Ellora Caves

Add captionThe Ellora Caves are the finest example of cave temple architecture. The Ellora Caves are situated about 30 kms. from Aurangabad. The Ellora caves were carved into the sides of a basaltic hill. There are 34 caves in Ellora. These caves have intricate interiors and ornamental facades. These caves were carved between 350 AD and 700 AD. The rock temples and monasteries in these caves represent three faiths which are Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. The 12 caves towards the south are Buddhist, the 17 in the center are dedicated to Hindus, and the 5 caves to the north are Jains. The Vishvakarma cave of the Buddhists, the Kailasa Hindu temple and the Jain Indrasabha, present a captivating sight.

 Buddhist Caves
The sculptures in these Buddhist caves convey the nobility, grace and serenity that the Buddha possessed. Cave 6 and 10 have images from the Buddhist and Hindu faiths under the same roof. The Vishvakarma cave is both a Chaitya and a Vihara with seated Buddha in the stupa. Its double – storied structure support a colorful pageant of dwarfs who dance and play musical instruments. It was carved out of a solid rock to provide sanctuaries to Buddhist monks