Elephanta caves: These caves are situated on a small island near Gharapuri village in Arabian Sea, 12 km away from Mumbai in Maharashtra. It consists of 7 caves. The Portuguese named the island Elephanta Island in honour of a huge rock-cut stone statue of an elephant that one existed there. This is how the caves came to be known as Elephanta caves.
The caves contain many beautifully carved things. Among them the magnificent Trimurti temple in cave No. 1 is the best specimen of sculpture. In 1987 AD. UNESCO declared Elephanta Caves as a world heritage site. ‘Gharapuri’ means city of caves. So, locals also call Elephanta caves as Gharapuri.
