.
Buy the ticket and ask for the direction to board the boat. If a boat is not already boarding, you may need to wait until the next boat arrives. Typically every 30 minutes a boat leaves for Elephanta. Make sure that you are boarding the Elephanta boat rather than the local sightseeing boat.
On a clear day, you can see the Elephanta Island on the horizon as a thin strip from the Gateway of India, most likely the haze makes it impossible to see the island which is about 11 km (7 miles) from the shore. In any case, halfway down your journey, you can spot a small island on your left known as Butcher’s Island. This is a mooring jetty for the oil tankers. Straight ahead in the direction of the boat, Elephanta emerges as a forest-covered island. In Elephanta, the boat will leave you at the jetty that is at the north of the island. The cave temple is a kilometers’ walk (under a mile) from the jetty.
There is a small toy train from the jetty to the base of the hill (Rs 5 one way). You may choose to walk along the pier. This will lead to the entrance to the Gharapuri village. There is a security gate and a village entry fee (Rs10) as TAX to be paid.
Further, you need to trek the 120 steps to the plateau where the caves are located. This trekking path goes through a packed curio, souvenirs, guidebooks, and T-shirt selling stalls. The ticket counter for the caves is located at the end of this path.
Once in Mumbai head for the Gateway of India. This is an immensely prime landmark of Mumbai. It is from this point the ferries to Elephanta Island operate. Though heavily crowded during the peak hours, Mumbai has an excellent suburban local rail network.
From wherever you are in Mumbai, catch a local train to Churchgate or CST station. Both are terminal stations, so it is a bit easy to get out and get in. By the way, CST (Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus) railway station itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From Churchgate or CST, one can walk to the Gateway of India along the heritage lane. It’s a 20 to 30-minute walk. Or a 10-minute taxi ride.
Once you reach Gateway of India then you can find before the entry gate there is some counter you will see so you can buy the tickets from the counter avoid buying the tickets from the anonymous person. Once you buy the ticket (Ticket cost per head 200 (3 USD) rs return ticket in general as far as I know it might differ for India or foreign tourist) you need to take entry before going inside few security checks then you are finally seeing the Gateway of India. The reaching timing is almost 60 min from Gateway of India to Elephanta Caves.
As you approach this locality you can easily notice the imposing Gateway of India structure facing the sea. Walk towards it and on your left is where you can board the ferry to Elephanta. In all probability by this time selling the ferry tickets for Elephanta would have approached you shouting ELEPHANTA!! at the top of their lungs.
They collect Rs10 inside the boat to sit on the upper deck. It’s worth this ‘premium’ as you can get a good panoramic view, the crowd and noise are relatively less.
Buy the ticket and ask for the direction to board the boat. If a boat is not already boarding, you may need to wait until the next boat arrives. Typically every 30 minutes a boat leaves for Elephanta. Make sure that you are boarding the Elephanta boat rather than the local sightseeing boat.
Buy Book Online at cheapest Rate
Three descriptive essays and numerous fascinating photographs, taken especially for this volume, allow the reader to experience a major monument of Indian art, the sixth-century temple cave on Elephanta Island, in Bombay harbor and its extraordinary stone sculptures. The authors and the photographer capture the atmosphere of the cave and the spirit of the sculptures, which portray the relentless energy and paradoxical power of Shiva, the greatest of all Hindu gods. The photographs are particularly successful in revealing the dramatic alternation of light and dark that is so much a part of the beauty of the cave's interior. Ms. Berkson's trained and loving eye picks out the subtleties of the main sculptures and humorous details that the visitor might miss even on the site. In the text, Wendy O'Flaherty interprets the myths of Shiva depicted in the sculpture.
Click on the below image to buy the book
On a clear day, you can see the Elephanta Island on the horizon as a thin strip from the Gateway of India, most likely the haze makes it impossible to see the island which is about 11 km (7 miles) from the shore. In any case, halfway down your journey, you can spot a small island on your left known as Butcher’s Island. This is a mooring jetty for the oil tankers. Straight ahead in the direction of the boat, Elephanta emerges as a forest-covered island. In Elephanta, the boat will leave you at the jetty that is at the north of the island. The cave temple is a kilometers’ walk (under a mile) from the jetty.
There is a small toy train from the jetty to the base of the hill (Rs 5 one way). You may choose to walk along the pier. This will lead to the entrance to the Gharapuri village. There is a security gate and a village entry fee (Rs10) as TAX to be paid.
Further, you need to trek the 120 steps to the plateau where the caves are located. This trekking path goes through a packed curio, souvenirs, guidebooks, and T-shirt selling stalls. The ticket counter for the caves is located at the end of this path.
Finally, You will see something like that in Elephanta Caves inside from starting...
When should I visit Elephanta Caves?
The best time to visit Elephanta Caves is started from winter season like OCT - NOV TO FEB -MARCH the best time to enjoy in Elephanta Caves. There is reason to avoid traveling in the monsoon season because you know very well we are traveling by boat in the sea there might be some high tide some high alert regarding water lodging or flood like environment is present in the monsoon season that might risky also o please mostly avoid traveling in monsoon season rest time you can visit any time definitely you will enjoy.
Elephanta Caves you need to visit once in life if you are the person who wants to explore and learn about the history and how was the past how caves are made and people living there life past 100 or more years before. Share your experience as well if you ever visited before in the below comment section.
0 Comments: