Ellora
Ellora
Caves, Nestled in the crook of the Charanadari hill in Deccan is a series
of ancient temples and monasteries hewn out of the moutainside. Situated on
the ancient north- south trade route or the dakshinapatha, the tiny mountain
village of Verul - mutated today to Ellora -was a well- known stopover for traders,
priests and pilgrims who plied the route to the western ports.
Beginning sometime in the 7th century, when the Chalukyas (AD 553 - 753) ruled
the Deccan, these wayfarers decided to make their presence permanent. And excavation
started on a number of Buddhist chaityas and viharas. The place found favour
with missionaries of other faiths as well, and over the next five centuries,
Hindus and Jains also built their temples in the rocks there.
Places of Interest in Ellora:
Unlike the caves at Ajanta, the Ellora caves were never 'lost'. Largely because
it lay on a more frequented route, Ellora remained in the public eye. In fact,
Kailasa Temple remained a practising shrine until the 19th century. Several
travellers to India including the 10th century Arab geographer Al Masudi and
Niccolao. Manucci in early 17th century mention the caves in their accounts.
Ellora Caves Tour
The cave temples and monasteries at Ellora, excavated out of the vertical face
of an escarpment, are 26 kms. north of Aurangabad. Extending in a linear arrangement,
the 34 caves contain Buddhist Chaityas, or halls of worship, and Viharas, or
monasteries, Hindu and Jian temples.
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Kailasa Temple Ellora:
The
other Buddhist caves as well as the first few Hindu caves are fairly unremarkable
and do not prepare you for the magnificence of Kailasa Temple or Cave 16. Believed
to have been started by the Rashtrakuta king, Krishna I, Its excavation must
rank as an architectural wonder.
The temple is dedicated to Shiva and named for his mountain home in the Himalayas,
the snow- peak Kailasa. The main shrine and the Nandi mandapa are built on a
plinth, over 7.8 metres high, with its entire vertical surface carved with mythical
animals and gargoyles.
The Main temple
This is flanked on either side by two free- standing pillars, soaring some 15.9
metres high. These gracefully proportioned pillars are believed to have once
borne the trishul or trident of Shiva.
Two storeys of corridors have been carved into the mountain, ringing the temple
on three sides. These corridors are studded with small alcoves, all containing
a wealth of sculpted figures telling the tales of the great Hindu epics, the
Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Among the narrative friezes is the descent of
river Ganga, and one of Ravana shaking Mount Kailasa. The architectural style
and intricate sculpture is similar to Virupaksha Temple at Pattadakal that had
been completed a decade before.
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