Elephanta Caves and Raigad

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Elephanta Caves

   The boat leaves from the Gateway of India in Mumbai and takes about an hour to cross the harbour, passing warships, container ships and fishing boats, to a green island of rock and trees where, in the sixth century or thereabouts, a group of sculptors carved a temple into the hill. Elephanta Caves, as the Portuguese called them after a giant stone elephant they found near the landing, hold a collection of Hindu rock-cut temples dedicated to Shiva. The great cave contains huge carved panels, and the most famous is the Trimurti, a six-metre-high three-faced bust of Shiva as creator, preserver and destroyer. The sculptures were damaged by soldiers and time, but they still have an extraordinary force.

   Read the complete Elephanta Caves write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Elephanta Caves is where the day begins. Next is Lohagad.

2. 2. Lohagad

   In the monsoon, Lohagad disappears into the clouds and reappears, drenched and green, with waterfalls pouring off every ledge. This hill fort stands on a ridge of the Western Ghats a short distance from Lonavla, between Mumbai and Pune, and its walls and gateways crown a basalt plateau a few hundred metres above the surrounding valleys. Its name means iron fort, and it is one of the forts associated with the Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji, which in 2025 were grouped together on the UNESCO list as the Maratha Military Landscapes.

   Read the complete Lohagad write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Lohagad comes up about 89 km into the recorded legs. Next is Raigad.

3. 3. Raigad

   Raigad is a flat-topped mountain in the Sahyadri, the Western Ghats of Maharashtra, with cliffs falling away on almost every side, and it was chosen by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as the capital of the Maratha kingdom. In 1674 he was crowned here, a ceremony that announced the Marathas as a sovereign power in the face of the Mughal empire, and the fort became the political heart of the young state. Today the summit holds the ruins of the palace, the market street with its rows of stone shop plinths, water tanks cut into the rock, and Shivaji's samadhi, which draws a steady stream of visitors who come as pilgrims rather than tourists.

   Read the complete Raigad write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 225 km into the recorded legs you reach Raigad. Next is back through Lohagad.

4. 4. back through Lohagad

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Lohagad write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Lohagad, late in the day. Next is Elephanta Caves.

5. 5. Elephanta Caves

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Elephanta Caves write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Elephanta Caves. That is the ride.