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| Main Spiritual Guides Page > Main India Page> Maharashtra > Ellora | ||||
| Ellora There are thirty-four elaborately carved caves at Ellora, 30km northwest of Aurangabad. The twelve southern caves are Buddhist, the seventeen caves in the center are Hindu, and the five northern caves are Jain. They were built in that order (Buddhist, Hindu, Jain) between the 7th and 13th centuries AD. They extend for about 2km. The
carvings and sculptures are impressive. The
caves are numbered consecutively from south to north, but they were
not built in that order. It is believed that carving on the Hindu caves
began before the Buddhist caves were finished. Caves 1, 5, 10, and 12
are good examples of Buddhist caves. Cave 16, the Kailash Temple, is
the best example of cave architecture in India. Cave 32 is a good example
of Jain sculptural art. These few caves give a good overview of all
the other caves. For some unknown reason, Ajanta was abandoned around the 7th century and the people making the caves moved to Ellora, 100km south. The
caves are open from sunrise to sunset. It takes at least three hours
to see the caves. You can hire a guide through the Tourist Office in
Aurangabad or at the site. Caves
1 to 12 are Buddhist caves. Only cave 10 is a chaitya
(temple). All the other Buddhists caves are viharas (monasteries). These
caves are not as architecturally interesting as the Hindu caves. Cave 5 is the biggest Buddhist cave (35m by 17m) and seems to have been an assembly or dining hall. On the first pillar to the left there are impressive carvings. Buddha is seated at the back of the cave on a chair. This cave has a 35m long assembly hall. Cave 6 has a large seated Buddha. There are two famous statues in this cave, the Buddhist goddess of learning, Mahamayuri, with a peacock and surrounded by Buddhist figures, and one of Tara (the consort of the Avalokitisvara). Cave 10 is called Viswakarma or the “Carpenter Cave.” This cave is named after Viswakarma, the architect of the demigods. It is the only chaitya (chapel) cave in Ellora. There is a beautiful 4.5m image of the Buddha in the cave. Light comes into the cave through a horseshoe window. This cave has a second storey, reached by a flight of stairs inside the cave. Cave
11 (8th century) is 3-storeys. At first this cave was
believed to have just two-storeys, but the third storey was later discovered.
The third storey is interesting. On the rear wall arxe "Bassein"
e sculptures of Ganesh and Durga. The walls of this cave have excellent sculptures. On the left side from front to back is: Durga killing the buffalo demon; Lakshmi, the Goddess of Fortune; Varaha, Vishnu in the form of a half-boar; and Vishnu with his two consorts. On the right wall there are carvings of Siva and his pastimes. There is a carving of Siva playing chess with his wife Parvati, one of Siva dancing the Tandava (Nataraja), and another of Siva peacefully ignoring Ravana’s attempt to shake Mount Kailash. Cave
15 (mid-8th century) is called the Dasa Avataras (Ten
incarnations of Lord Vishnu) Cave. It is one of the more impressive
caves. There is a Nandi bull and many sculptures of Lord Siva. On the
upper floor are some of the most outstanding carvings in Ellora, including
Lord Narasimha (Lord Vishnu as half-lion) and Lord Vishnu rescuing Gajendra,
the elephant. Archaeologists estimate it took thousands of skilled stone cutters seven to eight generations to construct this temple. It is comparable to the Pyramids. It is twice the size of the Parthenon of Athens and 1½ times as high. It is 81m long, 47m wide, and 33m high. It was carved out of the side of a hill from the top down. There
are carvings telling the pastimes of the Ramayana and Mahabharata on
the temple walls. On the south side of the mandapa (hall) is a remarkable
sculpture depicting Siva crushing Ravana underfoot when Ravana desired
to lift Siva’s Kailash Mountain and shake it. Other impressive
carvings are the Ravana-ki-Khai, or Abode of Ravana, and the Dasa Avatara,
or ten incarnations of Vishnu. Cave 21, the Rameswara Cave (late 6th century), has a carving of Siva dancing and Durga killing the buffalo demon. It has an inner sanctum and is one of the more interesting caves. It has a courtyard with a Siva-linga and a Nandi bull in the middle. There is an interesting sculpture of the goddesses Yamuna and Ganga (standing on a crocodile). The
large Cave 29
is also worth seeing. It has carvings of Lord Siva’s pastimes
as the destroyer. Caves 30–34 are Jain caves. They are located 1km north of the last Hindu temple (cave 29). The Jain caves are not as dynamic as the Hindu caves. If it is hot, you may want to take a rickshaw to these caves. Cave 31, the Chota Kailash (Little Kailash) was never finished. Cave 32, the Assembly Hall of Indra, is the most impressive of the Jain temples. It is dedicated to Mahavir, the 24th tirthankara. The ground floor is plain, but the upstairs has intricate carvings. Cave 33 and Cave 34 are also interesting. Ghrisneswara
Temple If you know of a informationthat is not correct or if you would like to help update our listings, please e-mail us at:
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