Ellora Caves

"Ellora" redirects here. For other uses, see Ellora (disambiguation).

Ellora Caves
Ellora Caves is located in India
Ellora Caves
Location of Ellora Caves in India
Ellora Caves is located in Maharashtra
Ellora Caves
Ellora Caves (Maharashtra)
Ellora Caves is located in South Asia
Ellora Caves
Ellora Caves (South Asia)
TypeMonolithic caves
LocationAurangabad, Maharashtra, India
Coordinates20°01′36″N 75°10′38″E / 20.0268°N 75.1771°E / 20.0268; 75.1771
AreaIndian
TypeCultural
Criteriai, iii, vi
Designated1983 (12th session)
Reference no.243
UNESCO RegionAsia-Pacific

The Ellora Caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Aurangabad district, Maharashtra, India. It is one of the largest rock-cut Hindu temple cave complexes in the world, with artwork dating from the period 600–1000 AD, also including several Buddhist and Jain caves.[1][2] The complex is a leading example of Indian rock-cut architecture, and several are not strictly "caves" in that they have no roof. Cave 16 features the largest single monolithic rock excavation in the world, the Kailash temple, a chariot-shaped monument dedicated to the god Shiva. The Kailash temple excavation also features sculptures depicting various Hindu deities as well as relief panels summarizing the two major Hindu epics.

There are over 100 caves at the site, all excavated from the basalt cliffs in the Charanandri Hills, 34 of which are open to public.[3] These consist of 17 Hindu (caves 13–29), 12 Buddhist (caves 1–12) and 5 Jain (caves 30–34) caves,[4][5] each group representing deities and mythologies prevalent in the 1st millennium CE, as well as monasteries of each respective religion.[4] They were built close to one another and illustrate the religious harmony that existed in ancient India.[2][6] All of the Ellora monuments were built during the Rashtrakuta dynasty (r. 753-982 AD), which constructed part of the Hindu and Buddhist caves, and the Yadava dynasty (c. 1187–1317), which constructed a number of the Jain caves. Funding for the construction of the monuments was provided by royals, traders and the wealthy of the region.[3][7]

Although the caves served as temples and a rest stop for pilgrims,[5] the site's location on an ancient South Asian trade route also made it an important commercial centre in the Deccan region.[8] It is 29 kilometres (18 miles) north-west of Aurangabad, and about 300 kilometres (190 miles) east-northeast of Mumbai. Today, the Ellora Caves, along with the nearby Ajanta Caves, are a major tourist attraction in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra and a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).[9]

  1. ^ Owen 2012, pp. 1–2.
  2. ^ a b "Ellora Caves – UNESCO World Heritage Centre". Whc.unesco.org. 6 March 2008. Retrieved 12 August 2010., Quote: "These 34 monasteries and temples, extending over more than 2 km, were dug side by side in the wall of a high basalt cliff, not far from Aurangabad, in Maharashtra. Ellora, with its uninterrupted sequence of monuments dating from AD 600 to 1000, brings the civilization of ancient India to life. Not only is the Ellora complex a unique artistic creation and a technological exploit but, with its sanctuaries devoted to Hinduism, it illustrates the spirit of tolerance that was characteristic of ancient India."
  3. ^ a b "World Heritage Sites - Ellora Caves, Ellora Caves (1983), Maharashtra". Archaeological Survey of India. Archived from the original on 30 March 2014.
  4. ^ a b Lisa Owen (2012). Carving Devotion in the Jain Caves at Ellora. Brill Academic. pp. 1–10. ISBN 978-9004206298.
  5. ^ a b Norbert C. Brockman (2011). Encyclopedia of Sacred Places, 2nd Edition. ABC-CLIO. pp. 155–156. ISBN 978-1-59884-655-3.
  6. ^ Time Life Lost Civilizations series: Ancient India: Land Of Mystery (1994)
  7. ^ Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam (ed.). India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 178.
  8. ^ Pandit 2013.
  9. ^ "Ellora Caves". Retrieved 19 May 2012.