Temple complex "Caves of Ellora", India. Caves of Ellora: Temples in the Rocks

If you want to get to know the history of the ruling dynasties and religious cults of India better, the preserved architectural monuments that clearly tell about the greatness of the ancient empires will help you to do this. Certainly one of the most important ancient history are the cave temples of India, which served as a refuge and the main center of learning for the followers of Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism from the beginning of our era.

The most famous and well-preserved cave temples are located in the state of Maharashtra near the city of Aurangabad - ancient capital the Mughal empire. Long before the arrival of the Mughals, this region was the center of the development of trade and religion. Ancient trade routes passed through the plains of the Deccan, and pilgrims found refuge in caves that were rebuilt as spiritual abodes.

I want to tell about cave temples of Ajanta and Ellora- true diamonds of ancient Indian art and architecture. As early as the beginning of our era, there were trade routes along the territory of the Deccan Plateau (the modern state of Maharashtra), along with the merchants, the first Buddhist ascetics went, carrying their faith to the territory south india. To escape from the seasonal rains and the scorching sun, travelers needed shelters. The construction of monasteries and temples is a long and costly business, so the first pilgrims chose caves in the rocky mountains as their refuge, which gave coolness in the heat and remained dry in the rainy season.

The first Buddhist caves were carved in the 2nd century BC, then they were simple and uncomplicated shelters. Later, at the turn of the 4th-6th centuries, the cave temple complexes grew into huge monastic cities, where hundreds of monks lived, and the caves turned into three-story monasteries, skillfully decorated with sculptures and wall paintings.

AT cave cities Ajanta and Ellora consistently professed three religions - Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. Now on the territory of the complexes you can see ancient statues and wall paintings of these three religions. So, the first inhabitants of the cave cities were Buddhists, then Hindus came, and the last to be carved out were Jain temples, although it is possible that followers of all religions coexisted here at the same time, creating a tolerant religious society in the middle of the first millennium.

Ajanta

Caveman temple complex Ajanta is located 100 km from the city of Aurangabad, it is located in the bed of the Waghur River and has been cut down since the 2nd century BC. to the middle of the 7th century AD For centuries, ancient sculptors methodically removed soil from basalt rock, and the interior of the caves was decorated with elegant sculptures and frescoes.

At the end of the 5th century, the Harishena dynasty, which was the main sponsor of the construction of the caves, fell, and the complex was gradually abandoned. The monks left their secluded abode, and locals gradually forgot about the existence of cave temples. The jungle swallowed the caves, walling up the entrances with a thick layer of vegetation. An artificial microclimate was formed in the caves, which has preserved to our times the frescoes of the beginning of the first millennium, which have no analogues not only in India, but throughout the world. Thus, the caves have brought the beauty of ancient masters to our days.

The complex was discovered by British Army officer John Smith in 1819 while hunting for a tiger. From the opposite bank of the river Vaghar, he saw the arch of the entrance to cave No. 10.

"Graffiti" by officer John Smith, which he left in 1819.

Later, 30 caves were discovered, the complex was cleared and partially restored, and in 1983 the Ajanta cave temple complex was included in the UNESCO world heritage.

Now it is one of the most famous sights of central India. On the this moment in the complex you can visit 28 caves belonging to the Buddhist tradition. In caves 1,2,9,11,16,17 ancient frescoes have been preserved and in caves 9,10,19,26 you will see an elegant Buddhist sculpture.

Some caves served as a place for performing rituals and group prayers, they are called "chatys" or meeting rooms, others served as the dwelling place of monks, they are called "viharas" or monasteries. The caves have a different layout and degree of decoration.

Some caves are under development, these examples clearly show how the complex was built.
From the opposite bank of the Waghar River, a beautiful view of the entire complex opens up, the scale of the complex is really impressive.

Previously, each cave had its own personal descent to the river for the intake of drinking water, a system was developed for the accumulation of rainwater, and a stream during the monsoon period. The walls of most caves were painted with detailed frescoes, the secret of which has not yet been unraveled, some well-preserved sections convince us of the high level of skill of ancient painters, and before our eyes rises forgotten history and customs of those times.

"Business card" of Ajanta - the image of the bodhisattva Padmapani!

Of course, visiting the cave temples of Ajanta will create one of the most interesting impressions from India, but it would not be complete without a visit to the Ellora complex, which is located nearby. Despite the fact that both complexes are similar in concept, they are completely different in execution.

Ellora

The cave temple complex of Ellora, located 30 km from Aurangabad, was cut down in the complex during the 5-11th century, and has 34 caves, 12 of which are Buddhist (1-12) 17 Hindu (13-29) and 5 Jain (30-34) cut down in chronological order.

If the Ajanta complex is famous for its frescoes, then in Ellora it is definitely a sculpture. Ellora acquired a true dawn with the withering of Ajanta, apparently most of the monks and masters moved here starting from the 6th century AD. In Ellora, the viewer is struck by the scale of the buildings, for example, some caves are three-story "viharas" - monasteries where up to several hundred monks could live. Of course, such a scale is amazing, especially considering that the dates of construction refer to the 5th-7th centuries AD.

But the true pearl of the complex is Kailasanath Temple (Lord of Kailash) or cave number 16.

This 30 meter temple was carved for 100 years during the 8th century. For its construction, 400,000 tons of basalt rock were extracted, while not a single detail was brought into the temple from the outside, everything was cut out in the basalt rock from top to bottom, like on a modern 3D printer. Certainly, I have not seen anything like it anywhere in India. This masterpiece of ancient architecture is on a par with the temples of Angor Wat in Cambodia and Bagan in Burma, but the dates of construction are almost a millennium earlier!

The temple is an allegory of the sacred Mount Kailash in Tibet, on which, according to legend, Lord Shiva was in meditation. Previously, the entire temple was covered with white plaster in order to resemble the snow-capped peak of Kailash, all the sculptures were skillfully painted with paints, the details of which can still be seen today, many temple galleries are decorated with detailed stone carvings. To understand the greatness of the Kailasanath temple, you need to see it with your own eyes. Photos can hardly convey its grandeur and beauty!

Aurangabad

The temples of Ajanta and Ellora attract many tourists from India and all over the world, on holidays it can be quite crowded, and in order to better understand the history in stone, it is recommended to take a tour with a guide.

It is better to choose the city of Aurangabad as the base for visiting the temples, there are many hotels for every taste and budget, you can get here by train, plane or bus from Mumbai and Goa. Vacationers in Goa can combine visiting cave temples with beach holiday.

In addition to cave temples, the city itself keeps many historical monuments, though of a much later period. In the 17th century, the great Mughal sultan Aurangazeb ruled here. The most impressive monument of that time is the "Bibik Makbar" mausoleum, which is often called the little Taj. This beautiful white marble mausoleum was erected by Emperor Aurangzeb in memory of his wife Rabia Oud Daurani and bears a strong resemblance to the Taj Mahal in Agra where Aurangzeb's mother is buried.

A visit to the cave temples of Ajanta and Ellora is definitely one of the most vivid and memorable experiences in India.

It is easy to make a trip to Aurangabad in 2 days, visiting the cave temples will be a great addition to the rest on beaches of Goa. Join our tours and discover the ancient treasures of India.

Previous photo Next photo

India is a country with amazing rich history and original culture, its spiritual and material wealth found its reflection in particular in the cave temple complexes of Ajanta and Ellora. All year round thousands of tourists from all over the world come to the central Indian state of Maharashtra to look at the unsurpassed beauty of temples carved into huge rocks and lavishly decorated with wall frescoes, carved columns and numerous sculptures.

If Ajanta is famous for its extraordinary painting, which tells about the secular life of India, then Ellora is a treasure trove of unique bas-reliefs carved into the rocks, which conceal the centuries-old wisdom of Indian mythology.

How to get there

You can get to Ellora by regular bus from Aurangabad, the journey will take no more than an hour. Entrance to each temple is paid separately, the most expensive entrance ticket costs about five US dollars. The complex is closed to visitors on Tuesdays.

Search for flights to Mumbai (nearest airport to Maharashtra)

A bit of history

Ellora is a whole complex of cave temples of the three most popular religious and philosophical movements in India: Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. They were created in the 6th-11th centuries AD, there is an opinion that the monks who left Ajanta moved here. Unlike the latter, Ellora has a more advantageous location, routes of national importance pass in the immediate vicinity, the most noble persons and representatives of the ruling dynasty of India often came here for a visit.

Since the temples of Ellora were erected in a completely different historical era, already under the rule of the Rashtrakutas, who had no small influence on the world political arena and possessed truly untold wealth, they can boast of a more complex structure and indescribable beauty of decorative design.

Kailasanath Temple

The most impressive of all the temples of Ellora is undoubtedly Kailasanatha. It took a whole century and a half to create it, because the temple is completely carved into the rock, and its total area is about two thousand square meters. Kailasanatha, as it were, rises above all other temples, and symbolizes one of the Himalayan peaks sacred to many religions - Kailash, which is considered the spiritual center of the entire universe. It was on this mountain that the supreme god in Hinduism, Shiva, sat, therefore Kailasanatha is dedicated to him. There are many statues of deities, images from Indian mythology, skillfully carved in stone.

The facade and inner walls of the temple are generously decorated with bas-reliefs depicting plots of Indian myths; they are, as it were, protected from outside influences by a huge wall, completely covered with relief images. The scene of Shiva's battle with the personification of the forces of evil - Ravana is simply mesmerizing.

The sculptor so accurately conveyed all the features of the characters that even an uninitiated person can easily interpret the events captured in stone. These bas-reliefs look especially grandiose in the rays of the setting sun.

Due to the special composition of the rock, the temple has been perfectly preserved to this day, moreover, in some places you can find the remains of white paint, which once covered the walls, which gave Kailasanath a special resemblance to a snow-capped peak. At its foot, statues of lions and elephants are carved, and the elephants are placed in such a way that only three elephants are visible from the side of the facade, on the backs of which, according to mythology, the world is kept.

Caves of Ellora and Ajanta

Tin Thal Temple

Kailasanatha is considered the largest monolithic stone sculpture. But still, the central temple of Ellora is usually called Tin Thal, it has three floors and is one of the largest cave temples in the world. As for the architectural features of Tin Thal. Here everything is done extremely simply and restrainedly. The sixteen-meter facade is decorated only with powerful square columns arranged in three rows, followed by a small rectangular courtyard, the entrance to which is crowned with a rather narrow gate carved into the rock. A stone staircase leads directly to the huge halls, the vaults of which are supported by massive square columns. In the depths of each of them are grandiose statues, covered in twilight. All this ascetic simplicity and monumentality makes an indelible impression on those present.

rameshwara temple

The Rameshvara temple is somewhat inferior in size, but it can compete in the richness of the interior design. Here, every centimeter of the walls is decorated with elegant stone carvings, and massive columns are decorated in the same way. When you get here, you find yourself in the mysterious and all-consuming world of Indian mythology. From the walls, mythical creatures carved from stone look at you, masterfully inscribed in scenes from the most important legends of Ancient India. It is easy to recognize the Rameshvara temple by its unusual facade with elegant carvings and columns in the form of standing girls.

Jain cave temples

It is also interesting to visit the Jain cave temples, there are only three of them, but they are also decorated with carvings and skillful bas-reliefs depicting Mahavir, the founder of Jain philosophy, as well as majestic lions and lotuses.

Visit the ancient cave Temples of Ellora great amount travelers, because these mysterious religious caves leave an indelible impression on every person.

The Cave Temples of Ellora are the benchmark of ancient temples. In total, 34 sacred caves are carved into the rock, located along a single line, for two kilometers. It is hard to even imagine how difficult it was to create two kilometers of solid old halls with primitive construction tools. Some of them reach a decent size - about ten acres. There are many beautiful columns and sculptures in the caves.

The rocks of Ellora have sheltered the cultures of three religions: Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. It is simply amazing how these three completely different religious trends could exist so closely, literally side by side. Looking at the ancient cave Temples of Ellora, memories of the ancient Temple of Jerusalem involuntarily come to mind.

The very first caves of Ellora are Buddhist. These temples were built from the 6th to the 8th century AD. In some of the sacred temples, you can see sculptures of an unconventionally seated Buddha - his legs are lowered down. In the rest of the caves, the Buddha is depicted in the usual lotus position. Absolutely all Buddha sculptures “look” facing east, that is, towards the rising sun.

Some of the temples were left unfinished, while the rest, on the contrary, were carved at the level of three floors and completely filled with columns and sculptures. There are also sculptures that do not belong to the Buddhist religion. They clearly show elements of Hindu aesthetics.

For European travelers, the sacred Temples of Ellora are a kind of museum, but for Indians of any religion, the ancient caves are “living” temples. Before entering some caves, Indians take off their shoes.

Then the sacred Hindu caves begin, which were created from the 6th to the 8th century. There are 17 Hindu temples in total and they are very different from Buddhist caves. In these sacred caves, all the sculptures "dance", none of them sit with their legs dangling. Many images are filled with eroticism and this is a special cult. Only in ancient erotica and dances were filled with spirituality and divinity.

The creation of caves dates from about the 6th to 9th centuries AD. Of the 34 caves of Ellora, 12 caves in the south are Buddhist, 17 in the center are dedicated to Hindu gods, 5 caves to the north are Jain.

Almost all Hindu caves are dedicated to God Shiva, as well as his close circle. Also in these temples you can see sculptures of the bull Nanti, this bull was " vehicle» Shiva. Nanti means giver of joy. As you know, in India, cows have long been sacred animals.

In the very center of the line of sacred caves is the main abode of Lord Shiva - the Kailasanath temple. This temple was carved from solid rock in the eighth century AD using the top-down method. 7,000 stone cutters took out a very large amount of stone in 150 years - about two hundred thousand tons. At that time, the craftsmen had only primitive tools, so their work can be called a real feat. By the way, the main bas-reliefs of the main Shiva Temple are devoted to the theme of feats. They depict battle scenes.

It is also worth mentioning that the whole stone taken out seems to be “nothing”, if we remember that the whole ancient temple Kailasanatha is fully painted. It is in these ancient places that the artistic industriousness of the Indians clearly exceeds all permissible norms.

Ellora is literally overflowing with vital sacred energy, which is felt literally in every image, every stone and crack. It is in the ancient Temples of Ellora that life itself lives!

In the Indian state of Maharashtra, there is the village of Ellora with 34 amazing caves carved into the vertical face of Mount Charanandri. Ellora - official site world heritage UNESCO. The caves consist of 12 Buddhist, 17 Hindu and 5 Jain temples and monasteries built between the 6th and 10th centuries.

These caves are a sign of the religious harmony that prevailed in India during this period. The Ellora Caves are the state's most popular ancient sites and a must-see for every tourist.

(Total 25 photos)

Post sponsor: News : BezFormata.Ru is the first multi-regional news aggregator.

1. Buddhist caves (Vishvakarma) - the earliest of all the caves of Ellora (500-750 AD). All but one of them are viharas (monasteries). (girl in the rain)

2. Viharas were used for teachings, meditation, social rituals, dinners and overnight stays. (Raj Photography)

4. (Kareem Mayan)

5. The earliest Hindu caves date back to 600 AD, right in the middle of the heyday of Buddhism. (Xinoda)

6. In the photo: the Buddhist caves of Ellora. (Koshi Koshy)

7. Created during the prosperity and renaissance of Hinduism, Hindu caves represent a completely different style of creative vision and skill than Buddhist caves. (Jon Baldock)

8. Hindu temples were carved from top to bottom, and it took generations to give them shape. (A Lip Rim Toke)

10. Contrasting with the peaceful and gloomy early Buddhist caves, the walls of the Hindu caves are covered with living bas-reliefs depicting scenes from the sacred Hindu scriptures. (Priya Sivaraman)

12. Jain temples dating from the late 800s-900s descend 2km down a paved road (where rickshaws can pass). (gui stafford)

13. They reflect the characteristics of Jain philosophy and tradition, including a sense of strict asceticism combined with exquisite jewelry. (girl in the rain)

14. These caves are small compared to others, but they have very detailed decorations. (Xinoda)

15. In many Jain caves there were rich paintings on the ceilings, fragments of which are still visible. (Sonal Vaz)

16. Jane Caves of Ellora. (Emy Lou)

17. All Jain caves belong to the Digambara sect. (Mskadu)

18. This ensemble of sanctuaries of the three major religions of India is one of the best works of art in India of the Middle Ages. (Xinoda)

Architectures incorporating intricately crafted façades and exquisitely decorated interiors.
The creation of the Ellorian caves dates from about the 6th to 9th centuries AD. It is assumed that sculptors and Buddhist monks moved to Ellora, for unknown reasons, leaving Ajanta to the mercy of the elements.
Of the 34 caves of Ellora, 12 caves in the south are Buddhist, 17 in the center are dedicated to Hindu Gods, 5 caves to the north are Jain.

Access to the Ellora Caves daily from morning to sunset, day off tuesday. to the Kailasantha temple 250 rupees, the rest of the caves can be viewed for free.

Buddhist caves of Ellora

The caves start from the simplest and smallest and grow to three-story, huge and richly decorated (in some places) temples. Unlike the Jains and Hindu caves, which are temples, in some Buddhist caves there are no images at all, obviously they were used for living and household needs.
First interesting cave- No. 2, on the porch they meet the statues of the guardians of the gate - dvarapala, which will be depicted in the same way inside the temples at the altars and in the temples of the Hindu tradition too. The cave is a small hall with columns, in the far central part of which there is an image of the Buddha in a niche, surrounded by bodhisattvas, it seems Padmapani with a lotus Vajrapani with a vajra, respectively. The walls of the vihara are decorated with high reliefs depicting Buddhas in their various states. This design or similar will be found in almost all other Buddhist temples of the early period, differing only in plots and personalities, making only a few of them truly memorable.
Cave No. 4 is interesting because the image of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (on his crown there is an image of a small Amitabha Buddha) is larger than the image of the Buddha himself, the last Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama Shakya Muni.
I liked Cave 5 - it's a huge rectangular hall, with stone benches and small rooms around the perimeter, there are no decorations here, the columns are roughly processed, the floor and ceilings are not hewn. At the far end in poverty is the Buddha and bodhisattvas according to tradition. Due to the austerity of the cave, there are almost no tourists here, so there is an atmosphere of peace and something else, in general, it’s nice to sit here.
Cave 10 is a chaitya, that is, a monolithic stupa carved inside the cave. The Buddha sits on the facade. Moreover, the architects tried to give the maximum resemblance to wooden structures, cutting out the rafters, turning into columns, the porticos of which are decorated with sculpture. Unfortunately, the local temples are very poorly lit and it is almost impossible to see, let alone photograph, some scenes. The facade of the chaitya is two-storeyed, but the entrance to the second floor was closed. The facade is richly decorated with nymphs, a frieze, it is difficult to retell, it is better to look at.
Cave No. 11 is two-story, and No. 12 is three-story, the entrance to them is from a small courtyard. The most interesting is on the top floor, where you can climb the side ladder. By the way, if earlier the Buddha reigned over the rushing world, surrounded by semi-enlightened ones, now 1) people with gifts or prayers appear at his feet, 2) if there are no people around, he multiplies and changes his position to padmasana. A sculpture is carved along the perimeter of the 3rd floor, on the sides of the central altar part 3 girls and several Buddhas sit in meditation, on the sides of the Buddha hall they sit in various poses.

Hindu caves of Ellora

The walls of cave 14 and the following Hindu temples are covered with bas-reliefs with a variety of mythological scenes, such as Shiva's game and dice, couple and Lakshmi, Vishnu's boar-headed avatar Varaha, Dancing, Shiva defeats Adhakasura ...
All the walls of this cave are covered with images, which are very well preserved. The bas-reliefs are in small niches and are separated from each other by relief panels. In the central part of the cave there is an altar room, but the place of the deity is empty. The cave is large, in addition to the reliefs on the walls, the columns are also decorated with carvings, the cave also has a bypass corridor around the altar, at the end of which creatures sit, among which I recognized only Lord Ganesha, the son of Parvati and Shiva, Kalu, the goddess of time, it’s hard not to recognize her , she looks like a skeleton, and one of the militant incarnations of the Divine Mother - with skulls around her neck ...
Cave 15 is two-storey and larger than the previous one. It is located in the courtyard behind the Dashavatara mandapa building with stone carved architraves and bars on the windows, which is closed to the public. The first floor is not very interesting, but on the second there are columns with couples in love on the capitals and several remarkable reliefs, for example, Shiva's exit from the lingam or Vishnu resting on the Sheshe snake. The rest of the reliefs do not differ much from the previous cave, but are either made or are worse preserved.

The most interesting among the other temples of Ellora Kailasanath Temple(Kailasanatha), listed as Cave 16, which is a colossal monolith with an ornate appearance, entirely carved from basalt, so there is a rare opportunity to inspect the temple both from the inside and from the outside from above. It is especially interesting to wander around Kailash at sunset, when the rays of the setting sun make the reliefs golden pink.
Due to the durable rock material of which it is well preserved, in some places there are also fragments of coloring, it is suggested that the Kailasantha temple was originally painted with white paint to look like the snowy peak of Mount Kailash, the abode of Shiva and the axis of the universe. The Shikhara is built and carved in the Dravidian architectural style, and lions roam the flat rooftops, perhaps the snow lions popular in Tibet and Nepal, guarding the entrance to heaven. The temple tower bears a resemblance to the towers of the Mamallapuram temples near Chennai in Tamil Nandu, built around the same time. The Kailasanatha Temple is similar in style to the Pallava Dynasty style of architecture that was established in Mamallapuram and became widespread. It is believed that architects from the southern kingdom of the Pallavas were specially found to create the temple.
What is amazing about Kailasanath is that, unlike other temples, which were usually built from the bottom up, the sculptors of this temple carved the temple from the top and sides. This temple is one of the most complex pieces of architecture in the world.
The temple began to be built between 757 and 773 and took over a century to build. The temple covers about 60,000 square feet and its tower is about 90 feet high. The Kailasantha temple in Ellora was created by gouging approximately 400,000 tons of rock from top to bottom, which speaks of the extraordinary imagination and fantastic precision of the tool and the skill of its creators.
The complex is fenced off from the rest of the world by a wall covered with 3-4 meter reliefs with a low gopuram, also richly decorated inside.
The complex includes a central two-story temple, on the sides of which, from the side of the facade, there are columns - mansthumb, which are the emblem of the complex, and in front of them are life-size statues of elephants, unfortunately crippled. On the sides of the temple with a rock there are side two-story rooms, decorated with sculpture, where they end, a colonnade and a corridor begin, in the niches of which there are numerous images of Shiva and Vishnu, which goes around probably about 150-180 degrees of the perimeter of the temple.
The walls of the central mandapa along the perimeter are decorated with elephants in the lower part, and above them, in the openings between the windows and ceilings, there are reliefs framed by floral ornaments, in the front part of the mandapa, on both sides, it is decorated with reliefs telling about the deeds of the heroes of the Mahabharata. On the ground floor, under the transition from the main part to the front, there are 2 large reliefs depicting Shiva...
I can say for sure - the Kailasantha temple is magnificent, it is one of the greatest works of art and it is worth a visit.
Entrance to Kailasanatha is paid 5 bucks or 250 rupees from a foreigner.

As for the rest of the Hindu temples, if you have time, go to caves 14-18, standing on the outskirts.
The reliefs of these caves are quite modest, but in cave 18 there are ceiling paintings that the guidebooks do not mention. And in general, the place there is interesting - even in dry February it was, albeit a little, and small multi-level lakes of bizarre shape were filled and you can dip your legs in their pleasant coolness.
Temple No. 29 is also remarkable for its gigantic scope. The temple has a cross in plan and is similar to the temple of the island of Elephanta. The bas-reliefs are well preserved, but the main thing is the giants guarding the lingam in the inner sanctuary of the temple.

3 Jain caves located near the Kailash temple. 32 the cave is decorated with fine carvings of lotus flowers and lions under mango trees. One of the caves has a sculpture of a seated Mahavir.

How to get to Ellora

from Aurangabad you can take a bus, which takes an hour, or a taxi 40 minutes (800 rupees round trip), then halfway you can stop and visit the forts of Daulatabad, towering over the scorched hills.
In the town of Ellora at a distance of about 2 km. from the rock temples is the 17th century Shaivite temple Grishneshwar Mandir.
There are guesthouses in Ellora, but their choice is very small, if you do not plan to live here for a long time (there is such a temptation, I must say), it is better to stay in Aurangabad.