Mumbai Harbour · India
On an island in Mumbai Harbour, rock-cut halls shelter a three-faced Shiva 5.45 metres tall.
Climb the last steps and the cave opens straight out of solid basalt.
Is the island worth half a day of your Mumbai trip?
Yes, if you want to stand in front of rock-cut Hindu sculpture that UNESCO has listed, and you don't mind a ferry, a long climb and a hot walk. The island sits in Mumbai Harbour, east of the Gateway of India, and its Great Cave holds a three-faced Shiva cut from the living rock. It is not a beach day and it is not a short detour: with a ferry each way, plan on most of a morning or an afternoon.
A half-day guided tour from Mumbai to Elephanta Island. A ferry crosses the harbour, about 120 steps lead up to the caves, a live English-speaking guide takes you through the rock-cut halls, and the ferry brings you back. Pick-up is offered on some options. The caves themselves are temple halls cut from solid basalt, which the Archaeological Survey of India dates to roughly the 6th and 7th centuries.
It is not a quick stop. The caves are closed on Mondays, so check the weekday before you pick a date. In the monsoon, from June to September, ferries may be delayed or cancelled by rain, wind and high tides. The climb is steep, and the tour is not suitable for people with back problems or mobility impairments. It is a tour, not a bare entry ticket: what the monument entry includes depends on your option.
Each date on the calendar lists its options, and where you meet is set by the option you choose. Payment can wait until later, and a change of plan up to a day before the start costs nothing. A ferry cancelled by the monsoon is refunded in full. Read your confirmation for the meeting point the evening before, and pack a hat, sunglasses and sturdy shoes.
What the island comes down to
Inside the Great Cave and beyond
The Great Cave is the main one. Here is what its best-known carvings and its neighbours are, from published sources, in an order your guide may change.
Your guide chooses the route, and some panels are worn or restored. Nothing on this page promises a particular sight on your visit.
The best-known carving is a colossal bust of Shiva with three faces, called the Trimurti, Sadashiva or Maheshamurti, cut into a recess in the south wall. The Archaeological Survey of India calls it a colossal bust of the three forms of Shiva. Wikipedia gives its height as 5.45 metres.
On the east side of the cave stands a four-armed carving about 5.11 metres high that joins Shiva and Parvati in a single body, half male and half female. The Archaeological Survey of India lists it among the cave's main panels.
A large panel about 4 metres wide and just over 5 metres high shows Shiva bringing the river Ganges down to earth. Like most of the carvings it is worn, and a guide can point out both what remains and what is missing.
On the south-west wall, near the shrine at the western end, a panel shows the wedding of Shiva and Parvati. The Archaeological Survey of India lists it beside panels of Ravana shaking Mount Kailasa, Shiva as Nataraja and the slaying of the demon Andhaka.
At the western end of the hall stands a free-standing square shrine with an entrance on each side. Eight guardian figures, each about 4.6 metres tall, flank the doors, and the linga sits on a platform reached by six steps.
Four more Hindu caves lie south-east of the Great Cave on the western hill. Two Buddhist caves with water tanks stand on the eastern hill, alongside stupa mounds that Wikipedia dates to about the 2nd century BCE.
From the jetty to the last step down
Five stages between choosing a date and the ferry home. The details for your date are in your confirmation.
Book
Choose a day and the options appear with their start points. The meeting point depends on the option, and some options offer pick-up. The caves are closed on Mondays.
Cross
Boats for the island leave from the jetties beside the Gateway of India, which Wikipedia says was completed in 1924. The crossing takes about an hour each way on this tour.
Climb
A tourist toy train runs from the pier towards the ticket counter at the foot of the steps, according to Wikipedia. From the ticket counter, about 120 steep steps lead up to the Great Cave.
Walk
Your guide takes you through the rock-cut halls and explains the carvings, with the three-headed Shiva at the centre of the visit. The walk lasts about an hour and a half.
Return
The tour ends with the ferry to Mumbai. Several drop-off points exist, so your confirmation names the one for your option.
What the ticket is, and isn't
Seven short entries on what the booking holds and what it leaves out.
Two cave sites, one city
| Question | Elephanta | Kanheri |
|---|---|---|
| Setting | An island in Mumbai Harbour, reached by ferry. | A hillside in Sanjay Gandhi National Park, reached by road. |
| Tradition | Hindu rock-cut temples, plus two Buddhist caves on the eastern hill. | A Buddhist monastic complex of about 109 caves. |
| Date | Roughly the 6th and 7th centuries, per the Archaeological Survey of India. | About the 1st to the 10th century CE, per Wikipedia. |
| Headline sight | The three-faced Shiva in the Great Cave. | The great chaitya hall with its stupa. |
| Closed day | Mondays. | Check the park's current days before you go. |
| Best for | Carved stories and a harbour crossing. | Monks' cells in a forest setting. |
The island and its stone
A pillared hall, a view from inside it, three carved panels and the courtyard before the Great Cave.
Around the caves
The Elephanta tour comes first. After it come the Buddhist caves of Kanheri, an evening walk through an old bazaar and a heritage walk in south Mumbai, each with its own booking page.
A ferry across Mumbai Harbour, about 120 steps up to the caves and a guided walk through the rock-cut halls.
A guided tour of the Buddhist cave complex in Sanjay Gandhi National Park, with a visit to the pagoda near Gorai.
An evening walk through a busy bazaar district in south Mumbai, with food stops along the way.
A guided walk through the heritage streets and landmarks of the south of the city.
More bookings in Mumbai
Before you go
Boats for Elephanta leave from the jetties beside the Gateway of India in south Mumbai. Wikipedia names the second and third jetties as the ones tourists use. On a tour, your confirmation names the meeting point, which varies by option.
The crossing is about an hour each way on this tour. From June to September, rain, wind and high tides may delay or cancel ferries, so keep the evening after the trip free and expect the sea to decide.
About 120 steep steps lead from the ticket counter to the Great Cave. People with back problems or mobility impairments are advised against this tour, and the steps cannot be skipped.
Comfortable shoes, sunglasses and a hat are the three things the tour asks for. Bulky luggage stays behind, since large bags are not permitted.
The Archaeological Survey of India lists the caves as closed on Mondays. Pick another day, and check it on the calendar before you pay.
The Great Cave is a protected monument and a working space for visitors, so follow any signs and your guide's advice before you photograph a carving.
More to read
FAQ
Yes, if you like rock-cut sculpture and can manage a ferry and about 120 steps. The three-faced Shiva in the Great Cave is the main draw. Allow most of a morning or afternoon.
Yes. The Archaeological Survey of India lists the caves as closed on Mondays. Check the weekday before you choose a date.
It can delay or cancel them. From June to September, heavy rain, strong winds and high tides may disrupt the crossing. Full refunds are offered if a tour is cancelled.
A half-day. The ferry takes about an hour each way and the visit to the caves about an hour and a half. Meeting points and drop-offs depend on the option.
It is steep. About 120 steps lead from the ticket counter to the Great Cave, and the tour is not suitable for people with back problems or mobility impairments.
No, but a guide helps. The carvings are Shiva scenes and a guide names them. You can also go alone by ferry from the Gateway of India.
The entrance fee appears on the inclusions list, though options differ, so read what yours covers before you pay.
Comfortable shoes, sunglasses and a hat. Large bags and luggage cannot come on the tour.
Elephanta for carved Hindu sculpture and a ferry ride, Kanheri for a Buddhist cave monastery in a national park. They suit different tastes, and each works as its own half-day.
No. Nothing here comes from the caves, the Archaeological Survey of India or a tour operator, and this guide has no affiliation with any of them. You book through GetYourGuide.
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