Ellora Caves
Ellora Caves situated 30 kilometers from Aurangabad city. Ellora Caves, Famous for its monumental caves, Ellora is a World Heritage Site, are impressive in their own right are the rock cut temples and monasteries. There are 34 cave, actually structures excavated out of the vertical face of the hills, 12 Mahayana Buddhist caves (caves 1-12), 17 Hindu caves (caves 13-29) and 5 caves of the Jain faith (caves 30-34) 22 more caves, dedicated to Lord Shiva, were recently discovered. The Ellora complex is not only a unique artistic creation and a technological exploit but with its sanctuaries devoted to Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism, it illustrates the spirit of tolerance that was characteristic of ancient India.
The central attraction at Ellora is Kailas Temple (cave16), is the most remarkable. Chiselled by hand from a single massive rock, it includes a gateway, exhibition area, square, hall, hut, sanctorum and tower which bear testimony to the excellence of Dravidian art. It is believed to have taken 7000 laborers, working in continuous shifts and 150 years to build. Ever since the first European visitors in 18th Century, Ellora has attracted chroniclers, antiquarians, scholars and in more recent years, ever- increasing number of tourists.
The Buddhist caves: The Buddhist caves were the earliest structures, created between the 5th and 7th centuries. These consist mostly of monasteries: large, multi-storied buildings carved into the mountain face, including living quarters, sleeping quarters, kitchens, and other rooms.
The Hindu caves: The Hindu caves were constructed in the beginning of the 7th century and represent a different style of creative vision and execution skills. Some were of such complexity that they required several generations of planning and coordination to complete.
The Jain caves: The Jain caves reveal specific dimensions of Jain philosophy and tradition. They reflect a strict sense of simplicity – they are not relatively large as compared to others, but they present exceptionally detailed art works.