Ellora Caves Architecture

The Ellora caves are the magnificent epitomes of Indian architecture. They are famous monumental caves and they are recognized by the UNESCO as one of the world heritage sites. They are known for their exclusive paintings. It centers on the three religions of Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism. They depict the incidents from the tales of Jatakas and Bodhisattvas. It has been excavated out of the Charanadri hills in the state of Maharashtra, about 30 km. from the city of Aurangabad. Built around the 5th century and the 10th century, there are about 34 caves. There are twelve Buddhist caves, five Jain caves and the remaining are the Hindu caves. This denotes the religious harmony between the people of all the religions.

The caves have structures called Viharas, mainly the monasteries. They were the concepts of the Buddhist monks mainly but the Hindus and jains also made an important contribution in the making of the caves. The monasteries were huge multi-storied residential buildings for the monks. It had living rooms, kitchens, sleeping quarters and other rooms too. The shrines of these monasteries had carvings on them of Buddha, bodhisattvas and saints. The sculptors were so efficient that in many of the caves, the stone sculptures look like they are made of wood.

One of the Buddhist caves is very famous, known as the Chaitya hall or the Vishwakarma cave. Popularly it is also known as the carpenter's cave. This is cave number ten. The Chaitya is a cathedral like Stupa hall. The ceilings of this hall have been carved in such a way so as to give it a look of wooden beams a fifteen foot statue is situated here at the heart of this cave. It has small window opening that highlights the sitting Buddha. This is the statue of Buddha in a preaching pose.

The Hindu caves are remarkable and amazing. They are the finest specimens of architecture. They had their own unique style that made them stand out from the Buddhist and Jain caves. They have their own creative vision and exquisite styles. Their executions skills were remarkable. The cave number 14 depicts lord Shiva as the destroyer.

The twelve caves of Buddhist culture depict the seven incarnations of the Buddha. They believed that the Buddha took birth after every 5000 years. The patrons of these caves were the Rashtrakuta rulers in the seventh century. The boldest feats of architecture were depicted by the 16th cave. Here Kailash was build from a single stone. Mural paintings are still preserved in the Kailash cave though it was painted in five caves. The Elloras are the finest specimen of the Indian architecture.

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