ASI Unearths Rare Copper Plates at Elephanta Island

Why in News

🗞️ Why in News

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) Mumbai Circle unearthed two copper plates at Morabander on Gharapuri (Elephanta) Island during the 2025-26 excavation season, announced in early July 2026, giving fresh epigraphic evidence of maritime trade and administration under the Traikutaka and Chalukya dynasties.

Elephanta Island is best known to the world for its magnificent rock-cut Shiva caves. The latest find shifts the lens: the two copper plates suggest the island was not merely a religious retreat but a political, administrative and maritime hub on India’s western seaboard, a node in the Indian Ocean trade world of the mid first millennium CE.

The Discovery

The plates were found at Morabander on Gharapuri (Elephanta) Island, preserved inside a large storage jar, during the ASI Mumbai Circle’s 2025-26 excavation season. The careful deposition inside a jar helped preserve the inscriptions, which are engraved on copper, a durable medium traditionally used for records meant to last.

Both plates are tamrapatra (copper-plate inscriptions), the kind of document typically used in ancient and early-medieval India to record land grants and administrative orders.

Plate one: the Traikutaka record

The first plate belongs to Maharaja Indrasena of the Traikutaka dynasty. This is significant because it is possibly the earliest direct epigraphic record of the dynasty’s founder, who was previously known mainly from coins and later inscriptions. The plate strengthens the identification of the ancient site of Aniruddhapura with Elephanta, tying a historically attested place-name to the island.

Plate two: the Chalukya record

The second plate is provisionally attributed to Jayashraya Mangalarasa of the Chalukyas of Navasarika, dated to the 7th-8th century CE. The Chalukyas of Navasarika were based in the region spanning southern Gujarat, northern Konkan and the Nashik area, and this record extends the trail of their authority into the Elephanta zone.

Why the Find Matters

Historically, the Traikutakas ruled the Konkan and northern Maharashtra around the 5th century CE. Direct records of the dynasty are scarce, so a copper plate naming its founder is a rare primary source that can help fix chronology and territory.

The discovery matters for three reasons:

• Epigraphy as history. Copper-plate inscriptions are among the most reliable sources for reconstructing dynastic succession, administrative practice and land relations, because they are contemporary official documents rather than later literary memory.
• Elephanta reimagined. The find recasts Elephanta from a purely religious rock-cut site into a place of political and administrative weight, consistent with a location commanding sea approaches to the mainland.
• Indian Ocean trade. A settled administrative and maritime hub on Elephanta fits the wider picture of the western coast as a link in Indian Ocean trade networks that connected India’s interior to sea routes.

About Elephanta and the ASI

The Elephanta Caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 1987, and are dedicated mainly to Shiva. The rock-cut cave complex, famous for the colossal Trimurti sculpture, is one of India’s most celebrated examples of early medieval cave art.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) was established in 1861, functions under the Ministry of Culture, and operates under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act, 1958. As of 2026, India has 44 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

UPSC Relevance

GS Paper 1 (Indian Art and Culture / Ancient History): Salient aspects of art forms and architecture from ancient times; sources of ancient Indian history (epigraphy and numismatics); dynasties of the Deccan and western India; the historical processes of maritime trade.

Prelims pointers:

• The Elephanta Caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site (inscribed 1987), dedicated mainly to Shiva; the island is also called Gharapuri.
• Two copper plates were found at Morabander in the 2025-26 season, inside a storage jar.
• One plate names Maharaja Indrasena of the Traikutaka dynasty; the other is attributed to Jayashraya Mangalarasa of the Chalukyas of Navasarika.
• The Traikutakas ruled the Konkan and northern Maharashtra around the 5th century CE.
• Copper-plate inscriptions (“tamrapatra”) typically record land grants.
• The ASI was established in 1861, works under the Ministry of Culture, and enforces the AMASR Act, 1958.
• India has 44 UNESCO World Heritage Sites (2026).

Mains question: “Epigraphic sources such as copper-plate inscriptions often reveal what monuments alone cannot.” Discuss with reference to how the recent Elephanta finds reshape our understanding of the island’s political and maritime role. (15 marks, 250 words)

Facts Corner

📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia

• The find: Two copper plates unearthed by ASI Mumbai Circle at Morabander, Gharapuri (Elephanta) Island, in the 2025-26 season, preserved inside a large storage jar; announced early July 2026.
• Plate one: Maharaja Indrasena of the Traikutaka dynasty, possibly the earliest direct record of the dynasty’s founder; links ancient Aniruddhapura with Elephanta.
• Plate two: Provisionally attributed to Jayashraya Mangalarasa of the Chalukyas of Navasarika (7th-8th century CE).
• Traikutakas: Ruled the Konkan and northern Maharashtra around the 5th century CE; previously known mainly from coins.
• Tamrapatra: Copper-plate inscriptions, typically recording land grants.
• Elephanta Caves: UNESCO World Heritage Site (inscribed 1987), dedicated mainly to Shiva; island also called Gharapuri.
• ASI: Established 1861, under the Ministry of Culture, enforces the AMASR Act, 1958.
• UNESCO Sites: India has 44 World Heritage Sites (2026).

Sources: Archaeological Survey of India, Ministry of Culture, The Print

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