History has been one of the fascinations for me. There are many who feel that the pages of history are nothing but the old memoirs which are hardly relevant in current times and possess any vision for the future. And there are some others who strive to create a better future by drawing inspirations from the same old, crumpled, worn out pages, such an inspiration is at south-east of Mumbai Harbour.
Elephanta Caves- situated on an island some 10 kms from the harbour of Mumbai, is a place of historical and archaeological significance. The way to it goes through the Gateway of India. A ferry boat takes you to these islands. In a journey of approximately 1.30 hrs; one will come across many cargos and the famous ‘Bombay High’, if one is lucky enough, you will catch a variety of seabirds floating and flying by the water. However, the luckier ones will have a NatGeo/Discovery channel scene of ‘the bird catching a fish!!’
The breezy voyage takes you to a small harbour near Elephanta. The first sight of it is a vintage and quaint stony bridge, which goes to the heart of the island. Those who are less adventurous have an option of the toy train. The village Gharapuri of around 1200 population prides itself with one of the most iconic symbols of our history. A classical stony staircase will take you to the top of the hills, en route plenty of stalls keep you engaged and help to regain breath.
The main attraction or rather the only remaining attraction is ‘the Great Cave’. The Cave has nine forms of Lord Shiva in various avatars. Most of them are damaged far beyond recognition.
The places like this remind us about our shabbily written history. On the entire island not a single word is written to offer any kind of historical insight into these structures. It is believed to be built somewhere between late 5th to the late 8th century AD. The island of Gharapuri has been strategically and politically important having served as the capital of the Konkan Mauryas. It was also a frequent stopover for ships traveling from abroad en route to the Kalyan Harbour.
The present condition of the sculptures, idols and the entire edifice is nothing but appalling. For major part of recent history it has been neglected which led to a continuous dilapidation of the whole structure. It was as late as 1970s when some sort of restoration work was carried out. But even in its current glory it inspires us. We can only envisage albeit with our frivolous imagination about the glory days of this place. Apart from the Great Cave, what has left of other caves is just a big cavity.
Through the passage of time, most of the magnificent art work has been ruined and some or many others must have been stolen. The broken idols only remind us of our neglect towards this ancient treasure. And whatever broken pieces are now left asking us the question- “what did we do to protect it and what are we going to leave for our future generations?”
Don’t go there to experience some vision defying art work. It’s long gone!! Just go there once; those old pages of history will haunt you for at least one second.
-N. D. K. NIKHIL
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