ASI Excavations Rewrite Gharapuri’s Forgotten History
By Gajanan Khergamker
India, predictably, has been tagged with being 'religious', 'cultural' or simply 'emotional' to register any global success. Never mind, if it's untrue. Little wonder then that the discovery of a stone structure of an elephant was enough reason to name an island with legendary maritime history 'Elephanta', however absurd and pedestrian the nomenclature was. It's time to change all that ... now!
Gharapuri did not need a Portuguese explorer to give it a name. It, like almost all things Indian, had one. The local inhabitants called it Gharapuri, the City of Caves, centuries before a Portuguese ship entered Mumbai Harbour, centuries before anyone aboard that ship noticed a colossal stone elephant near the landing area and decided, with the imperial confidence of people who believed that naming things was the same as discovering them, that the island would henceforth be known by the animal rather than the civilisation that had carved it.
The animal was moved. It sits today at Jijamata Udyaan in Byculla. The name stayed. The civilisation, meanwhile, waited beneath the ground for archaeological excavations to establish that Gharapuri was never what the colonial narrative said it was.
For centuries, Gharapuri, the island that the world came to know as Elephanta Island, stood frozen in public memory as a monument carved in stone. Its colossal sculptures, rock-cut chambers and extraordinary Shaivite iconography became the defining symbols of an artistic civilisation that transformed basalt into philosophy.
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| The excavation site at Gharapuri (Photo: ASI) |
However, the latest archaeological discoveries by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) at Morabandar, one of the three villages on the island, have now revealed a buried dimension of the island’s past, suggesting that beneath the familiar narrative of caves and sculptures existed a far more complex world of maritime commerce, political authority, administrative activity and international exchange.
The discovery of two copper plate inscriptions belonging to the Traikutakas and the Chalukyas of Navasarika, alongside Roman amphora fragments, West Asian pottery, maritime equipment, storage structures, coins and sophisticated water-management systems, has altered the historical understanding of Elephanta. The island, long perceived primarily as a religious and artistic centre, is now emerging as an important node within the political and commercial networks that shaped western India over several centuries.
The findings from the 2025-26 excavation season at Morabandar, led by ASI Mumbai Circle Superintending Archaeologist Dr Abhijit Ambekar, have effectively opened a new chapter in the history of Gharapuri. They indicate that the island was not merely a silent retreat for religious expression but a living landscape where rulers asserted influence, merchants moved goods across seas and communities developed systems to sustain settlement in an island environment.
The significance of the discovery lies not simply in the objects recovered from beneath the soil but in the historical questions they compel scholars to revisit. Archaeology has a unique ability to disturb established narratives. It does not erase earlier understandings; it complicates them. In the case of Elephanta, the excavation has transformed the island from a celebrated monument into a layered historical archive.
Beyond The Caves, A Maritime Landscape Emerges
The traditional understanding of Elephanta has understandably revolved around its magnificent rock-cut caves. The monumental sculpture of the Trimurti, the vast carved halls and the artistic sophistication of the complex have made the island one of India’s most recognised heritage sites. The surrounding landscape, however, remained comparatively less explored, allowing the caves to dominate the historical imagination.
The Morabandar excavation has now demonstrated that the caves existed within a broader ecosystem of human activity. The discovery of Roman amphora fragments, West Asian torpedo jars, turquoise glazed ware, hatched sgraffiato ceramics, imported pottery, iron ingots and stone anchors points towards sustained maritime interaction.
These findings are significant because they do not represent isolated instances of foreign contact. Instead, they indicate participation in wider commercial networks that linked western India with distant regions through the maritime routes of the Indian Ocean. The presence of storage structures near the artefact-rich areas further strengthens the possibility that Gharapuri functioned as a place where goods were received, stored and managed.
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| Dr Abhijit Ambekar at the Morabandar site (Photo: ASI) |
The geographical location of Elephanta Island contributed greatly to its importance. Situated near the entrance of present-day Mumbai Harbour, the island occupied a strategic position along coastal routes connecting different centres of trade and political influence. In ancient times, maritime geography often determined political relevance, and Gharapuri appears to have benefited from precisely such a position.
The discovery of a stepped water reservoir adds another important dimension to this understanding. Island settlements faced unique environmental challenges, particularly regarding freshwater availability. The construction of such infrastructure reflects technical knowledge, planning and the ability of communities to adapt to their surroundings. Together, these discoveries suggest that Gharapuri was not simply inhabited; it was organised.
Copper Plates That Brought Forgotten Dynasties Back Into Focus
Among the discoveries made at Morabandar, the two copper plate inscriptions represent the most historically significant finds. Unlike ordinary artefacts, inscriptions provide direct evidence of political authority, administrative practices and relationships between rulers and institutions.
The Traikutaka copper plate has emerged as one of the most important discoveries because it expands knowledge of a dynasty whose historical record remains limited. The Traikutakas rose to prominence after the decline of Satavahana power and controlled important territories across western India, including Aparanta, parts of Maharashtra, North Konkan and regions extending towards Gujarat.
Before this discovery, much of the understanding of the early Traikutakas depended on a small number of inscriptions and coins. The copper plate from Elephanta, associated with Maharaja Indrasena, therefore represents a significant addition to the historical record.
The inscription records a land grant issued from 'Victorious Aniruddhapura' for religious purposes connected with the worship of Shankaranarayana. It refers to a mandapa constructed by Nanna-Malladasa, identified as the king’s father, and records the names of beneficiaries associated with the grant.
It also mentions Momika, the Mahasandhivigrahika, as the composer of the inscription. The presence of this administrative title provides insight into the functioning of early political systems where diplomacy, royal authority and record-keeping were closely connected.
The copper plate has renewed interest in the identity of Aniruddhapura, a location mentioned in Traikutaka records. Several scholars have previously suggested a connection between Aniruddhapura and Gharapuri, based on linguistic similarities and traditions associated with the island.
However, historical interpretation requires caution. Archaeological discoveries often provide new evidence without immediately resolving every question. The inscription strengthens the possibility of a connection but also encourages further investigation into the political geography of western India during the period.
The Chalukya Link And The Western Sea Debate
The second copper plate discovered at Morabandar connects Elephanta Island with the Chalukyas of Navasarika. This branch of the Early Chalukyas exercised authority over parts of southern Gujarat, northern Konkan and the Nashik region during the seventh and eighth centuries CE.
Bearing the seal 'Śrī Jayāśrayaḥ', the inscription has been provisionally attributed to Jayashraya Mangalarasa. Its discovery contributes to a long-running historical debate surrounding the coastal centre of Puri mentioned in the Aihole inscription of Pulakesin II.
The Aihole inscription famously describes Puri as the 'Fortune of the Western Sea' and refers to a naval expedition involving a significant fleet. For more than a century, historians have debated whether this maritime stronghold was connected with present-day Elephanta.
The Chalukya copper plate discovered on the island does not conclusively settle the debate, but it provides important additional evidence linking Gharapuri with the political world of western coastal India.
This distinction is crucial. Archaeology does not operate through instant conclusions. Each discovery becomes part of a larger conversation involving inscriptions, literary references, geography and material evidence. The Morabandar findings strengthen historical possibilities while leaving space for continued scholarship.
The remarkable aspect of the Morabandar excavation is the manner in which different forms of evidence converge. The inscriptions reveal political connections. The imported ceramics reveal maritime exchange. The storage structures suggest economic organisation. The reservoir reveals adaptation and infrastructure.
Together, they create a picture of an island that participated in multiple historical processes simultaneously.
The copper plates themselves offer a fascinating glimpse into the relationship between past societies and historical memory. Their careful preservation inside large jars suggests that they were not discarded documents but records considered important enough to protect.
Their recovery required extensive conservation. Covered in soil and encrustation, the inscriptions underwent careful treatment before their historical details could be examined. The process demonstrates that archaeology is not merely excavation; it is also preservation, interpretation and reconstruction.
Every layer removed from the ground represents a conversation with the past.
Reimagining Gharapuri’s Historical Identity
The importance of the Morabandar discoveries lies in the transformation they bring to Gharapuri’s identity. The island remains one of India’s greatest expressions of artistic and religious achievement. Nothing in the excavation diminishes the extraordinary importance of its caves. Instead, the discoveries place those monuments within a larger historical landscape.
The caves were not created in isolation from the political and economic realities surrounding them. They existed within a world shaped by dynasties, maritime routes, administrative systems and cultural exchanges.
Gharapuri was a place where ships could arrive, goods could be exchanged, rulers could exercise authority and communities could preserve records of their existence. It was both a sacred landscape and a strategic location.
The island’s history, therefore, cannot be restricted to what is visible above ground. The most important discoveries often remain hidden beneath familiar surfaces, waiting for archaeology to recover them.
The Morabandar excavation has revealed that Elephanta was never merely an island of caves. It was an island of connections. Its story was carried by ships crossing the Arabian Sea, recorded on copper plates issued by forgotten rulers, preserved through generations and finally uncovered by modern archaeology.
Gharapuri’s past was always larger than its monuments suggested. The recent discoveries have simply allowed history to speak in a new voice.
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