Description of the attraction
Ellora (or Ellora) Caves are located 29 kilometers northwest of the city of Aurangabad, which is located in the Indian state of Maharashta. They were created during the reign of the Rashtrakut dynasty. The 34 caves carved into the monolith of one of the Charanandri mountains are a true embodiment of the achievements of Indian cave architecture. Each Ellora cave is unique and beautiful, and a particle of the soul of the Indian people is embedded in each.
These caves were created as Buddhist, Hindu and Jain temples and monasteries, the so-called viharas and maths, between the 5th and 10th centuries. So 12 out of 34 caves are Buddhist sanctuaries, 17 are Hindu and 5 are Jain.
Earlier it was believed that the very first was built the Buddhist part of Ellora (caves 1-12) - in the 5th-7th centuries. But later research has shown that some Hindu caves were created in earlier times. So, this part, for the most part, consists of monastery premises - large multi-level rooms carved into the rock, some of which are decorated with images and sculptures of Buddha. Moreover, some sculptures are carved with such skill that they can be confused with wooden ones. The most famous Buddhist cave is the 10th cave - Vishvakarma. In its center stands a 4.5 meter high Buddha statue.
The Hindu part of Ellora was created in the 6th-8th centuries and is made in a completely different style. All walls and ceilings of the premises of this part are completely covered with bas-reliefs and sculptural compositions of such complexity that sometimes several generations of craftsmen worked on their design and creation. The brightest is the 16th cave, which is called Kailasanatha or Kailasa. Its beauty surpasses all the other caves of the complex. It is rather a real temple carved into a monolithic rock.
Janiyskie caves were created during the IX-X centuries. Their architecture embodied the craving of this religion for asceticism and simplicity. They surpass the rest of the premises in size, but, despite all their simplicity, they are not inferior to them in uniqueness. So in one of these caves, Indra Sabha, an amazing lotus flower is carved on the ceiling, and on the upper level there is a statue of the goddess Ambika, sitting astride a lion among mango trees hung with fruits.
In 1983, the Ellora Caves were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
