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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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Ghost Crabs at Cherai

Walking on the sands of Cherai Beach in the rain, our attention was captured by what appeared, at first sight, to be a ripple on the sand. A closer look revealed a tiny crab scuttling into its hole. Can you spot the crab in this photograph?




Here, take a closer look…




These crabs are called ‘Ghost Crabs’, because of the apparent ‘invisibility’ their camouflage offers. We saw lots of them over the next couple of days, both small and big…



But were especially fascinated by these huge ones…



They stayed at the edge of the water, waiting for the waves to flow over them, yet retaining their hold on the sand and staying in their place long after the waves had retreated.

Can you see the crab in the water? 


Their behavior was intriguing, and it was only after we returned that we learnt that these crabs are only partially amphibious, and breathe through gills moistened with sea water, though they cannot stay underwater for long. Therefore, they stay near the shore and regularly venture into the sea to wet their gills, taking care to stay well inland to retain their hold on land!


These crabs significantly brightened up the monsoon evening on the beach at Cherai! It only reiterates the fact that nature always has interesting to things to show us. All we need are the eyes to see them!

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Location: Cherai Beach, Vypin, Kerala

Comments

  1. BikramJune 26, 2014 at 1:31 PM

    Those are some beautiful pictures... what a beautiful creature ..


    Bikram

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJuly 16, 2014 at 8:27 AM

      Thank you, Bikram! It is indeed beautiful, isnt it?

      Delete
  2. Empty Rucksack June 29, 2014 at 9:42 PM

    Nice pictures, thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  3. Empty Rucksack June 29, 2014 at 9:47 PM

    Nice pictures, thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownJune 30, 2014 at 4:51 PM

    Awesome post of ghost crab thanks for sharing with us.
    Wild Wacky

    ReplyDelete
  5. Marcia @ CuracaoVacationJuly 2, 2014 at 12:00 PM

    Great photos! I like how the crab has this great camouflage. You just can't even see it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJuly 16, 2014 at 8:29 AM

      Thank you, Marcia! The camouflage is really amazing!

      Delete
  6. Rajasthan Tour PackagesJuly 11, 2014 at 2:01 AM

    Hey thanks for sharing this information.

    ReplyDelete

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