The potential site of the fabled Puri of Western India, Elephanta has been a marvel of strategy and art, of awe-inspiring deity and gut-wrenching tragedy. Archaeological sources point to it being a capital of the Konkan Mauryas, Maitrakas or Traikutakas, or perhaps all three, with the creation of the grottoes disputed among them. A pinnacle of ?aiva art, it has been attributed to the then dominant P??upata samprad?ya, with the magnificent cave of Jogeshwari as its dress rehearsal. But before it was a ?aiva site it was a Bauddha one, with an enormous stupa (unexcavated) that once towered over Bombay harbour, and perhaps guided ships to safety. This walk will explore the strategic aspects of Elephanta in the light of trade and war, the iconography of ?iva, and the history of the site in the colonial period, where it was used variously as shooting range and banquet hall.