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Elephanta Island (also called Gharapuri Island or place of caves) is one of a number of islands in Mumbai Harbour, east of Mumbai, India. This island is a tourist hotspot because of the island's cave temples, the Elephanta Caves, that have been carved out of rock.
The island is easily accessible by ferry from Mumbai, being about 10 km from the south east coast of the island city. Boats leave daily from the Gateway of India, taking about an hour each way for the journey. From the boat landing stage on the island, a walkway leads to steps that go up to the famous caves. Along the path, hawkers sell souvenirs that may bought at a reasonable price. There are also stalls to buy food and drinks.
Known in ancient times as Gharapuri, the present name Elephanta, was given by 17th century Portuguese explorers, after seeing a sculpture of an elephant head found here near the entrance. This sculptire has since been moved to the Victoria and Albert Museum.
The island has an area of 16 km² (6 sq miles). It is located at approximately . The area comes under the Raigad district in Maharashtra state.
A narrow gauge train takes tourists along the 1 km pier to the base of the steps which lead to the caves.
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"Elephanta Island"