Elephanta Caves - Tucked in the Arabian Sea - One hour Ferry from Gateway of India, Mumbai

The Elephanta Caves contain rock cut stone sculptures that show syncretism of Hindu and Buddhist ideas and iconography. The caves are hewn from solid basalt rock. ... They were named Elefante – which morphed to Elephanta – by the colonial Portuguese when they found elephant statues on it.

To get to the Elephanta Caves, you will need to go to the Gateway of India in the city of Mumbai. From here you can purchase the tickets for the launch (boat or ferry) from the Maharastra tourism development corp (MTDC) at the entrance of Gateway. The journey by sea takes 1 hour to reach the island. 

The cave temples of Elephanta are dedicated to Lord Shiva. Rich in sculptural content, the earliest temples trace their origin in the 5th century B.C. Elephanta Caves represent Lord Shiva in his 'lingam' as well as in his typical life form originating from the Shivalingam in the colossal image and in 8 evident forms.

Timings of Elephanta Caves are from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM. It is open on all days of the week except on Mondays.

We visited them on 5 Jan 2019 and had an amazing experience.  Be ready to walk/climb a bit and also take the right ferry back from the yard at 6 pm to reach the city on time.

#Temple Visits - A Beautiful day at Siddhi Vinayak Temple, Mumbai

Every year, it is a tradition to ring the bells of Lord Ganesha near my home in Chennai and stepping into the year with blessings, divine and positive vibes and loads of wishes from well-wishers, friends and family.   This year being in Mumbai, the best thing we could do is to make a beginning with a visit to Siddhi Vinayak Temple, in Prabavathi, Mumbai.   On 2 Jan, we had this great privilege and happiness of visiting Lord Ganesha and seeking his blessings.    We took the archana seva VIP darshan ticket (costing Rs1000/-) for a family of 4, as it was heavily crowded and also to get the archana done and a closer glimpse of the Lord.   We had an amazing darshan and a very satisfying trip to the temple followed by a visit to meet my CSC-friend Ganesh for an amazing reunion and feast at his residence which is few meters away from the temple

Few Facts of the most popular temple of Lord Ganesha not only in Mumbai, but entire India:

The Siddhivinayak Ganesha idol is quite unique and unusual as it was carved out of a single black stone and has Ganesha’s trunk to the right instead of left.

1.  Average of 40000 devotees visit the temple every day and this number triples on Tuesdays, Sundays and special days
2.   Donations around Rs 100 crores are received every year making this temple richest Ganesha temple in India.  Shree Siddhivinayak temple is one of the richest temples in the country with huge amounts of donations, in the range of Rs 100 million to 150 million a year, pouring in from all corners of the world.
3.  Temple offers nearly 30000 laddoos and 20000 coconut barfies from its kitchen everyday as Prasad and surprisingly it is not Modak !
4.  Each Prasad packet consisting of 1 laddoo and 1 Burfi costs Rs 10/- and this averages to 9-10Crs of revenue to the temple every year
5 .  Heavily space-starved and vertically inclined megalopolis,  the temple is situated in a congested narrow lanes of Mumbai, however, every person visiting the temple find their way out - be it a Celebrity Politician, Film Star or business man or a normal visitor 
6.  Siddhi Vinayak is said to be a grantor of humble wishes and people strongly believe that visiting this temple before beginning of anything ushers good things and success.   
7.  The beautiful inner dome of the temple is made of gold plating and the walls of the temple are so beautifully decorated and the wooden doors have 8 forms of Ganesha
8.  There is a small Hanuman temple inside the premises which is said to have found a place after a hanuman idol was found during a road expansion near the temple in 1952.
9.  Navasacha Ganesha is said to grant all wishes and is escorted by Siddhi and Buddhi in the temple
10.  The original temple was a modest 3.6 sq.m. brick structure which was then renovated into a building due to the generous donation by a rich Agri woman named Deubai Patil.   The playground that you see near the Siddhivinayak complex was formed by filling up a 19th century lake facing the eastern and southern side of the temple. The complex also once housed a living colony for its caretakers.

Ganapathi Bappa Morya!   May Lord Ganesha fulfill all your wishes this New Year and bring in more peace, prosperity, happiness and success

My Travel Diary 2018 .....

 Coimbatore - Ooty - Jan 2018

 

Isha Yoga Lord Shiva - Jan 2018

Marudhamalai Murugan Temple Jan 2018

 Positive Welfare Association Tiruvallur Feb 2018

Aishu learning Sandal Pattern making from Expert Cobbler Mitu anna in Mahabalipuram Feb 2018

Midnight flight catching to attend weekend Moot Court in Bangalore ....what an experience! The year started with exam in Bangalore

Mom's last trip with family - a month before her passing-  July 2018 - Wish I was there with them

Varanasi -  An experience that invoked the essence of Hinduism and its significance.   We bid adieu to mom's final remains in the sacred Ganges as she always loved Kasi - her abode of peace

               Visited Sarnath - an abode of Lord Gautam Buddha - with his most ardent disciple

Finally visited my college, Rajiv Gandhi College of Law, Bangalore and thanked our Principal Manjula Mamm' as I collected my final certificates finished LL.B ...3 years errands came to an end!

Canada Diary - October 2018

With Rishi at C.E.G. Paris - enroute to Halifax .  Stepping into Paris after exact 10  years!

 Landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on 28 Oct 2018- instantly fallen in love with Oceans and Ships!

Fort Mc Nab @McNab Islands

@Citadel Fort

 @CANADA -  Halifax Waterfront

 @ Jumping the Area -  Cape Breton Cabot Trail

 @Fall Colors - Best time to visit Cape Breton

 Iconic Acadia

 Evening Strolls on Halifax Water front

 After a trail in Cape Breton

 @Celebrating the midway mark at Roxburry!

 @Colors and Food of Nova Scotia

 Nocturne Night -  Fire dance - Bringing Art and Energy to the Streets

Chester -  Beautiful Village  in Nova Scotia

 Land of Gaint Pumpkins - Windsor Nova Scotia - Pumpkin Regatta Oct 2018

 Thanks to our host Sue to spend an amazing day in Chester - with My VUDA Family

 On the Ferry to Dartmouth

 That beautiful morning in Peggy's Cove

 World Potluck night at our home for a month -  Homewood Suites Hilton, Halifax Downtown

 Visit to Lightfoot & Wolfville Vineyards - Wine Tour and Tasting

 Great experience of seeing Vineyards

 After a relaxing Wine Tour and Tasting!

 @Lunenburg - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 @World Famous Icecream COWS in Prince Edward Island

 In the Streets of PEI

 In the freezing temperatures of Cape Breton

Amazing morning walk around the Public Gardens!

 

 Proud IBMer visiting CIC Bedford

 Big hearts with tiny lighthouses in P.E.I

That chilling Martini Moment 

 On the Northumberland Ferry from Carribou

 The Halifax Titanic Connection - Fairview Cemetery where 100+ titanic victims are buried

 Resting place of the Unknown Child (finally identified)

 When the VUA Calls upon Jesus Christ outside the church in Charlottetown

 Thats final Bye Bye dinner at the 'ghost hunted' - Five Fishermen

 Packed bags! Lovely Memories!  Lifetime friendships!

 At the Formal Sign off Ceremony at NSCC - Just didnt want to leave those hands!

 At the home of 'Anne of Green Gables!' The Chocolate Shop where we found Chocolate Potato chips

 Bye Bye Halifax -  The Last Steps

 With Val from Argentina -  My Girl Crush 

Toronto and Niagara Falls

Thanks to Vimal and Jayanthi for starting our journey with temple visit

 My Toronto Buddies Aish and Ganesh and Kat

 Val and I always looked for Photo-Ops- she called them Umita Spots

 Aquarium

 Sugar Factory inside another ! 

 Toronto's Majestic Castle Casa Loma

 The Place I love the most!  Niagara Falls mesmerizes me always!  After 10 years, visited this amazing Natural Wonder from Canadian Side and fallen in love all over again

Back in India - Unwinding in the Waterfalls again! And Short Treks

Hoggenakkal and Yercaud with Team IBM

                                             And the journey continues............