SSC
The Elephanta Caves are located in which state?
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option A — Maharashtra
Detailed Solution
The Elephanta Caves are located on Elephanta Island (Gharapuri), in the Mumbai harbour, about 10 km east of the Gateway of India, in Maharashtra.
About the Elephanta Caves:
They are a group of rock-cut caves, mostly dating from the 5th to 6th centuries CE. Historians differ on which dynasty built them; the Kalachuris, the Konkan Mauryas and the Chalukyas have all been suggested.
There are seven caves in two groups: five Hindu caves dedicated mainly to Lord Shiva and two smaller Buddhist caves.
The main cave (Cave 1, the "Great Cave") contains magnificent sculptures of Shiva in different forms.
The most famous sculpture is the "Trimurti" or "Sadashiva", a huge three-headed bust of Shiva about 6 metres high. The three faces show Shiva as the creator, preserver and destroyer (Aghora/Bhairava, Tatpurusha/Mahadeva and Vamadeva/Uma).
Other sculptures show Shiva as Ardhanarishvara (half man, half woman), Nataraja (Lord of Dance), Gangadhara (bringing the Ganga down to earth), and the marriage of Shiva and Parvati (Kalyanasundara).
About the name:
The local name of the island is "Gharapuri" ("city of caves").
The Portuguese named it "Elephanta" after a large stone elephant they found near the landing place. The elephant was later moved to the Jijamata Udyan (Victoria Gardens) in Mumbai, where it stands outside the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum.
The Portuguese, who controlled the island from the 16th century, damaged many of the sculptures.
The Elephanta Caves were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
The Elephanta Festival of dance and music is held on the island every year.
Other famous caves of Maharashtra:
- Ajanta and Ellora (Aurangabad district).
- Karla and Bhaja (near Lonavala, Pune district).
- Kanheri (Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Mumbai).
Other UNESCO sites in Mumbai:
- Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (2004).
- Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai (2018).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Karnataka has the Badami caves.
- ✗Gujarat has the Uparkot caves at Junagadh.
- ✗Goa has no famous ancient cave complex like Elephanta.
Quick tip
Remember: Elephanta Caves = Gharapuri island, Mumbai harbour, Maharashtra (Shiva; Trimurti/Sadashiva; named by the Portuguese after a stone elephant; UNESCO 1987).
💬 Discussions on this question
Ask a doubt ›Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.
Ask a doubtMore Monuments & Religious Places Questions
View all ›- Q1.The Somnath Jyotirlinga temple is located in which state?
- Q2.The Kamakhya Temple is located in:
- Q3.The brick temple of Bhitargaon, one of the oldest surviving brick temples of India, is situated in:
- Q4.The Mahabodhi Temple is situated at:
- Q5.The famous Brihadeeswara Temple, built by Rajaraja Chola I, is situated in:
More General Knowledge Questions
- Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
- Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
- Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
- Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
- Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms
Monuments & Religious Places — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Monuments & Religious Places, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's important monuments, temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras and pilgrimage sites, who built them and when, their architectural styles, and India's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Questions ask who built a monument, where it is located, or which dynasty or style it belongs to. For example, the Qutub Minar was begun by Qutbuddin Aibak, and the Sun Temple at Konark was built by the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I. Revise the UNESCO World Heritage Sites as a list, noting the most recent additions. Practise the monuments and religious places questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.