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Ellora Caves - Aurangabad |
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The magnificent rock cut cave shrines of Ellora, not far from Aurangabad City, in Maharashtra, offer exquisite view of ancient Indian civilization dating from 600 AD to 1000 AD. There are about 34 monasteries and temples at Ellora, depicting three different faiths- Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Of which, twelve caves are dedicated to Buddhist thoughts and principles, seventeen related to Hindu thoughts and the rest belong to Jaina faith.
Buddhist caves at Ellora are the oldest and carry the legacy of their ancestors from Ajanta. The sculptures seen in these caves convey the nobility, grace and serenity inherent to the great Buddha. They mostly comprise of monasteries except the Vishwakarma or Carpenter's Cave, which is a prayer hall-a highly ornamental structure with a beautiful image of Buddha set on a stupa. Among the other Buddhist caves the most remarkable one is the three-storey cave called 'Tin Tala'. It flaunts a large open courtyard in front and contains a range of Buddhist sculptures at the uppermost storey.
In the Hindu group, the Kailasa Temple is a major attraction. The temple is an interesting architecture of rocks with huge courtyards and varied sculptures. The Jaina caves on the other hand are characterized by rich intricate designs with exquisite paintings in the ceilings.
Unlike Ajanta, the caves of Ellora were never been lost to obscurity; largely because these caves lay on the more frequented route. Moreover the Kailasa Temple remained a practicing shrine until 19 th century. Though not very far from the Ajanta Caves both in time and space, the caves of Ellora represent a different architecture and sculpture. The paintings and sculptures of Ellora caves are more earthly compare to those of Ajanta, drawing from the Vajrayana School of Buddhism soaked with primitive ideas of magic and mysticism.
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