Ellora Caves

The Ellora Caves, 29 km from the city of Aurangabad in the state of Maharashtra are the finest example of the architectural skills that ancient Indians had imbibed way back when they were built between the 5^th and 7^th century. Stone cut, there are 34 such caves, out of which 17 are Hindu caves, 12 are Buddhist Caves and the remaining 5 are Jain caves.

These caves are in fact a perfect example of the harmony and coherence with which all the religious sects co-existed together in the ancient times. It took more than 5 centuries to dig these temples, and this is the reason why it was included in the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1993.

All caves belonging to different religion have its own peculiarities. For example, the Buddhist caves, most of them are carved in the form of monasteries. Cave number 10 in particular being the most famous. It has a multi storeyed entry to the cave, at the end of which is 15 feet high Buddha statue perched on a majestic chair.

Among the Hindu caves the most famous is cave 16, also known as the Kailashnath Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is carved from massive single rock. Among other things the temple holds a Shiva Lingam at its heart, with numerous paintings and carvings that depict many other Hindu deities, mostly the followers of Lord Shiva. The temple took 150 years to complete with the aid of more than 7000 laborers.

The Jain caves at the end are not as massive or gaudy as the Hindu and the Buddhist caves, and yet they carry the most intricate carvings on them, laying more emphasis on certain Jain philosophies like asceticism, and were built as late as the 9^th and the 10^th century.