Ellora
caves lay in the lap of the Chamadari hills extending over a mile and
a quarter in the north-south direction and are situated 18 miles northwest
of Aurangabad. Ellora represents some 300 years of great experiments
carried out by different faiths with their very different iconography
and structural compulsions.
Ellora
caves are finest specimens of cave temple architecture. They house elaborate
facades and exquisitely adorned interiors. These structures representing
the three faiths of Hinduism,Buddhism and Jainism,were carved during
350 AD to 700 AD period. The cave monuments of Ellora were chiefly patronised
by the Chalukya - Rashtrakuta rulers (7th - 10th century AD). These
cave shrines are memorable for their invaluable contribution to the
enormous wealth of Indian heritage. There are 34 caves in total. These
can be divided into three groups belonging roughly to three periods:
Buddhist,Hindu and Jain. Only 12 of the 34 caves are Buddhist,but even
these caves incorporate the Hindu and Jain theme,demonstrating the gradual
decline of Buddhism.
It took
over five centuries for the Hindu,Buddhist and Jain monks to chisel
out these monasteries,temples,and chapels and decorate them with remarkable
imagination and detail.
Sixteen
caves are the oldest in the group and were carved in the 5th century.
As one enters these caves,one crosses graceful angles and steps in a
high ceiling chamber where a 15 feet huge statue of Buddha is sitting
in a preaching pose. In these caves the artist has tried an element
of surprise by giving them an expression of wood. Most of these 16 caves
are 'Viharas' but cave number 10 is a 'Chaitya'. The 10th cave has an
impression of wooden beams on its ceiling and has a small decorated
window,which illuminates the sitting Buddha. These caves are rightly
called the "Vishvakarma" caves. This cave is considered to
be one of the finest caves in India.
The Buddhists
believe that Buddha returns after every five thousand years,thus the
12th cave has seven images of Buddha depicting his seven incarnations.
The Hindu
caves exhibit a totally different league from the Jain and Buddhist
temples in terms of style,creative vision and execution skills. These
temples were built 'top to bottom' and the architecture of these caves
show,that it required several generations of planning and co-ordination
to give it the final shape. Cave 14 was initially a Buddha Vihar but
in the 7th century it was turned into a Shiva temple. Here Shiva is
depicted as "The Destroyer".
The 16th
cave in the group is one of the audacious feats in architecture ever
achieved. The idea was to build Kailash from a single stone. Hence it
got its name,Kailasnath temple. Mural paintings in Ellora are found
in 5 caves,but only in the Kailasa temple are they somewhat preserved
How
To Reach Ellora:
By Air:
The nearest airport (which is a domestic airport) from these caves is
situated in Aurangabad (15 kms) and can be reached directly from Delhi,
Mumbai, Jaipur and Udaipur.
By Rail:
Aurangabad is the nearest railway station on South Central Railway Line,
about 30 kms from Ellora.
By Road:
Aurangabad is a major city of Maharashtra, therefore it is well connected
by road. To reach Ellora Caves tourists should take a taxi from Aurangabad.
There are State buses run from Mumbai, Pune, Ahmednagar, Jalgaon, Shirdi,
Nasik, Dhule, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Indore and Bijapur to Aurangabad
Source:
www.indiaplaces.com
