Maharashtra's most ancient monument, the Ellora caves may not enjoy that mesmerizing fame of its counterpart Ajanta but the amazing wealth of sculptures can easily compensate the the loosing ground. The site principle attraction is colossal Kailash Temple. In all, 34 Buddhist, Hindu, Jain caves – some excavated simultaneously, in competition are lined up at two kilometers long Chamadiri escarpment.

By the end of seventh century, Hinduism had begun to reassert itself. The Brahman resurgence gathered momentum over the next three hundred years under the patronage of Chalukya and Rastrakuta dynasty. These two dynasties were responsible for the bulk of the work carried out at Ellora. A final activity was took place in first millennium AD, after local rulers had converted from Shaivism to the Digambara sect of the Jain faith. A small cluster of more subdued caves to the north of the main group stand as reminders of this age.

Ellora suffered a massive destruction at the hand of iconoclast Emperor Aurangzeb. Although Ellora still bears the scars from this time, most of its marvelous architecture have remained remarkably well preserved, sheltered from centuries of monsoon downpours by the hard basalt hillside.

Sights And Activities

The Caves
All the caves are numbered by Archaeological Survey Of India, following a roughly chronological plan. South end of the site is numbered from 1 to 12. They are the oldest, from the Vajrayana Buddhist era (500 – 700 AD). The Hindu caves numbered from 17 to 29 is located at the southeast of the Ellora, which overlap with the later Buddhist era date from between 600 and 870 AD. Further north, the Jain caves were excavated from 800 AD until the late sloping hillside. Most of the cave entrances are set back from the level ground behind open courtyards and large colonnaded verandas or porches.

The Kailash Temple
The colossal Kailash Temple is Ellora’s masterpiece. The temple is a solid rock, it bears a striking resemblance to earlier freestanding structures in south India. The monolith is believed to have started by Rashtrakuta ruler Krishna I (756-773) and took one hundred years and four generations of kings, architects and craftsmen, before the project was completed. The sheer scale is staggering. A quarter of a million tonnes of chippings and debris are estimated to have been cut from the hillside, with no room for improvisation or error. The temple was conceived as a giant replica of Shiva and Parvati’s Himalayan abode, the pyramidal Mount Kailash, is said to be the “divine axis” between heaven and earth.

The Grishneshwar Mandir
Rising above the small village west of the caves, the cream colored shikhara of the eighteenth century Grishneshwar Mandir pinpoints the location of one of India’s oldest and most sacred deities. The lingam preserve in the inner sanctum is believed to date back to the second century BC. Non Hindus are allowed to enter the shrine but men have to remove shoes before entering the shrine itself.