Breakaway Destination Guides (International)

Ellora represents the epitome of Indian rock-cut architecture. The 34 "caves" - actually structures excavated out of the vertical face of the Charanandri hills - being Buddhist, Hindu and Jain cave temples and monasteries, were built between the 5th century and 10th century.

A little more then 25km from Aurangabad in Maharashtra state in India is a place of pilgrimage for Hindu, Buddhists and Jains. It is ranked amongst the most magnificent of Indian sculptural sites, placed in a horseshoe shape about 3.5m from the village. A mountain stream, The river Wagura, flows along the bottom of the ravine where the beautiful caves of Ellora symbolize three of the major religions of the world. There are around 1200 cave temples still in existence, most of which are Buddhist. A total of 34 monasteries and temples inside these caves, dated to 7th to 9th century c.e. The enchanting Ajanta caves were discovered accidentally by a company of British soldiers in the 19th century, which were were hidden under thick vegetation. The Caves today, hold the distinction of being declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The intriguing Ajanta Caves are carved out of large rocks and are 30 in number. The 12 caves to the south are Buddhist, the 17 in the centre dedicated to Hinduism, and the 5 caves to the north are Jain.

The importance of the works of these caves may be judged by its size. The hill has been cut into as far back as 400feet. The temple itself is 300 feet long. The width of the space between the scarps on each side is 185feet, white the highest part of the temples is about 100feet. This temples is an exception among the rock excavations of Western India.

Ajanta caves are facing EAST. So best time of photographing them is morning. After noon, there'll be deep shadow on cave faces, so photographing the facades of the caves becomes impossible. Also in the afternoon the inside chambers of the caves will be less illuminated.

The Kailasa temple in Cave 16 is an architectural wonder, the entire structure having been carved out of a monolith, the process taking over a century to finish. This mountain - abode of Lord Shiva, is in all probability, the world's largest monolith, the gateway, pavilion, assembly hall, sanctum and tower, all hewn out of a single rock. The Jain caves are about a mile away from the Kailasa temple, amongst which Cave 32, houses a beautiful shrine adorned with fine carvings of a lotus flower on the roof, and a yakshi on a lion under a mango - tree, while Caves 32 and 34 contain grand statues of Parasnath.

These caves have exotic paintings illustrating the life and incarnations of Buddha. The carvings and the paintings of the Ajanta caves tell us about the imagination and creativity of the artist. Compared to the Ajanta paintings and sculptures, the Ellora representations are more earthly, drawing elements from the Vajrayana school of Buddhism which was permeated with primitive ideas of magic and mysticism. In fact, it is architectural skill rather than sculptural aesthetics that Ellora is no founded. The murals on the walls of these caves are still in a good condition, maintaining the Ellora,a freshness of the color and spreading vibrancy in the atmosphere. Visitors will definitely enjoy watching these great historical pieces of art.

Help Me Get it Right

  About the Author