The Ellora caves, 34 in number,
are carved into the sides of a basaltic hill, 30 kms from Aurangabad. The
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 the 350 AD to
700 AD period. The 12 caves to the south are Buddhist, the 17 in the centre
dedicated to Hinduism, and the 5 caves to the north are Jain.
The
sculpture in the Buddhist caves accurately convey the nobility, grace and
serenity inherent in the Buddha. Caves 6 and 10 house images from the
Buddhist and Hindu faith, under the same roof, the latter dedicated to
Vishwakarma, the patron saint of Indian craftsmen. The Vishvakarma cave is
both a Chaitya and a Vihara, with a seated Buddha placed in the stupa. Its
two - storeyed structure sports a colourful pageant of dwarfs, dancing and
making music.
The Kailasa temple in Cave 16 is an architectural
wonder, the entire structure having been carved out of a monolith, the
process taking over a century to finish. This mountain - abode of Lord
Shiva, is in all probability, the world's largest monolith, the gateway,
pavilion, assembly hall, sanctum and tower, all hewn out of a single rock.
What is amazing about it is the fact, that unlike other temple structures
which are built base onwards, the sculptor or architect involved here,
started carving from the very top and the sides. Gigantic, though it is, it
remains one of the most delicate and intricate ancient works of art. The
Dumar Lena cave resembles the famous cave - temple at Elephanta, and is
dedicated to Lord Shiva.
The Jain caves are about a mile away from
the Kailasa temple, amongst which Cave 32, houses a beautiful shrine adorned
with fine carvings of a lotus flower on the roof, and a yakshi on a lion
under a mango - tree, while Caves 32 and 34 contain grand statues of
Parasnath. The other Jain caves sport the images of Tirthankaras, and one of
them, also, has a seated figure of Mahavira.
These cave shrines
are memorable for their invaluable contribution to the enormous wealth of
Indian heritage.
How To Get There
By air:
Aurangabad, ( 99 km from Ajanta and 30 km from Ellora ), is the ideal base
to visit Ajanta and ellora, is directly linked to Delhi, Udaipur, Jaipur and
Mumbai.
By rail: Aurangabad is directly linked to Mumbai
and Pune. Jalgaon, a railhead on the Central Railways line, is 59 km from
Ajanta.
By road: State buses run from Mumbai, Pune,
Ahmednagar, Jalgaon, Shirdi, Nasik, Dhule, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Indore and
Bijapur to Aurangabad, and from Jalgaon to Ajanta. Maharashtra Tourism
Development Corporation (M T D C) operates conducted tours from Mumbai to
Aurangabad.
Bombay(mumbai)
-|- Aurangabad
-|- Ajanta
-|- Ellora
