Ellora Caves, Aurangabad

The UNESCO World Heritage Site known as Ellora may be found in the Aurangabad district of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is one of the greatest rock-cut Hindu temple cave complexes in the world, and it has artwork that was created between the years 600 and 1000 CE. The Kailash temple in Cave 16 is a monument in the shape of a chariot that is dedicated to the god Shiva. It is the largest single monolithic rock excavation in the world. In addition, the excavation of the Kailash temple has uncovered sculptures that portray a variety of Hindu deities, as well as relief panels that provide a synopsis of the two most important Hindu epics.

There are approximately one hundred caves on the property, all of which were excavated from the basalt cliffs that are located in the Charanandri Hills; however, only 34 of these caves are accessible to the general public. There are 17 Hindu caves (caves 13–29), 12 Buddhist caves (caves 1–12), and 5 Jain caves (caves 30–34). Each group of caves represents a different set of deities and mythologies that were common in the first millennium CE. Additionally, there are monasteries associated with each of the three religions. They were built in close proximity to one another and serve as a symbol of the religious coexistence that prevailed in ancient India. The Rashtrakuta dynasty was responsible for the construction of a number of the Hindu and Buddhist caves, while the Yadava dynasty was responsible for the construction of a number of the Jain caves. All of the Ellora monuments were built during this time period. The erection of the monuments was supported monetarily by the region’s ruling families, prosperous merchants, and other wealthy citizens.

Etymology

Ellora is a shortened variant of the old name Elloorpuram, and it is also known by the names Verul and Elura.

In ancient references such as the Baroda inscription from 812 CE, which mentions “the greatness of this edifice” and that “this great edifice was built on a hill by Krishnaraja at Elapura,” the older form of the name has been found. The edifice in the inscription is the Kailasa temple. In Indian culture, every cave is given a name, and the suffix Guha (in Sanskrit), Lena (in Marathi), or Leni (in Marathi) refers to the word for cave.

Location

The Ellora caves are located in the state of Maharashtra, approximately 100 kilometres (62 miles) west of the Ajanta Caves, 235 kilometres (146 miles) from Pune, and approximately 29 kilometres (18 miles) northwest of the city of Aurangabad. They are also approximately 2.3 kilometres (1.42 miles) from the Grishneshwar Temple (India).

Caves 13–29 are included in the list of Hindu monuments.

During the Kalachuris period, which lasted from the middle of the sixth century until the end of the eighth century and was divided into two parts, the Hindu caves were built. Early on in the sixth century, the excavation of nine cave temples was followed by the exploration of an additional four caverns (caves 17–29). Caves 28, 27, and 19 were the first to have their respective excavations begun, followed by Caves 29 and 21, which began their work at the same time as Caves 20 and 26. Caves 17 and 28 were the very last ones to have any sort of work done to them.

The later caves, numbers 14, 15, and 16, were built during the Rashtrakuta period. Some of these caves have been dated to between the eighth and tenth centuries. Caves 14 and 15 were the first to receive construction efforts, with Cave 16, home to the largest monolith in the world [citation needed], being the final of the three caves to be built. The construction of these caverns took place during the reign of King Krishna I and was finished in the eighth century.

Cave 21 of Rameshwar Temple

Cave 21, also known as Rameshwar Lena, is another early excavation that has been attributed to the Kalachuri dynasty. The cave was completed before the Rashtrakuta dynasty rose to power and expanded the caves at Ellora.

Although the cave has works that are comparable to those found in other Ellora caves, it also contains some unique pieces, such as those representing goddess Parvati’s pursuit of Shiva. Other caves feature carvings representing Parvati and Shiva at leisure, Parvati’s wedding to Shiva, Shiva dancing, and Kartikeya (Skanda). The Sapta Matrika, the seven mother goddesses of Hinduism’s Shakti tradition, are also prominently shown in the cave, flanked on either side by Ganesha and Shiva. Other goddesses significant to Shakti tradition, such as the Durga, can be found inside the temple. Large sculptures of the goddesses Ganga and Yamuna flank the entrance to Cave 21, representing the two major Himalayan rivers and their significance to Indian culture.

The cave is symmetrically built out using the mandapa square principle, with embedded geometric patterns that repeat throughout. The Shiva linga in the temple’s sanctum sanctorum is equidistant from the goddesses Ganga and Yamuna, and all three are arranged in an equilateral triangle. According to Carmel Berkson, this design represents the Brahman–Prakriti interaction, which is important to Hindu doctrine and involves the interdependence of masculine and feminine energy.

Dhumar Lena, Cave 29 are examples of early Hindu temples.

The construction of early Hindu caves began before any Buddhist or Jain caves. Although the imagery implies that the artists accorded various Hindu gods and goddesses great and equal attention, these early caves were generally devoted to the Hindu god Shiva. A rock-cut linga-yoni within the shrine’s centre was a frequent element of these cave temples, each encircled by an area for circumambulation (parikrama).

Cave 29, also known as Dhumar Lena, is one of Ellora’s earliest and greatest excavations. The “Vale Ganga,” a natural waterfall interwoven within the monument, was the focus of early Hindu temple construction in the cave. The waterfall may be seen to the south from a rock carved balcony and has been described as “dropping over huge Shiva’s brow,” especially during monsoon season. The carvings in this cave are greater than life size, however they are “corpulent, stumpy, with exaggerated limbs” as compared to those in other Ellora caves, according to author Dhavalikar.

Caves 1–12 are included in the list of Buddhist monuments.

These caverns were constructed either between the years 630 and 700 CE or between the years 600 and 730 CE and can be found on the southern side. It was initially believed that the Buddhist caves were the earliest structures that were created between the fifth and eighth centuries, with caves 1–5 in the first phase (400–600) and caves 6–12 in the later phase (650–750), but modern scholars now consider the construction of Hindu caves to have been before the Buddhist caves. Caves 1–5 were in the first phase (400–600), and caves 6–12 were in the later phase (650–750). Cave 6 is the oldest Buddhist cave, followed by caves 5, 2, 3, 5 (right wing), 4, 7, 8, 10, and 9, and then caves 11 and 12, also known as Do Thal and Tin Thal respectively as the caves that contain the most recent Buddhist artefacts. Cave 6 is the earliest cave.

Large, multi-story buildings carved into the mountain face, including living quarters, sleeping quarters, kitchens, and other rooms. Eleven of the twelve Buddhist caves consist of viharas, which are monasteries with prayer halls. The caverns that are part of the monastery have shrines that have carvings of saints, bodhisattvas, and Gautama Buddha. Sculptors have worked hard in some of these caves to give the appearance of wood carvings carved out of stone.

Caves 5, 10, 11, and 12 are considered to be important examples of Buddhist cave architecture. Cave 5 is one of a kind among the Ellora caves because it was constructed to look like a hall. In the middle of the room is a pair of parallel refectory benches, and at the back is a statue of Buddha. This cave and Cave 11 of the Kanheri Caves are the only two Buddhist caves in India that are laid out in such a manner as to be comparable to one another. Caves 1 through 9 are all ordained Buddhist monasteries, although Cave 10, also known as the Vvakarm Cave, is an important Buddhist temple.

Aurangabad’s Ellora Caves were named for him.

When John Smith, a British officer, went out on a hunting trip in the year 1819, he stumbled into these caves and discovered them. The Chikalthana airport is the closest available airport to the Ellora Caves and is located 127 kilometres away. The city of Aurangabad is served by a sufficient number of buses and train routes, making it extremely accessible.

Conclusion 

Ellora is in Maharashtra’s Aurangabad district. It’s one of the world’s greatest rock-cut Hindu temple cave complexes, with artwork from 600 to 1000 CE. Kailash temple in Cave 16 is a Shiva chariot-shaped monument. It’s the world’s largest single-rock excavation. The Kailash temple excavation has revealed sculptures of Hindu deities and stone panels that summarise two Hindu epics.

100 caves were excavated from basalt cliffs in the Charanandri Hills, but only 34 are open to the public. Caves 13–29 are Hindu, 1–12 are Buddhist, and 30–34 are Jain.