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 Cave 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. More Information www.ajantaelloracaves.in