Located about 30 Kilometers from Aurangabad, these caves are known for the genius of their sculptors. Ellora first appears to the visitors as an irregular ridge of rock rising vertically from the ground. The cave complex is multicultural, as the caves here provide a mix of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain religions. Ellora represents some three hundred years of great experiments carried out by different faiths with their very different iconography and structural compulsions.

The Caves Temples of Ellora

34 cave temples of Ellora can be divided into three groups and roughly three periods: Buddhist, Hindu and Jain. The Buddhist caves came first, about 200 BC - 600 AD followed by the Hindu 500 - 900 AD and Jain 800 - 1000 AD.

Only 12 of the 34 caves are Buddhist, but even these incorporate Hindu and Jain theme, demonstrating the gradual decline of Buddhism. The Buddhist caves all belong to Mahayana phase of the religion and contain of the religion and contain some of the most impressive images of Buddha. The ceilings of the caves were carved and often painted with geometric designs, while walls and pillars carried narrative sculpture and murals pertaining to the life of the Buddha. Sculptured images in the caves at Ellora are of Hindu, Jain and Buddhist deities and their consorts, auspicious symbols of apsaras, tree nymphs, attendant of gods, animal motif, tree and plants.

The first three caves, all dating to the seventh century are lofty, pillared halls with carved Buddha images fashioned on a large scale. Cave number 4, a vihara is two storeyed, but in rather poor condition today. The pillars here have rather interesting pot and foliage motifs.

The tenth cave in this group is known as the Vishvakarma cave because , some say, it was so beautifully fashioned that it came to be known after the artisan of the gods; other say it is called this because it is popularly believed to have been great favorite of those belonging to the carpenter's caste.

Cave 11 was known for a long time as Do Tal (Two stories) to distinguish it from the next cave which was called Teen Tal (three stories).

Three tiered Cave Number 12 known as Teen Tal, is a Buddhist chaitya or prayer hall and vihara, or monastery. But it was subsequently discovered that Do Tal was in fact Teen Tal and that the basement had been buried by several centuries of earth.

The ultiate culmination of rock-cut architecture in terms of sheer mastery of technique and dazzling conception, is Cave 16, better known as the Kailasa temple.

Of the remaining caves in the Hindu series, Cave 21, known as Rameshwara must be singled out for its beautiful sculpture. The goddesses Ganga, Jamna and Parvati, and the gods Siva and Kartikeya all figure on the friezes.

Cave 29, Dhumar Lena, is said to be influenced by the pattern of caves at Elephanta near Bombay. It is certainly amongst the most imposing on the site and dates to the late sixth century.

Cave 30 is known as Chota Kailasa for rather obvious reasons. It is rather stunted copy of cave16 but about a quarter of the original size. Inside are images of the Tirthankaras and of Mahavira Jain on his Lion throne.

Cave 32, the Indra Sabha, is so richly carved and decorated that it occasionally become rather overwhelming. The sides of the temple are covered with elaborate carving of Elephants, Lions and vases.

One of the most beautiful elements in the caves at Ellora is the variety of carved pillars. The columns are all sturdy and have massive proportions to suit the size and scale of the caves in which they belong. Some pillars are plain, others have carved bases, capitals, brackets and fluted shafts.