Located about 200 km northeast of
Bombay in
the Deccan plateau which separates north from south India is the famed cave
temples of Ellora.
The cave temples of Ellora were excavated from the solid rock and
symbolizes the three faiths of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Carved during
the 350 AD to 700 AD period, these finest examples of cave - temple
architecture houses detailed facades and exceptionally carved interiors.
The caves opening to the west are equally associated to Buddhism, Hinduism,
and Jainism. Out of total 34 caves, 12 caves to the south are Buddhist, the
17 in the centre dedicated to Hinduism, and the 5 caves to the north are
dedicated to Jainism.
From south to north there are about 34 caves here, which corresponds more
or less (Cave 21 with some significant exceptions) to the order in which
they were constructed. The caves 1 to 12 in southernmost direction, are
dedicated to Buddhism and were built in & around 7th & 8th centuries
AD. The middle caves 13 to 29 are dedicated to Hindu deities, which dates
back from 7th century to 9th century AD. The upper caves are related to
Jainism (9th century).
Aurangabad at a distance of 30 kms is the closest city from these cave
temples. These unparalleled cave tempes are memorable for their
pricelessscontribution to the immense wealth of Indian heritag.
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