We went here last Sunday afternoon – friend Benjamin was kind enough to collect me from the hotel and give me the full monte experience: motorised rickshaw to the station, local train to the city [an experience you can only experience ☺ ] and then 1 hour boat ride to the island in Mumbai harbour.
There’s oil here, and we passed several large oil industry related vessels and structures on the way over.
Originally known as ‘Gharapuri’ – ‘the city of Ghara priests’ it was renamed by the Portuguese in the 16thC in honour of the carved elephant they found at the port. The 8thC cave is at the top of a steep 200 ft climb, and is hewn from the rock of the island itself. The columns inside give the deceptive impression of structural. The massive three-faced Shiva sculpture is apparently as fine an example of Hindu architecture as you’ll find anywhere.
There are some photos on my FB site, and also Flickr, though I’ve already exceeded the monthly upload limit there ☺
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