Gharapuri Island, Mumbai Harbour, Maharashtra · 18.9633°, 72.9315°
An hour by boat from the Gateway of India, the cave of the 6 m three-faced Sadashiva — creator, preserver, destroyer in one serene colossus — ranks among the supreme sculptures of world art. Portuguese soldiers used the panels for target practice; what survives still stuns, UNESCO-listed since 1987.
The island's Marathi name Gharapuri ('city of caves') was displaced by the Portuguese 'Elephanta' after a stone elephant they found — which they tried to ship away; it collapsed, was reassembled, and now stands in Mumbai's Jijamata Udyaan.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-26 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Kalachuri (attributed)