Elephanta Caves in Mumbai, Maharashtra

Take a tour of this UNESCO World Heritage Site

Quick Information

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Best time to visit
Nov - Feb
Ideal Duration
5-6 Days
Visa
On Arrival
Starting from
Rs. 3,000
  • Ideal for families
  • Ideal for friends
  • City Tour

Elephanta Caves in Mumbai (2020)

Elephanta Caves are a collection of cave temples located in Gharapuri or Elephanta Island in Mumbai.  A Hindu king from the Kalachuri dynasty built the Elephanta Caves. Situated at a distance of 10 km from Gateway of Mumbai, this is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was declared so in 1987 after the restoration of the caves in the 1970s. The temples are dedicated to Hindu god Shiva, and other than these Hindu caves, there are Buddhist stupas too here, dating back to the 2nd century BCE. It is one of the major attractions in Mumbai and one can take the ferry from Gateway of India to enjoy Elephanta Caves tour Mumbai.

History of Elephanta Caves

The ancient history of Elephanta Caves Island isn’t present in either Hindu or Buddhist records but according to Archaeological Survey of India and UNESCO, the cave temples came into being in the 5th and 6th century. The caves have rock cut stone sculptures but most of the artwork that is left today is damaged to quite an extent. The artwork is inspired by the mythology and ideas of ancient times, predominantly of the 6th century. Take the Elephanta Caves tour and look at this interesting artwork for yourself on your trip to Mumbai.

Earlier known as Gharapuri, the island came to be known as the Elephanta Island later by the Portuguese. They named it so to differentiate it from the other islands near Mumbai as they docked their boats here at the Elephanta Caves island.

Information About Elephanta Caves

Elephanta Caves comprise of five rock-cut caves located in the Western hill. There is a brick stupa in the Elephanta Caves which is found on the Eastern hill. While Stupa Hill ( two Buddhist mounds) is present in the Eastern hill, there are two more caves which are Cave 6 and Cave 7 which is located close to the already existing five caves of the Western Hill.  

What is the Significance of Trimurti in Elephanta Caves?

Trimurti in Elephanta Caves is seen as the most valuable sculptural asset of the place. It has been described as the masterpiece ever created in the history of Gupta and Chalukya empire. Trimurti is kept at the rear of the cave while it faces the entrance towards the north-south axis. Trimurti is otherwise known as Trimurti Sadashiva or Maheshmurti.

Things to Do at Elephanta Caves

There are a couple of things that one can enjoy on their tour of Elephanta Caves in Mumbai beginning with the ferry ride and continuing to visit the sculpture and Buddhist Stupa.

One can take the ferry from Gateway of India and begin the exciting Elephanta Cave tour. 

Once on the island, visit the two hills with their set of caves, separated by a walkway. 

Cave 1 is also the main cave here and there are a total of 7 caves. 

Witness the rock cut stone sculptures and artwork at the caves. Explore them all on your Mumbai trip. 

Enjoy the views of the Mumbai skyline from the Elephanta Island and take a complete tour of this interesting and historic tourist attraction of Mumbai.

Nearby Attractions to Elephanta Caves

One of the nearby attractions of Elephanta Caves in Mumbai is the Elephanta Island. It has an artificial lake which is used for storing rainwater. The Lake is also known by the name of  “Adiyogi Shiva Elephanta Lake”.

Close to the Elephant Island Lake, there is a garden. Although the garden in Elephanta Caves in Mumbai does not feature extravagant set-ups, the view of the Arabian Sea and Elephanta Cave Complex is absolutely stunning from here. Tourists come here to relax or enjoy a picnic.

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Nmdas's 6 days trip to Mumbai

Best trip ever except Aristro hotel at Lonawala Darshan at Tryambakeshwar Jyotirlinga

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Achyutananda's 4 days trip to Mumbai

Sriya planned my travel trip, and it was amazing! The driver was super nice and well-behaved. Overall, an excellent experience!

Achyutananda Panigra Banglore

Muniyanelumalai's 3 days trip to Mumbai

overall trip arrangement by travel traingle is good overall trip arrangement by travel traingle is too good

Muniyanelumalai Pune

Biswajit's 4 days trip to Mumbai

Quality of hotels and food services needs to be improved. The same feedback was provided to the travel agent too as we found the washroom needs modifications and cleanliness can be improved a lot. The food provided did not have right quality which needs an improvement. The points of Mahabaleshwar was mesmerising however the hours provided by the travel agent could have been little more as we had to really hurry in certain points. However, overall services were good and on time.

Biswajit Deb Pune

Ishan's 3 days trip to Mumbai

The trip and all the arrangements are good nothing issue on that part but the hotel you choose is not satisfactory. 1) No kitchen available 2) They insisted only for paid water bottles initially 3) Limited breakfast options available & quantity (means they are purchasing from outside & then provided to guests) Rest all is good. It was a memorable trip for all the guest. Tour manager SHREYA ji assist very well.

ISHAN RAWAT Bhopal

Athira's 3 days trip to Mumbai

Trip to Udaipur was really great. No issues happened anytime throughout the trip. Driver was very punctual and helped us cover all spots safely. City palace was such an astonishing experience.

Athira Anil Bengaluru

Sivaranjani's 2 days trip to Mumbai

Overall we liked the trip...Hotels and services were good... we found it dangerous that the driver dint sleep good staying outside in car for 3days straight though he managed to drive safely... We were not comfortable with the driver using the supari/pan while driving and spitting throughout opening the door...

Sivaranjani Sendilkumar Chennai

Vikas's 3 days trip to Mumbai

awesome experience with travel triangle on time pick and awesome hospitality

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Azizahmed's 3 days trip to Mumbai

Very hot weather.....and couldn't complete Karla caves as three climbings of stairs in one day not possible

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Aravind's 4 days trip to Mumbai

It was a great experience to spend the vacation time with my family. Thanks much for the organizers to have a great itinerary and professional driver who took care of our needs. However, it would have been great if the organizers could have made some pro-active suggestions in few plans. For example: I had to tell them to include the ferry experience to Alibag from Mumbai as the initial plan they had made did not involve the ferry - but the on-road trip to Alibag. These small things matter.

Aravind Gopalakrishna Bangalore

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FAQ's of Mumbai

Read on to find out why our customers love us!

It takes around 1 hour to reach the island from Gateway of India via the ferry and it is available every half hour.

The closest local station is Churchgate station from where one can hire a taxi or walk down to Gateway of India. One needs to further take a ferry to the Elephanta island.

It takes a duration of 1 hour to see Elephanta Caves in Mumbai. However, you can spend more time at your own will.

Elephanta Caves remains closed on Mondays. On other days, Elephanta Caves remains open from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm.

A Hindu Kalachuri King built the Elephanta Caves in Mumbai.

There are a total of 7 caves present in the Elephanta Caves. Five of them are located on the western hill while caves 6 and 7 are on the eastern hill.

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