Ellora Caves Parts of World Heritage monuments are the Ellora Caves located at about 400 kms from Mumbai. These cave monuments were patronized by Chalukya kings during 17th Century. The creative dynamism of the artists can been seen from the sculptures where they drew themes from the Hindu mythology and transformed the rocks into a cavalcade of God and Goddesses. The Ellora caves lay in the lap of the Chamadari hills extending over a mile and a quarter in the north-south direction. They are situated 18 miles northwest of Aurangabad. Ellora represents some three hundred years of great experiments carried out by different faiths with their very different iconography and structural compulsions. Ellora first appears to the visitors as an irregular ridge of rock, rising vertically from the ground.

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.