Three descriptive essays and numerous fascinating photographs, taken especially for this volume, allow the reader to experience a major monument of Indian art: the sixth century temple cave on Elephanta Island, in Bombay harbor, and its extraordinary stone sculptures. The authors and the photographer capture the atmosphere of the cave and the spirit of the sculptures, which portray the relentless energy and paradoxical power of Shiva, greatest of all Hindu gods. The photographs are particularly successful in revealing the dramatic alternation of light and dark that is so much a part of the beauty of the cave`s interior. Ms. Berkson`s trained and loving eye picks out the subtleties of the main sculptures and humorous details that the visitor might miss even on the site. In the text Wendy O`Flaherty interprets the myths of Shiva depicted in the sculpture; Ms. berkson`s essay supplies historical background and a stylistic analysis; and George Michell examines the overall structure of the cave to show that it is a mandala-like image of the heavenly mountain residence of Shiva and even of the structure of the universe itself. The author as well as the publishers of the work deserve to be congratulated for providing this easily accessible guide to Elephanta. Research Bulletin Vishveshvaranand Vedic Research Institute,Vol.I, Dec.2002

Reprint of the original. The publishing house Anatiposi publishes historical books as reprints. Due to their age, these books may have missing pages or inferior quality. Our aim is to preserve these books and make them available to the public so that they do not get lost.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1871. The publishing house Anatiposi publishes historical books as reprints. Due to their age, these books may have missing pages or inferior quality. Our aim is to preserve these books and make them available to the public so that they do not get lost.

An ancient culture and a new economic power in the world India in the twenty-first century stands on the verge of being one of the world’s newest superpowers with a population of 1.1 billion. In the sixty years since its independence, it has transformed into a modern nation with limitless resources—yet it is also a nation of extremes. It is a people with 15 official languages, over 166 million mobile phone users, and an economy that spans from traditional village farming to the cutting edge of new technology. From the snowy mountains of the Himalayas to the tropical waters of Kerala, India is the 6th most popular tourist destination in the world. This guide is the perfect introduction for the reader who wants to know more than the guide books and gain a deeper understanding of India’s history and culture as well as the key sites to visit.

The beautiful rock-cut Siva temple on Elephanta Island in Bombay Harbor is one of the finest monuments of Indian religion and art. Until now, interpretation of its magnificent sculptured scenes has been neglected. In this book, Collins systematically surveys the pertinent Vedic, Epic, and early Puranic literature as well as the contributions of India's foremost poet and dramatist, Kalidasa, to reveal sources for and interpretations of the subjects of the relief sculptures. This survey shows strong associations with areas formerly controlled by the classical Gupta dynasty in northern India. This book provides the first detailing of this link, intimated by others before, which helps to explain the grandeur of style found in the colossal reliefs. By applying certain aspects of ritual texts of the Lakulisa-Pasupata, the sect that probably used Elephanta originally, exceptional clarity is revealed for the worship of the sculptures in a counterclockwise sequence, quite unusual in India, but appropriate to this particular sect. Lakulisa-Pasupata texts are invoked in Collins' theory of how the cave-temple at Elephanta was used. This area of investigation has been virtually untouched by other scholars for any early Hindu shrine in India.