Ellora Caves

Overview

The Ellora Caves are 30 kilometers from Aurangabad, Maharashtra. They are also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are 34 caves, carved from the 6th to 10th century CE. Ellora is special because it has Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain caves together. This shows religious harmony in old India. Caves 1 to 12 are Buddhist, from 600 to 800 CE. Caves 13 to 29 are Hindu, from 600 to 900 CE. Caves 30 to 34 are Jain, from 800 to 1000 CE. The most famous is Cave 16. It is the Kailasa Temple, for Lord Shiva. It was carved top to bottom from one rock. It is bigger than twice the size of the Parthenon. Builders cut out 2 lakh tons of stone. It took over 150 years. The Hindu caves have huge statues. You can see Shiva as Nataraja, and Ravana shaking Mount Kailasa. There are Dashavatara panels of Vishnu too. The Jain caves have detailed pillars and Tirthankara images. Buddhist Cave 10 is called Vishvakarma. It has a seated Buddha and a ribbed ceiling. Ellora was built by Rashtrakuta and Yadava kings. It mixes Dravidian and Nagara styles. Ellora is a true wonder of art, faith, and engineering.