Indian Heritage & Culture
India’s First and Longest Sea Ropeway
- 12 Aug 2019
- 2 min read
India’s first and longest sea ropeway project that will connect Mumbai with the Elephanta Caves, is scheduled to start by the end of the year 2019.
- The 8-km ropeway will begin from Sewri in Mumbai’s east coast and end at Raigad district’s Elephanta Island.
- Need: The caves see an annual footfall of nearly seven lakh visitors and are one of the must-visit places around Mumbai. Presently, it takes around an hour for the 10-km cruise from Mumbai and vice versa.
- The 14-minute ride by 30-seater cable cars will give a major boost to tourism.
- It is Rs. 700 crore PPP (Public-Private Partnership) project which will be executed by the Mumbai Port Trust, under the Ministry of Shipping.
Elephanta Caves
- The Elephanta caves, located on the Elephanta Islands (in the Arabian Sea), off Mumbai, was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1987.
- Known locally as Gharapuri Caves, these were constructed about the mid-5th to 6th centuries AD.
- The seven caves constitute one of the most striking collections of rock-art in India.
- There are two groups of caves. To the east, Stupa Hill (named because of a small brick Buddhist monument at the top) contains two caves, one of which is unfinished, and several cisterns.
- To the west, the larger group consists of five rock-cut Hindu shrines.
- The main cave is universally famous for its carvings to the glory of Shiva, who is exalted in various forms and actions. The cave consists of a square plan mandapa whose sides measure about 27 m.
