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The Elephanta Caves

The Elephanta Caves , located on Elephanta Island, or Gharapuri, about 11 Km off the coast of the Gateway of India, Mumbai, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A visit to these caves, excavated probably in the 6 th century CE, is awe-inspiring, and also thought-provoking. Over the years, I have visited the caves a number of times, and also attended a number of talks by experts in the fields of art, history and archaeology on the caves. Together, they help me understand these caves, their art, and the people they were created for, just a little bit better. Every new visit, every new talk, every new article I read about the caves, fleshes out the image of what the island and the caves would have been like, at their peak. I last wrote about the caves on this blog, in 2011, almost exactly 11 years ago. Since then, my understanding of the caves has, I would like to think, marginally improved. Hence this attempt to write a new and updated post, trying to bring to life, the caves of Elephan
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Mother's Love

The love of a mother for her child transcends all boundaries..... that of time, caste, creed or even species! While on one hand, we were busy admiring the beautiful sculptures at this World Heritage Site, where this special bond had been immortalized in stone almost 1500 years ago.............



The cow licks her calf even as she is being milked.....

and here, a cow suckles a baby elephant!

.........we also saw this bond in action right over the same sculptures....... a scene we couldn't resist capturing for eternity through the medium of this century - the camera!

a goat nurses her kid, oblivious of her audience...
Can you guess the location of the World Heritage Site I just returned from?
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Location: Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, India

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