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Monday, February 7, 2011

Elephanta Festival - Elephanta Island





Magnificent rock- cut temples...
Created between AD 450 and 750...
On a historic island off Mumbai harbour...
Dedicated to Lord shiva...
A perfect for a divine Celebration...
A spiritually uplifting once-in-a-lifetime experience...



Theme: The Puranas tell us that Lord Brahma's attempt to create the human race was futile since he had only created the male species. Realizing this, Brahma sought the help of Lord Shiva who obliged by assuming the form of Ardhanarishvara. 'Ardha', 'nari' and 'ishvara', meaning, 'half', 'woman' and ‘God’ respectively, is depicted in the transformation of one side of Lord Shiva's body into that of a woman. This prepared the way for procreation and the emergence of the human race. The sculptures at Elephanta bring out this dichotomy, where the contrasting gender components of the god are clearly expressed. Perhaps the message is that gender differences are therefore complementary and contained within a single entity.

Objective: To commemorate the living heritage of Indian dance, sculpture and art, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) in association with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has organized the Elephanta Festival. The Elephanta Festival is a tribute to classical performers and an initiative to popularize Indian classical dance and heritage art forms. A renowned world heritage site, Elephanta forms a stunning backdrop for India's leading artists as they enthrall you with their music and dance recitals. TCS in partnership with MTDC is delighted to be associated with the Elephanta festival.

Background: The festival will feature eminent artistes, showcasing a traditional welcome with the catchy tunes of 'Koli' fisher folks, the aesthetically erected stage, bright lights, delicious ethnic food and the marvelously illuminated Maheshmurti cave. This festival by MTDC will, once again, bring back the golden moments of our glorious past through this extraordinary extravaganza of enchanting ragas and dance performances.

Highlights: The festival will host a number of ethnic food stalls which will highlight the traditional foods of the locality. There will be a 'Shehnai' program at the Gateway of India and Gemini boats will be arranged with the help of the Navy to ferry the visitors.
Organized by: First started in 1989, this festival is organized by MTDC.
In Association with Tata Consultancy Services.

Artists: Renowned Artist like Zakir Hussian, Hema Malini, Pandit Jasraj performs for the event.


Venue : The festival will be held at the famous Elephanta island

When: 19 Mar 2011 (annual)

Festival Timings:7.00pm - 10.00pm

Tickets:Rs.300/- per day, includes to & fro Launch journey between Gateway of India and Elephanta
Launches will leave Gateway of india between 4.30 p.m. & 6.30 p.m. and will return from 9.30 p.m. onwards from the elephanta Island. The Travel time is approximately 1 hour 15 minutes.

Note: The last launch will leave for Elephanta Island from Gateway of India at 6.30 p.m.


Tickets Availale at:
1. MTDC Reservation Division, Tel.: 2202 6713/2064 4489
2. Gateway of india, Tel.: 2284 1877
3. All MTDC counters
4. Churchgate
5. Rhythm House, Tel.: 2284 2835
6. Archies Gallery, Tel.: 2202 7511 Ext. - 113





Video of Elephanta Festival 2008

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