The Sunday Tribune - Spectrum

The caves were originally built during the reign of the Rashtraputa kings. They contain huge images of Brahma, Parvati, Natraja and Shiva. The best and most famous of these is Maheshmurti — a three headed bust of Shiva which is about six metres high.

The great elephant structure in black stone which gave the island its name was removed in 1864, by British to take it to England. However, it was later returned to India and now stands at the Victoria Gardens, a park with a small zoo in the centre of Mumbai. On top of the caves are two huge cannons installed by the British in order to protect Bombay harbour.

In the main cave there are nine carvings which depict the life of Lord Shiva in different manifestations — the dancer (Natraja), Shiva killing demon Andhaka, marriage ceremony of Shiva and Parvati, Shiva’s descent to the Ganges, Shiva as Ardhnarinateshwar, Shiva as Maheshmurti, Shiva lifting Mount Kailash, Goddess Parvati on Mount Kailash and Shiva as ascetic.

Back in the mid-eighties, a team of leading international archaeologists, conservators and historians visited the site and forwarded a proposal to UNESCO to grant heritage status to the caves. The proposal was accepted and Elephanta Caves were declared a World Heritage Site in 1987.

Ironically, till the time the caves were granted heritage status, hardly any efforts had been initiated to preserve them from dilapidation and save them from vandals.

Approximately 20 lakh people visit the caves annually from all over the world to marvel at the fifteen-hundred-years-old master craftsmanship. However, alongwith them many visitors also bring plastic bags full of food, garbage and vandalism.

Over the years it had become common sight to see picnickers littering the surroundings with leftover food packets and plastic bags. Many tourists would even perch atop the magnificent Maheshmurti statue for photo session thus weakening its precious foundation.

After declaring the caves a World Heritage Site, UNESCO granted $ 1,00,000 to document the history and draw up a site plan. A part of the grant was to go towards conservation of the caves.

The entire work of documentation was handed over to INTACH, as it had been carrying out extensive studies of the caves. It was also asked to design a visitor management plan and suggest restoration process of the caves.

"Earlier nothing was being done to save the site from devastation. Once we were retained by UNESCO we began pooling in our expertise to do something urgently," says Ashis Banerjee, member secretary, INTACH.

In a bid to educate tourists, INTACH has started organising workshops and meetings involving local people. The idea behind this is to correct the problem from its root as the local population earns a livelihood mainly by servicing tourists.

Simultaneously, an effort is underway to bring the Elephanta Caves into global focus. For this, INTACH has collaborated with the ASI and UNESCO and is holding extensive seminars and organising workshops across the country.

It has also roped in agencies involved with Elephanta Caves development, such as the departments of culture, environment, tourism, water resources and the local municipal corporation.

In a joint effort, a comprehensive site plan has been drawn up which gives brief history of each sculpture constructed inside the caves and a book too has been published jointly by UNESCO, INTACH and the Government of India which is now being considered the only authentic source of information on the caves.

The most important part of the effort is to clean up the surroundings of the heritage site. For example, there is an ancient site built adjacent to the gate which houses some of the best frescoes and showcases the art of carving out statues by cutting rock.

Shockingly this site, till a year ago, was used as a lavatory by tourists and picnickers. Though the ASI made some efforts to clean it up but to no avail. When INTACH got involved in the project, the first thing it did was to seal the site.

Initially there were widespread protests against the sealing of the site and locals even tried to force their way in but they were driven out with the help of the police. Later the municipal corporation constructed as alternative lavatory saving the site from further ignominy.

The next phase was to clean up the littered surroundings and also discourage visitors from carrying eatables and plastic bags inside the caves. This step too was roundly criticised but gradually people were educated on the historic and religious importance of the caves and the incidences of littering have considerabley reduced.

To protect the caves from vandalism security personnel were deployed a year ago. " This has helped authorities to implement regulations stringently," says an INTACH volunteer of the organisation’s Mumbai chapter.

But despite all the efforts a lot more remains to be done. For example, the mangroves on the Island’s shore are severely affected by pollution from the Mumbai harbour. One mangrove species has already been lost and there is urgent need to rehabilitate the rest.

Elephanta Caves have for years been threatened by the rapid industrial development in their vicinity. A toxic chemical storage terminal has been planned just 400 metres away. Bilge from oil tankers, waste from ship-breaking activities and plastic dumped in the sea, have seriously threatened marine and bird life of the area.

Another threat is the proposed move to put one leg of the eight-lane Sewri-Nhava Highway Link through the Elephanta Caves. Says a volunteer " INTACH has asked experts to access the impact of such a development and we will very soon come out with a clear picture on the magnitude of the damage which will be done by the proposed construction." (NF)