To Ellora....
Ellora is an hour’s drive from Aurangabad. What was
surprising for me was that Ellora involved more walking and climbing!
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| Buddha flanked by two Bodhisattvas |
34 caves are divided between Jain, Buddhist and Hindu caves. Caves 1 to 12 are Buddhist caves where 11 are viharas and only one is a chaitya. These were created between 700 and 800 AD. Each cave is massive and similar in design to the caves at Ajanta. The viharas are very spartan giving an idea of the simple living the people believed in.
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| Shiva slaying demon Andhakasur with Parvati by his side |
Caves 13 to 29 are Hindu caves dedicated mostly to Lord Shiva though we do see glimpses of Vishnu, Ganesh, Durga and Parvati and Laxmi. The sculptures are simply exquisite!
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| The entrance to the Kailashnath temple |
The Kailashnath temple which is cave no.
16 is no doubt the most mesmerizing. The entire temple has been cut out of a
single rock and has many storeys to it. Carving began right from the top and worked downwards as the main shrine of Shiva took shape in the upper storey. The entire temple is said to symbolize Mount
Kailash, the abode of Shiva.
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| A monolithic pillar at Kailash |
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| Mahishasurmardini |
Various pantheons of gods and goddess adorn the
walls. But it is mainly about Lord Shiva since it is his abode. There are two monolithic
pillars rising in the centre under the open sky, something akin to the Ashoka
pillar. This temple was constructed under the patronage of the Rashtrakuta kings
in the 8th century.
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| The Indra sabha dedicated to Mahavir |
Cave nos. 30 to 34, dated 9th century AD, belong to the Digambar sect of Jainism which is older than Buddhism. These caves have intricate decoration on pillars and walls and sculpted images of the Jain Tirthankaras, including Mahavir, Parshwanath and Gomateshwar.
Next stop --- Daulatabad Fort
