What to carry
- Walking shoes with grip, because the steps are uneven and often wet
- A hat, sunscreen and at least a litre of water
- Cash for the ferry, the island toll and lunch
- A notebook. Photography is allowed; tripods are not
Elephanta, Shiva’s Abode
Two days: the iconography of Shiva in the classroom, then the caves themselves, read stone by stone.
- Dates
- 26–27 Dec 26
- Duration
- 2 days
- Format
- Classroom + field
- Intake
- 20 seats
- With
- Smita and Mustansir Dalvi
Elephanta is the most photographed cave complex in the country and the least read. Most visitors give it forty minutes, take a picture of the Trimurti, and leave without knowing what they were looking at.
This programme takes two days over it. The first is spent in the classroom, on how Shiva is depicted and why: the attributes, the gestures, the recurring scenes, and the argument the sixth-century sculptors were making about who this god was. The second is spent in the caves themselves, reading the full sequence in order, on site, with the previous day's material in hand.
The point is not Elephanta alone. It is a method you can take to any Hindu site afterwards and use on your own.
Who this is for
You have been before
And left with the feeling that you were missing the argument.
No background needed
Nothing is assumed, and there is no prior reading.
Students and practitioners
Architecture, art history, or plain curiosity.
What you leave with
A method, not a tour
A way of reading iconography that works at any Hindu site.
The full sequence
Every cave at Elephanta, understood in the order it was meant to be read.
A reading list
The sources we work from, if you want to go further.
- Dates
- 26–27 Dec 26
- Duration
- 2 days
- Format
- Classroom + field
- Intake
- 20 seats
- Fee
- ₹ 10,000
What happens, day by day
Day 126 Dec 26
10:00–14:00 IST
10:00–14:00 IST
Iconography of Shiva
Two sessions of ninety minutes. How the god is depicted, what the attributes mean, and how the Elephanta programme differs from the Deccan caves that came before it.
Day 227 Dec 26
08:00–17:00 IST
08:00–17:00 IST
Field visit: the cave temples
Ferry from the Gateway of India, then the full sequence of caves on the island, read in person against the previous day's material. Return by early evening.
How demanding it is
Day two involves an hour on an open ferry, roughly 120 stone steps from the jetty to the caves, and four to five hours on your feet, much of it outdoors in October heat. There is a lift-free climb with no alternative route.
Tell us when you book if you would like us to plan around limited mobility. We will be honest about what is possible.
Not included in the fee
Ferry tickets both ways, the island entry fee and the ASI monument ticket are bought on the day, in cash, by each participant. Lunch on the island is your own. Budget roughly ₹ 0,000 beyond the programme fee.
Conditions for this programme
Weather and tides
Ferries do not sail in rough weather. If day two is called off we run it on the next available Sunday; if you cannot make that date we refund the field day in full.
Minimum age and responsibility
16 and over. Participants are responsible for their own safety on the island and travel at their own risk; BAUfabrique does not provide travel or medical insurance. You will be asked to confirm this when you book.
With
Previously held
DDMon YYYY
Past sessions are listed here
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Photographs from the session.