There are 34 caves, of which 12 are Buddhist, 17 Hindu and 5 Jain. The caves all face west, so are best seen in the afternoon. The Buddhist caves are to your far right as you face the curve of the Charanadari Hill, then come the Hindu ones, and finally, the Jain cave temples to the far left. Although not too far removed from the Ajanta caves in terms of both space and time, the chaityas and viharas of Ellora are architecturally and sculpturally different. Compared to the Ajanta paintings and sculptures, the Ellora representations are more earthly, drawing elements from the Vajrayana school of Buddhism which was permeated with primitive ideas of magic and mysticism. So, the dwarapalas that flank each doorway, the gigantic Boddhisattavas and their consorts have a robust earthiness about them.
In fact, it is architectural skill rather than sculptural aesthetics that Ellora is noted for. Buddhist Cave 12 or Tin Tala, for instance, has a rather plain edifice with unadorned pillars and the sculptured panels are only on the inner walls. But its historical value lies in the fact that human hands fashioned a three- storeyed building from solid rock with such painstaking skill that even the floors and the ceiling are smooth and levelled. Tin Tala cave is a commodious monastery- cum-chapel, with cells enough to house 40 monks. It dates to the Rashtrakuta period in the middle of the 8th century and, in fact, the third floor, which contains the most sculpted decoration, was being excavated even as the Hindus were carving the magnificent Kailasa Temple further along the rock face. The cruciform layout of the third storey in Cave 12 may also be the inspiration behind the Dumar Lena (Cave 29) and the Shiva cave at Elephanta.
This is flanked on either side by two free- standing pillars, soaring some 15.9 metres high. These gracefully proportioned pillars are believed to have once borne the trishul or trident of Shiva. Two storeys of corridors have been carved into the mountain, ringing the temple on three sides. These corridors are studded with small alcoves, all containing a wealth of sculpted figures telling the tales of the great Hindu epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Among the narrative friezes is the descent of river Ganga, and one of Ravana shaking Mount Kailasa. The architectural style and intricate sculpture is similar to Virupaksha Temple at Pattadakal that had been completed a decade before.
A further 2 kms along the rock-face are the Jain caves, the most recent of the lot, having been excavcted between AD 800-1100. Of these the Chhota Kailasa (Cave 30) and the Indrasabha (Cave 32) are the most noteworthy. Chhota Kailasa is a miniaturised version of the stupendous Hindu Kailasa Temple.
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