An Outing at Elephanta Caves

The popular Elephanta Caves just off the coast of Mumbai has a lot more to offer than we knew. People of Mumbai love to include Elephanta Caves in their visiting attractions. It is situated between South Mumbai in the West and Uran in the East. It is a floating drop of wilderness that transports its visitors away from the busy city.

My friend has his 73-year-old grandfather visiting him for a couple of weeks. One day he took him to Elephanta on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Even I joined them.

Reaching Elephanta was a very roller-coaster experience. After we arrived at Gateway, we bought tickets for ferry, stood in a queue and jumped on the boat bumping against stairs. Our excitement kept on building. As the ferry flowed ahead, it negotiated its path from other vessels, yachts, ferries and boats. People lined up on the lower deck popping a ten-rupee note that allowed taking wooden ladder and moving to upper deck. It offered a far better view and an enjoyable experience.

Few hundred meters into the sea, we saw some of the finest of Indian war ships docked in the nearby naval area. The operator, at this point prohibited tourist from taking photographs. Sea gulls flied chasing our puffed rice that we threw to them. Although their sounds were annoying but the way they flew following our overhead, made it a fascinating experience.

It was one thing to reach the island and quite another to reach the caves. First, we landed on to the concrete platform, which was an extension of a kilometer long path. Then we climb up the stairs.

For those who were not in their best health were advised to take the toy train or palanquin. While my friend and I walked cheerfully, his grandfather had to take a palanquin. Near the stairs, one could hire the service of locals who could carry people in palanquins.

After being unsuccessful in cutting a deal with locals who could carry him in palanquin, he put up a brave attempt and tried to hike all the way up, but soon realised that he could not do it. We continued striding up, while he wished to stay at one of the many shops that line up the pathway. The pathway was lined up by shops selling fancy items.

I had been to caves earlier, so I decided to check out the other parts of the island, which had huge population of monkeys. Walking around, we discovered a lake that we had not seen before.

While we landed from the ferry at Elephants, we would hear boat operators announcing that the last boat leaved the island at six in the evening. We decided that it was better to leave an hour earlier than the deadline. We wanted to avoid the last-minute rush and by the time we reached near the shore, the sun was just about to set. It was a very pleasant experience for us.