|
India - Be in the Rendezvous land of color,
culture and fauna |
|
|
|||||||||
|
 Elephanta Caves These come under UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE. These beautiful caves are the only ones in India which describe the Lord Shiva (God of Destruction) in so many forms. 10 kms from Gateway of India these caves can be reached easily with a 20minutes boat ride. Look out for these beautiufal caves! |
 |
 Gateway Of India It used to mark the entrance to the Trade Centre of India once upon a time. Presented to the Queen, this place mentions the presenting of this Island called Mumbai to the Queen. Its a hot spot for the visitors. From here you can see the ships resting in their harbour or getting ready to make way for the new route. |
The Caves As compared to Ellora Caves who were also one of the Buddhists Monastries, these are the simple ones which dosent have those ornamental carvings. The caves date from 1st century BC to 9th century AD. Each cave has a stone plinth used as a bed. Then there is a congeration hall which has a Buddha Stupa in the centre of it - the Bhuddhist Shrine. Up towards the hill is the Ancient water system with canals and cisterns which channalised the rain water into a tank.Inside the caves are intricate carvings of Buddha and Buddha reliefs on the caves. There are many statues of Buddha on the outer walls and magnificient statues of Goddess Tara and Goddess Bhrukti on the top. The art work on the walls actually give you an insight into the lives and practices of Buddhist monks.Most of them are the viharas or the study centres where students used to carry out their studies. In these caves one hundred inscriptions have been found. These inscriptions are in Devnagiri, Brahmi and Palllava scripts. Out of the many sculptures Avalokiteshwara is the most beautiful one. In and Around »The Taj Hotel : Just opposite the Gateway of India, there is this splendid 5star hotel. A round around the Mumabai can happen with a comfortable stay in this Hotel.
 |
