 Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) has plans to connect the island from Haji Bunder, Mumbai via Ropeway.Once built, it will take only 14 minutes to reach the UNESCO World Heritage Site whereas currently ferry takes about an hour.Known in ancient times as "Gharapuri", the name "Elephanta island" (), was given by 16th-century Portuguese explorers, after seeing a monolithic basalt sculpture of an elephant found near the entrance.