Was Elephanta Island the ‘Mumbai’ of the first millennium? What ASI's Gharapuri excavations tell us

Recent Archeological Survey of India (ASI) excavations at Gharapuri Island—also known as the Elephanta Island, home to the famous Elephanta cave—has revealed fascinating details.

It has thrown light on the possibility that in the first millennium, Gharapuri had been a thriving and bustling port region, just like the Mumbai is today, trading with the Middle East and Mediterranean countries, and serving as a transit port too.

Gharapuri Island lies 10km off Mumbai in the sea. Opposite Gharapuri is the Jawaharlal Nehru Port. The ASI excavation, done in collaboration with Pune’s Deccan College of Archaeology, has found rare inscriptions dating back to the Traikutaka dynasty and the Chalukyas of Navsarika. These were unearthed from a large storage jar at the Morbandar excavation site on Gharapuri Island.

The Elephanta caves on Gharapuri Island are also a UNESCO World Heritage site, attracting lakhs of tourists to the islands throughout the year. The actual island has three villages—Morbandar, Shetbandar, and Rajbandar.

Of these Morbandar, where excavations took place recently, is on the eastern side. The Elephanta Caves date back to the 5-9th century CE and were party to kingdoms of various Hindu dynasties, including the Shilaharas of the Konkan.

Elephanta could well have been the most prominent port and capital of Shilaharas, as per one theory. Human settlement on the island dates back to second century BC, researchers say.

Kharepatan Plates, a very important set of copper plate inscriptions dating back to 1094 CE, and issued by Shilahara king Anantpala, mention an ancient port city and that the early Shilahara capital was called Puri.

Researchers say that this Puri mentioned in the Kharepatan Plates was in fact the island of Gharapuri, later named as Elephanta by the Portuguese, when the Sultanate of Gujarat handed over the island to Portuguese rulers.

It is said that Shilaharas used Puri as their early capital before they shifted to Shristhanaka (modern-day Thane), 34km north of Mumbai. The Kharepatana inscriptions are important, because they offer details about the region's maritime dominance. You can also see how ships of Anantpala’s ministers were explicitly exempted from various custom duties and levies at various ports in the region, such as Chaul.

ASI excavations at Morbandar have also led to the discovery of Roman amphora fragments, West Asian torpedo jars, imported ceramics, stone anchors, iron ingots, coins and warehouse-like structures providing evidence of extensive maritime activity and trade.

A T-shaped stepped water reservoir was also found, which possibly points to advanced water management techniques.

One of the copper plates dates back to the days of Maharaja Indrasena of the Traikutaka dynasty. This could possibly be the first direct epigraphic record of the dynasty, whose existence was previously known only through later inscriptions and coins.

The second inscription has been attributed to Jayasraya Mangalarasa of the Chalukyas of Navsarika, a branch of early Chalukyas that ruled South Gujarat, Nashik, and the North Konkan region in the 7th and 8th centuries.

According to the ASI, the Aihole inscription of Pulakesin II mentions a strategic coastal stronghold called Puri, which also may have been modern-day Gharapuri Island.

The ASI further stated that the discoveries show Elephanta was not merely a religious centre known for its celebrated rock-cut caves, but also an important political, administrative, and maritime hub connected with major dynasties, long-distance trade network, and the wider Indian Ocean world.

So was Elephanta Island the Mumbai of the first millenium, as today’s Mumbai back then was merely a group of seven islands? We will have to wait to hear more from the ASI excavations and research.