The Elephanta Caves are a collection of cave temples primarily dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. They are on

Elephanta Island, or Gharpuri (literally "City of Caves"), in Mumbai Harbour, 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) east of Mumbai in

five Hindu caves, some Buddhist stupa mounds dating back to the 2nd century BCE, and two Buddhist caves with water

tanks.The Elephanta Caves have rock-cut stone sculptures, mostly in high relief, that show the syncretism of Hindu and

Buddhist ideas and iconography. The caves are carved out of solid basalt rock. With a few exceptions, most of the artwork

is disfigured and damaged. The orientation of the main temple as well as the location relative to other temples is laid

out in a mandala pattern. The carvings narrate Hindu mythology, with the large monolithic 20 ft (6.1 m) Trimurti

Sadashiva (three-faced Shiva), Nataraja (Lord of Dance) and Yogeshwar (Lord of Yoga) being the most celebrated.

These date to between the 5th and 9th centuries, and scholars attribute them to various Hindu dynasties. They are

usually placed between the 5th and 7th centuries. Many scholars place him around 550 CE. deemed to have completed