Sacred Art & Iconography

Elephanta Caves Rock-Cut Reliefs

Hindu Art

A rock-cut Hindu cave temple carved into basalt on Gharapuri Island in Mumbai harbour, dated by most scholars to circa the 5th to 8th centuries CE, its main cave devoted to Shiva. Fifteen large relief panels surround the central lingam chapel. Among them, the Ardhanarishvara panel shows the combined masculine and feminine form of Shiva and Parvati, four-armed and standing beside Nandi; the Nataraja panel, though badly damaged, shows Shiva as the cosmic dancer; and the Gangadhara panel shows Shiva receiving the descent of the river goddess Ganga, carved as a distinct three-headed female figure emerging from his matted hair, with Parvati standing beside him. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts

Physical Form

Mediumthe subject's own account

Rock-cut basalt relief 1

Origins

Creationthe subject's own account

500 to 800 CE 1

Countrythe subject's own account

India 1

Regionthe subject's own account

Maharashtra 1

Subject Matter

Depicted Subjectthe subject's own account

Shiva in multiple forms across fifteen relief panels, including Ardhanarishvara (Shiva-Parvati combined), Nataraja and Gangadhara (Shiva receiving Ganga); Parvati and Ganga also appear as named figures within these panels. 1

Classification

Object Typethe subject's own account

Sculpture or Statuary 1

Medium (class)the subject's own account

Sculpture 1

Custody

Current Locationthe subject's own account

Gharapuri Island (Elephanta Island), Mumbai harbour, Maharashtra, India 1

Status

UNESCO World Heritagethe subject's own account

Inscribed on the World Heritage List 1

Attributions

Traditionthe subject's own account

Hinduism 1

In Other Languages (50 names)

Connections

Associated With

Parvati

This source names Parvati directly: "and feminine form of Shiva and Parvati, four-armed and standing beside Nandi; the Nataraja panel, though badly damaged, shows Shiva as the cosmic dancer; and the Gangadhara panel shows Shiva..."