Ellora Caves are series of 34 magnificent rock-cut temples in northwest-central Maharashtra state, western India. They are located near the village of Ellora, 19 miles (30 km) northwest of Aurangabad and 50 miles (80 km) southwest of the Ajanta Caves. Spread over a distance of 1.2 miles (2 km), the temples were cut from basaltic cliffs and have elaborate exterior and interior walls. The Ellora complex was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983.One of the biggest systems of rock-cut Hindu temple caves in the world, it has multiple Buddhist and Jain “caves” as well as artwork from the 600–1000 CE era. Several of the structures in the complex which is a premier example of Indian rock-cut architecture are not exactly “caves” because they lack roofs. Cave 16 is home to the Kailash temple, a chariot-shaped monument devoted to the god Shiva and the biggest single monolithic rock excavation in the world. Along with relief panels that summarize the two main Hindu epics, the Kailash temple excavation includes statues of different Hindu deities.
ETYMOLOGY
The ancient name Elloorpuram was shortened to Ellora, also known as Verul or Elura.The name’s earlier version may be found in historical references, such as the Baroda inscription from 812 CE, which speaks of “the greatness of this edifice” and states that Krishnaraja built the Kailasa temple, a large edifice, on a hill in Elapura. Every cave in India is given a name along with the suffix Guha (Sanskrit), Lena (Marathi), or Leni (Sanskrit), which means “cave.”
Ilvalapuram, named after the asura Ilvala who dominated this region until being defeated by Sage Agastya, is another place it is said to have originated.
LOCATION
Approximately 29 kilometers (18 miles) northwest of Sambhaji Nagar, 300 kilometers (190 miles) east-northeast of Mumbai, 235 kilometers (146 miles) from Pune, approximately 100 kilometers (62 miles) west of the Ajanta Caves, and 2.3 kilometers (1.42 miles) from Grishneshwar Temple are the locations of the Ellora Caves in the state of Maharashtra. Ellora is located in the Western Ghats in a comparatively level and rugged area where prehistoric volcanic activity produced the Deccan Traps, layered basalt structures. During the Cretaceous epoch, volcanic activity created the west-facing cliff that is home to the Ellora caves. Because of the resulting vertical face, it was easier to access multiple strata of rock formations, allowing builders to choose basalt with finer grains for more detailed sculpting.
CHRONOLOGY
1823 excavations at Ellora Caves in Maharashtra’s Aurangabad District
Since the British colonial era, scholars have researched the Ellora structure. However, it has proven challenging to come to a consensus regarding the order in which the Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain caves were constructed due to their shared designs. Generally speaking, the arguments center on two issues: first, which caves Buddhist or Hindu were carved first, and second, when caves within a certain tradition should be dated. Based on a comparison of Ellora’s carving styles with other dated cave temples in the Deccan, textual records from different dynasties, and epigraphical evidence from several archaeological sites in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka, a broad consensus has been reached.
Three significant building eras are said to have occurred at the Ellora caves, according to Geri Hockfield Malandra and other academics : an early Hindu period (~550 to 600 CE), a Buddhist phase (~600 to 730 CE), and a later Hindu and Jain phase (~730 to 950 CE).
The Traikutaka and Vakataka dynasties the latter of which is credited with funding the Ajanta caves may have been the architects of the earliest caverns. Nonetheless, it is thought likely that the Chalukya dynasty constructed the Buddhist caves, while the Shiva-inspired Kalachuri dynasty constructed some of the oldest caves, including Hindu Cave 29.The Rashtrakuta dynasty constructed the early Jain and later Hindu caves, while the Yadava dynasty which had previously funded the construction of other Jain cave temples built the final Jain caves.
HINDU MONUMENTS: 13–29 CAVES
In an Ellora cave, Parvati and a dancing Shiva (right)
The Hindu caves were built in two stages between the middle of the sixth and the end of the eighth centuries, during the Kalachuri period. Early in the sixth century, nine cave temples were excavated[22][23], and then four more caverns (caves 17–29). Prioritizing the excavation of Caves 28, 27, and 19, work also began on Caves 29 and 21, which were dug out alongside Caves 20 and 26. The final two caves to be initiated were 17 and 28.
The later caverns, numbered 14, 15, and 16, were built in the Rashtrakuta period; some of them belong to the eighth or tenth century. The world’s largest monolith, Cave 16, was the last of the three caves to be built. Work initially started in Caves 14 and 15.[24] King Krishna helped to build these caverns in the eighth century.
Ancient Hindu temples: Cave 29 and Dhumar Lena:
The Kailashanatha Temple’s stone pillar (Cave #16)
Before any of the Buddhist or Jain caves, construction began in the early Hindu caves. The Hindu god Shiva was typically the subject of these prehistoric cave paintings, but it appears from the iconography that the artists also accorded prominence and respect to other Hindu gods and goddesses. These cave temples were all characterized by a centrally located, rock-cut linga-yoni encircled by a path for circumambulation (parikrama).
One of the largest and oldest excavations in Ellora is Cave 29, also known as Dhumar Lena. A natural waterfall called “Vale Ganga” served as the focal point of the early Hindu temple construction in the cave, which was incorporated into the structure.The waterfall, which can be seen from a balcony carved out of rock to the south, is said to be “falling over great Shiva’s brow” especially during the monsoon season.The author Dhavalikar claims that although the sculptures in this cave are larger than life size, they are “corpulent, stumpy with disproportionate limbs” in comparison to the engravings in other Ellora caves.
Cave 21 at the Rameshwar Temple:
Another early excavation, known as Rameshwar Lena or Cave 21, was built during the Kalachuri dynasty . The cave was finished before the Rashtrakuta dynasty rose to power and expanded the Ellora cave system.
While there are certain works in the cave that are identical to those in other Ellora caves, there are also other pieces that are unique, such those that tell the story of goddess Parvati’s pursuit of Shiva. Other caverns contain carvings that show Parvati and Shiva relaxing, Parvati’s marriage to Shiva, Shiva dancing, and Kartikeya (Skanda). The Sapta Matrika, the seven mother goddesses of the Hindu Shakti tradition, are also prominently displayed in the cave, with Shiva and Ganesha on either side.Other deities revered in Shakti tradition can be found within the temple, such as the Durga. Large sculptures of the goddesses Ganga and Yamuna, which stand in for the two main Himalayan rivers and their cultural significance in India, flank the entrance to Cave 21.
Cave 16 at the Kailasa temple:
The Kailasa temple, also known as Cave 16, is a particularly famous cave temple in India because of its grandeur, construction, and the fact that it is completely carved out of a single rock.
Shiva is the subject of the Kailasha temple, which drew inspiration from Mount Kailasha. Its architecture is reminiscent of other Hindu temples, featuring an assembly hall, a gateway, a multi-story main temple encircled by multiple shrines arranged in accordance with the square principle, an integrated circumambulation area, a garbha-grihya (sanctum sanctorum) housing the linga-yoni, and a spire shaped like Mount Kailash, all of which are carved from a single rock.
In addition to the ten avatars of Vishnu, the Vedic gods and goddesses Indra, Agni, Vayu, Surya, and Usha, as well as non-Vedic deities like Ganesha, Ardhanarishvara (half Shiva, half Parvati), Harihara (half Shiva, half Vishnu), Annapurna, Durga, and others, are all honored in other shrines carved from the same rock.Many Shaiva, Vaishnava, and Shakti works can be seen at the temple’s basement level; one particularly noteworthy set of carvings is a series depicting the twelve episodes from Krishna’s boyhood, which is significant to Vaishnavism.
Cave 15: Dashavatara:
Sometime after Cave 14 (Ravan ki Khai, Hindu), another important excavation was finished, the Dashavatara temple, also known as Cave 15. The cells and arrangement of Cave 15 resemble those of Buddhist Caves 11 and 12, suggesting that this cave was originally intended to be a Buddhist cave. Nevertheless, the inclusion of non-Buddhist elements, like a Nrtya Mandapa (a pavilion for Indian classical dance) near the entrance, implies that this was not the case. James Harle reports that numerous Hindu deities have been included into the Buddhist caves in the area, and that Hindu images have been discovered in Buddhist Cave 11. The contrasting designs of the Buddhist and Hindu caves may have been inspired by one another, or perhaps a Buddhist cave that was originally intended was transformed into a Hindu monument.
THE MONUMENTS OF BUDDHISM: CAVES 1–12
These caverns are on the southern side, and their construction dates range from 600–730 CE to 630–700 CE . Although caves 1–5 were built in the first phase (400–600) and caves 6–12 in the later phase (650–750) of the Buddhist cave construction, it was once believed that the Buddhist caves were the oldest buildings, dating from the fifth to the eighth century. However, contemporary scholars now believe that Hindu cave construction predates the Buddhist cave construction. Cave 6 is the oldest Buddhist cave, followed by Caves 5, 2, 3, 5 (right wing), 4, 7, 8, 10, and 9 . The final two caves are Caves 11 and 12, also known as Do Thal and Tin Thal, respectively.
Viharas, or monasteries with prayer halls, make up eleven of the twelve Buddhist caves. These are enormous, multi-story structures carved into the mountainside that contain living and sleeping quarters, kitchens, and other rooms. There are shrines in the monastery caves with carvings of saints, bodhisattvas, and Gautama Buddha. Some of these caverns have been sculpted to attempt to replicate the appearance of wood.
THE MONUMENTS OF JAINISM: CAVES 30–34
The five Jain caves of the Digambara sect, which were excavated in the ninth and early tenth century, are located at the northern end of Ellora.Despite being smaller than the Buddhist and Hindu caves, these caves have extremely intricate decorations. They were constructed about the same period as the Hindu caves of later times, and they both feature similar architectural and religious concepts including a pillared veranda, symmetric mandapa, and puja (worship). In contrast to Hindu temples, though, the representation of the twenty-four Jinas spiritual warriors who have achieved freedom from the never-ending cycle of reincarnations is given special attention.
Apart from Jinas, the artworks found in Jain temples depict gods and goddesses, yaksa (a male nature deity), yaksi (a female nature deity), and human devotees, which are common in first-millennium CE Jain mythology.
Cave 30 in Chhota Kailasha:
Because the carvings on the Chhota Kailasha resemble those in the Kailasha temple, it is also known as the small Kailasha. This temple was probably constructed in the early ninth century, a few decades after the Kailasha Temple was finished, and at the same time as the lower level of the Indra Sabha. It has two life-size reliefs of dancing Indra, one with eight arms and the other with twelve, both covered in jewels and wearing a crown. The different mudras on Indra’s arms are evocative of the dancing Shiva paintings that can be seen in the surrounding Hindu caves.
Cave 32: Indra Sabha:
The grandest of the Jain series, the Indra Sabha, was commissioned by Rashtrakuta in the ninth century. A straightforward entryway opens into a courtyard with a monolithic shrine beneath a pyramidal roof. In the back of the courtyard is an excavated double-story temple. The cave’s interior features a columned mandapa, or hall, with the sanctuary located in the center of the back wall and niches on three of its sides. The walls are adorned with carved images of the Jain Tirthankharas.
Excavated in the 9th century, Cave 32 is the two-story Indra Sabha, with a monolithic shrine in its court.
Cave 33 of the Jagannatha Sabha:
Based on the inscriptions on the pillars, the second-largest Jain cave at Ellora is called Jagannatha Sabha (Cave 33), and it is believed to have been built in the ninth century. It’s a two-story cave carved from a single rock with twelve enormous pillars and elephant heads projecting towards a porch. The hall is composed of four pillars in the center, two large square pillars facing forward, and an interior square major hall supported by pillars with fluted shafts. The pillars are all finely carved with brackets, ridges, and caps. Parshvanatha and Mahavira, the final two Jain Tirthankaras, are shown inside the main idols.
Cave No. 34:
Although some of the writings in Cave 34, or J26 as historian José Pereira refers to it, have not yet been decoded, they were most likely written between 800 and 850 CE. It is believed that some inscriptions, like the one authored by Sri Nagavarma, belong to the 9th or 10th century.
INSCRIPTIONS OF ELLORA
The most famous of these is an inscription by Rashtrakuta Dantidurga (c. 753–757 CE) on the rear wall of Cave 15’s front mandapa, which states that he prayed at that temple. There are several inscriptions at Ellora that date from the sixth century onward. Three inscriptions in Jain cave 33, Jagannatha Sabha, list donors and monks’ names. An inscription at the Parshvanath temple on the hill dates from 1247 CE and lists a donor’s name from Vardhanapura.
The successor and uncle of Dantidurga, Krishna I (c. 757–783 CE), is credited with building the Great Kailasa temple (Cave 16). According to an inscription on a copper plate discovered in Baroda, Gujarat, Krishnaraja constructed a magnificent structure on a hill near Elapura.
IN ART AND LITERATURE
Fisher’s Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1832 contains a plate of ‘Skeletal Group in the Ramedwur, Caves of Ellora, supposed to represent the nuptials of Siva and Parvati’ by George cattermole, engraved by W. Kelsall, accompanied by a poetical illustration by Letitia Elizabeth Landon.1
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellora_Caves ↩︎