Dusherra part 5 - Ellora caves

World Heritage Sites - Ellora Caves  - link

"The Ellora caves, locally known as ‘Verul Leni’ is located on the Aurangabad-Chalisgaon road at a distance of 30 km north-northwest of Aurangabad, the district headquarters. The name Ellora itself inspires everyone as it represents one of the largest rock-hewn monastic-temple complexes in the entire world. Ellora is also world famous for the largest single monolithic excavation in the world, the great Kailasa (Cave 16). The visit to these caves is enjoyed maximum during monsoon, when every stream is filled with rainwater, and the entire environ is lush green. The monsoon is not only a season of rains in this part, the local visitors are attracted to visit these ideal locations to have a glimpse of the mother nature in full bloom."

 We were lucky to visit just towards the end of the monsoon in the beginning of October. It did rain a little during our holiday, but on the day we visited the incredible Ellora Caves it was dry.

Well, first things first of course

These guys were conveniently placed ... just next to the drop-off. From here we had to walk a little bit...

... which is difficult with gravel in the shoes ...

"The caves are datable from circa 6th - 7th century A.D. to 11th - 12th century A.D. In total, there are nearly 100 caves in the hill range out of which 34 caves are famous and visited by many tourists, out of which Caves 1 to 12 are Buddhist; Caves 13 to 29 are Brahmanical and Caves 30 to 34 are Jaina."

We started with the Jain caves. In the ceiling of one of them we found this gorgeous Lotusflower. If you would like to explore more about the significance of the different statues, this is a good site to go to.

This godess is sitting under a mango tree ...

... and if you look closely you find ripe mangoes and monkeys out to get a delicious meal.

This man has been standing there so long you can see roots growing around his body.

Imagine being the one with the hammer putting the chisel to this wonderful vase wanting to make an opening in all four corners. One mistake and ...

After the Jain caves moved on to the very VERY impressive Kailasa (cave #16).

"The Kailasa or the Kailasanatha, is the unrivaled centerpiece of Ellora. This is designed to recall Mount Kailash, the abode of Lord Shiva – looks like a freestanding, multi-storeyed temple complex, but it was carved out of one single rock, and covers an area double the size of Parthenon in Athens.Initially the temple was covereed with white plaster thus even more increasing the similarity to snow covered Mount Kailash." - link.

Walking up towards the entrance we spotted this bendy guy. There is not enough yoga in the world to make me do that, ever!

Again this is all one single rock and the whole thing was carved out. As opposed to the caves in Ajanta, the Kailash is carved from top to bottom and is not inside a cave.

This man was a guard at the entrance of the big temple. Take a close look at his ears ...

I think that hair must have been planted there ...! Well pruned in any case :-)
Once you pass the "hairy" man, there are 2 impressive elephants much like this one standing guard, one on each side.

The whole temple is completely symmetric, i.e. dividing the area in half lengthwise, the two halves are identical.

Imagine the architects' discussion as they stood on top of a rock planning the work - "ok, right here 3 meters down we must save a bit to cut out an elephant, and then the same over there. Here I would like a flying angel, and the same on the opposite wall. Let's get the hammer and chisel out then!"

The whole temple is resting on elephants - brilliant illusion! We only see the front of them, but that is enough.

Our guide told us that it took about 200 years to finish the Kailash, which means that the original architects would have had to pass on their ideas and the plan to the next generation, and then on to the next generation ... an amazing feat in itself.

 

Close up you can see that this god is really flying - his clothes fluttering in the wind.

Upstairs is a church-like room where people still go to offer and pray.

Hindu devotees offering to a lingua, a phallos symbol.

On the outside wall we also found an underground demon trying to break the castle where the king and queen live with their entourage - by shaking it.

You can discerne the king and queen (in the middle) holding on for their lives as their house is shaking.

Back outside we took a little break then walked along to visit the Buddhist caves 1-12. 

After the Jain and Hindu caves, the Buddhist ones looked almost plain ...

...then we entered cave number 10 and found the Seated Buddha

"The main hall, with its impressive colonnade, is focused upon a huge teaching Buddha, seated in the bhadrasana pose on a lion throne. The main image is flanked by standing attendant bodhisattvas: Avalokitesvara (with his long-stemmed lotus and what may be a ruined Amitabha in his jata headdress) to the left and Manjusri (a stupa in his crown) to the right."

The illusion of wooden beams in the ceiling is perfect. Our guide started singing the OUM, which blew our minds completely - the accoustics were like nothing I have ever experienced.

Someone has had enough of temples for one day. Chalo - let's go!

Just one more picture ... please.