Ellora Caves

These 34 monasteries and temples, extending over more than 2 km, were dug side by side in
the wall of a high basalt cliff. Ellora, with its uninterrupted sequence of monuments dating from
A.D. 600 to 1000, brings the civilization of ancient India to life. And is a World Heritage Site. Not
only is the Ellora complex a unique artistic creation and a technological exploit but, with its
sanctuaries devoted to Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism, it illustrates the spirit of tolerance that
was characteristic of ancient India which permitted these three religions to establish their
sanctuaries and their communities in a single place, which thus served to reinforce its universal
value.

Long Description
The Ellora caves, locally known as Verul Leni is located on the Aurangabad-Chalisgaon road at
a distance of 30 km north-northwest of Aurangabad, the district headquarters. Ellora was
located on an ancient trade route that connected the interior part of Maharashtra with trade
ports on Indias western coast and cities in Indias north The name Ellora itself inspires everyone
as it represents one of the largest rock-hewn monastic-temple complexes in the entire world.
Ellora is also world famous for the largest single monolithic excavation in the world, the great
Kailasa (Cave 16). The caves, with their uninterrupted sequence of from monuments 600 A.D to
1,000A.D, bring to life again the civilization of ancient India.
This rupestral ensemble constitute one of the most beautiful expressions of the art of the Indian
Middle Ages; they are noteworthy as three major Indian religions have laid joint claim to the
caves peacefully since they were created. These breathtaking caves are definitely worth visiting
for their remarkable reliefs, sculptures and architecture. It is not, like that of Ajanta, the
expression of a single belief; rather it is the product of the three principal religions of ancient
India.
Progressing from south to north along the cliff, one discovers successively the twelve caves of
the Buddhist group, which appear to be the oldest (between c. 600 and 800) and comprise
monasteries and a single large temple (cave 10); then the caves of the Brahmin group (c. 600 to
900) which are no doubt the best known of Ellora with the 'Cavern of the Ten Avatars' (cave 15)
and especially the Kailasha Temple (cave 16), an enormous complex, most likely undertaken
during the reign of Krishna I (757-83); and, finally, the Jain group (caves 30-34) whose
sanctuaries were created by the sect of the Digambara towards AD 800-1000, The Jain caves,
the last to be excavated, drew their inspiration from the art already existing at Ellora: cave 32
recalls by certain of its dispositions the Kailasha Temple.
The Buddhist Caves were excavated between the 5th and the 7th centuries AD, when the
Mahayana sects were flourishing in the region; among these cave 5 is the largest. Cave 10 is
achaitya hall and is popularly known as 'Visvakarma'. It has a highly ornamental facade

provided with a gallery and in the chaitya hall there is a beautiful image of Buddha set on a
stupa. The historical value of cave 12 or Tin Tala lies in the fact that human hands built a threestoreyed building from rock with such painstaking skill that even the floors and the ceiling are
smooth and levelled. Tin Tala cave is a monastery-cum-chapel, with cells. It dates to the
Rashtrakuta period in the mid-8th century.
The Brahmin caves are mostly Saivite. Kailasa (cave 16) is a remarkable example of rock-cut
temples in India on account of its striking proportion; elaborate workmanship architectural
content and sculptural ornamentation. It is said that cave 16 have been started by the
Rashtrakuta king, Krishna I, and it is dedicated to Shiva and named after his mountain home in
the Himalaya, the snow-peak Kailasa. The whole temple consists of a shrine with lingam at the
rear of the hall with Dravidian sikhara, a flat-roofed mandapa supported by sixteen pillars, a
separate porch for Nandi surrounded by an open court entered through a low gopura. The grand
sculpture of Ravana attempting to lift Mount Kailasa, the abode of Siva, with his full might is a
landmark in Indian art.
The Jain Caves are massive, well-proportioned, decorated and mark the last phase of the
activity at Ellora.The Ellora caves are the finest example of supremacy of indian architechture.