Ajanta & Ellora Caves
Tour
Ajanta Caves Tour
About 107 kms. from the city of Aurangabad, the rock-cut caves of Ajanta nestle
in a panoramic gorge, in the form of a gigantic horseshoe.
Among the finest examples of some of the earliest Buddhist architecture, caves-paintings
and sculptures, these caves comprise Chaitya Halls, or shrines, dedicated to
Lord Buddha and Viharas, or monasteries, used by Buddhist monks for meditation
and the study of Buddhist teachings.
The paintings that adorn the walls and ceilings of the caves depict incidents
from the life of the Buddha and various Buddhist divinities. Among the more
interesting paintings are the Jataka tales, illustrating diverse stories relating
to the previous incarnations of the Buddha as Bodhisattva, a saintly being who
is destined to become the Buddha.
Occupied for almost 700 years, the caves of Ajanta seem to have been abandoned
rather abruptly. They remained shrouded in obscurity for over a millennium,
till John Smith, a British army officer, accidentally stumbled upon them while
on a hunting expedition in 1819. The 'View Point' from where John Smith first
glimpsed the caves, provides a magnificent sight of the U-shaped gorge and its
scenic surroundings. Cascading down the cliff is a spectacular waterfall, which
at the bottom feeds a natural pool called the Saptakunda.
Ajanta has been designated as a
World Heritage Site, to be preserved
as an artistic legacy that will continue to inspire and enrich the lives of
generations to come.
The caves of Ajanta can be classified into two distinct phases: the earlier
Hinayana phase (1), in which the Buddha was worshipped only in the form of certain
symbols. And the later Mahayana phase (II), in which the Buddha was worshipped
in the physical form.
Ajanta has two kinds of Caves:
Finished Caves:
They are Twenty Seven & depict different forms of Buddha
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Details
Unfinished Caves:
They are unfinished & some of them are accessible.
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Details
Ellora Caves Tour
The cave temples and monasteries at Ellora, excavated out of the vertical face
of an escarpment, are 26 kms. north of Aurangabad. Extending in a linear arrangement,
the 34 caves contain Buddhist Chaityas, or halls of worship, and Viharas, or
monasteries, Hindu and Jian temples.
Spanning a period of about 600 years between the 5th and 11th century AD, the
earliest excavation here is of the Dhumar Lena (cave 29). The most imposing
excavation is, without doubt, that of the magnificent Kailasa Temple (Cave 16)
which is the largest single monolithic structure in the world. Interestingly,
Ellora, unlike the site of Ajanta, was never 'rediscovered'. Known as Verul
in ancient times, it has continuously attracted pilgrims through the centuries
to the present day.
Ellora has been designated as a
World Heritage Site, to be preserved
as an artistic legacy that will continue to inspire and enrich the lives of
generations to come.
Cave 1: This is the first monastery at the southern end of Ellora. It
has four residential cells cut into the side walls. The cave is devoid of any
carvings or sculptures.
Cave 2: This has a verandah, with a recess at the right, housing images
of Panchika, the god od wealth, and Hariti, the goddess of prosperity. The entrance
is flanked by guardians, next to whom are figures of the Buddha and other divinities.
Each of the lateral walls in the hall has sculptures of five seated Buddhas
flanked by celestial figures and by Bodhisattvas, or saintly beings who are
destined to become Buddhas. A similar but larger figure of the Buddha can be
seen in the sanctuary. The porch to the right of the sanctuary depicts the Miracle
of Shravasti when the Buddha manifested himself in a thousand forms.
Cave 3: This cave has an unfinished image of the seated Buddha in a shrine.
Pot and foliage motifs adorm the columns of the hall.
Cave 4: A two-storeyed excavation, this cave is now mostly in ruins.
At the lower level is a plain hall, with a columned asile leading to a shrine
where a figure of the seated Buddha is accompanied by attendants. A similar
but smaller shrine is located on the upper story.
Cave 5: Excavated at a higher level, this large cave consists of a spacious
hall divided into three aisles. Porches in the middle of the side walls have
small cells on either side. Columns are decorated with medallions and other
motifs surrounded by intricate foliage. Several benches are carved out of the
floor. The entrcane to the central shrine is carved with Bodhisattvas bedecked
with intricate headgear and jewellery. In the shrine is a figure of the seated
Buddha.
Cave 6: The rectangular hall in this cave has columns with pot and foliage
capitals. The walls of an antechamber in the rear of the hall, which leads into
a small shrine, are covered with figures of the Boddhisattva and the goddesses
Tara and Mahamayuri. The doorway of the shrine is carved with elaborate sculptures
on other side. On the left is Analokiteshwara holding a lotus and a rosary in
his hands, with a deer-skin draped on his left shoulder. On theright is the
sculpture of Mahamayuri, the Buddhist goddess of learning, within the shrine
is the figure of the seated Buddha, flanked by multiple smaller Buddhist figures,
attendants and devotees on the side walls.
Cave 7: This is a simple hall with four plain pillars.
Cave 8: This is the only monastery at Ellora, where the sanctum is isolated
from the rear wall, with a circular passage around it. The passageway has three
cells on the left, an incomplete columned gallery at the rear and two columns
in the front. Sculptures of the Buddha adorn the hall.
Cave 9: This consists of an open terrace with a balcony and a shrine
housing figures of Buddhist divinities. The embellished façade has, among
other motifs, an unusual scene of the goddess Tara rescuing devotees from the
perils of a snake, a sword, an elephant (left). Fire and a shipwreck (right).
Cave 10 (Vishvakarma): Named after Vishvakarma, the architect of the
gods, this cave marks the culmination of Chaitya architecture in India. The
hall has porticos on three sides, raised on a basement carved with animals.
A long frieze depicting a hunting scene appears above the brackets in the hall.
A Stupa in the middle of the rear wall has a seated Buddha figure. A flight
of steps in the verandah leads to the upper gallery. The façade behind
this gallery consists of a doorway flanked by Chaitya window motifs, flying
celestials, and Bodhisattvas with female attendants. On either side of the doorway,
to the inner gallery, are recesses housing the figures of female deitied and
the Bodhisattva. A large figure of the Buddha , in the teaching position, is
carved on to the front of the central Stupa accompanied by flying attendants
and Bodhisattvas.
Cave 11 (Do Tal): A three-storeyed excavation dating back to the 8th
century. Do Tal, or two storeys, was the name erroneously given to this cave
when its ground floor was buried under debris. The lowest level has two cells
and a central sanctuary withg figures of the Buddha in the teaching position.
The intermediate level consists of five excavations, the first being incomplete
and the last being a cell with a rock -cut bed. The remaining three have images
of the Buddha attended by Bodhisattvas the uppermost level has a long columned
hall with a shrine in the cenntre. On the rear wall are images of the goddess
Durga and Lord Ganesha , indicating that this cave was later converted for worship
by Hindus.
Cave 12 (Teen Tal ): A three-storeyed excavation, this is the last in
the series of Buddhist caves. The lowest floor consists of a long hall with
small cells carved in the side walls and a shrine in the canter. The intermediate
level has similar architecture. The upper level has a hall with rows of seven
Buddhas flanked by flying on both sides of the antechamber. Within the antechamber,
leading into the shrine, are twelve goddesses seated on double-petalled lotus
flowers.
Cave 13: This is the first in the series of Hindu caves at Ellora. It
only has a small storage hall.
Cave 14 (Ravan ki Khai): A single-storeyed excavation dating from the
7th century, this is a small sanctuary with a doorway adorned with large guardians
and river goddesses. The panels carved on the side walls of the hall include
various Hindu deities. On the left wall are sculptures of the goddess Durga,
Lord Vishnu seated with Shridevi and Bhudevi, and Lord Vishnu with his consort.
The right wall has sculptures of Durga, the dancing Shivs, Ravana shaking Mount
Kailasa ( the sculpture from which the cave derives its name) and shiva spearing
Andhaka the demon.
Cave 15 (Dashavatara): This was excavated as a Buddhist monastery in
the 8th century and was later converted to a place of Hindu worship. It has
an open court with a free- standing, monolithic Mandapa, or a columned hall,
in the middle and a two-storeyed temple at the rear. The doorway of the Mandapa
is flanked by the river goddesses Ganga and Yamuna. On the roof are reclining
lions and seated Ganas, or dwarfs. A flight of step to the left of the entrance,
ascends to a spacious Mandapa on the upper floor. Large sculptural panels occupying
the spaces between the columns illustrate the ten incarnations, the Dashavatara,
of Lord Vishnu and a wide range of mythological subjects. Clockwise, from the
front of the left wall, are Shiva and Parvati. Amoung other sculptures on the
rear wall, from the left, are Shivaemerging from they Linga to rescue Markandeya
a young devotee, and Shiva containing the force of the river Ganga in his hair.
Cave 16 (Kailasa): The most stupendous single work of art ever executed
in India this is an elaborately embellished, three-story high temple dedicated
to Lord Shiva. It is unique for being carved out of solid rock from top of bottom.
The exterior wall has a gateway in the middle that leads into a spacious court
surrounding the main temple. In front is the free standing Nandi pavilion with
richly decorated, 17 -metre high monolithic columns, sending on either side.
A pair of three dimensional elephant stands nearby. Porticos and shrine are
cut into the side walls of the court. To the left of the entrance is a shrine
housing images of the river goddesses and , to its immediate right, is the Lankeshvara
Temple. The west facing temple is raised on a solid lower story, with its walls
sculpted with elephant gathering lotus flowers. At the Nandi pavilion and in
turn, with the upper story of the gateway. The sculptural scheme at Kailasa
is elaborate. Guardians and river goddesses appear at the gateway of complex,
while Durga (right) and Ganesha (left) flank the interior passageway. The two
staircases leading to the Mandapa of the main temple are carved with narrative
friezes. These include episodes from the Hindu epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharta.
The panels which adorn the lower story depict Shiva dancing with the skin of
the elephant demon. The upper storey Mandapa walls show, the vulture, Jatayu,
attacking Ravana (south), among others. In the subsidiary shrines are images
of the goddesses Lakshmi and Durga amoung other deities.
Cave 17: This cave, partly incomplete, is noteworthy for its richly decorated
doorway and pillars.
Cave 18, 19 & 20: These caves adhere to the usual pattern of traditional
Hindu architecture. Cave 21 (Rameshvara) : This is one of the earliest excavations
at Ellora dating back to the 7th century. It is approached through a court with
a monolithic Nandi, on a plinth. This leads to a verandah, on the left of which
is the gracefully posed figure of the river goddess Ganga, while the figure
of Yamuna is sculpted on the right. Carved panels in the hall include the marriage
of Shiva and Parvati, their warrior son Kartikeya, and Durga (left end of the
shrine), the dancing Shiva, the seven Matrikas a group of seven goddesses, with
Lord Ganesha and Shiva holding the veena, and the skeletal Kala and Kali (right
end of the shrine).
Caves 22 to 28: Except for the free standing Nandi shrine in Cave 22
and a sculpture of Surya, the sun god, on the ceiling of Cave 25 there is nothing
particularly noteworthy in these caves.
Cave 29 (Dhumar Lena): The earliest excavation at Ellora, this cave has
a shrine, with a Shiva Linga inside. The four entrances of the shrine are guarded
by Dwarapals, or guardians, and accompanying lady attendants. On the left and
right walls are scenes of Shiva and Parvati.
Cave 30 (Chhota Kailasa): This is the first in the series of Jain excavations,
and an incomplete , miniature replica of the Kailasa Temple. Carved ornamentation
is mostly restricted to the Jain saints and goddesses. Twenty-two seated Tirthankaras,
or teachers worshipped by the Jains, are located in the Mandapa. An image of
Mahavira, the founder of Jainism, seated on a lion throne, is enshrined in the
sanctuary.
Cave 31: This is an extension of Cave 32 rather than a separate excavation.
Cave 32: (Indra Sabha): This is the finest excavation of the Jain Caves.
An open court, with its sides adorned with lions, elephant friezes and Trithankars,
has a monolithic shrine in the center . A double storeyed temple is excavated
into the rear side of the court. On the lower level is an unfinished Mandapa
comprising incomplete cells, the upper story has a similar columned mandapa
which is more complete, with a sanctuary in the middle of its rear wall. Among
the sculptures deserving special attention are ambika, the mother goddess, with
a child in her lap, a lion beneath and a huge tree above. Other panels depict
Lord Mahavira, Gommateshwara- son of Adinatha, the first Trithankara, and Parshwanatha
the second last Tirthankara. Paintings on the ceiling of the upper Mandapa show
couples and maidens flying through the clouds.
Cave 33 (Jagannath Sabha): This cave has five independent shrine, each
with a columned Mandapa and sanctuary built on two levels. Cave 34 : The last
in the series of Jain caves, this is a small sanctuary situated at the extreme
northern end. The shrine door is carved with figures of Matanga and Sidhaika,
on either side. A seated of Mahavira is housed in the center of the shrine.
Cave time : 9 .00 a.m. - 5.30 p.m.
Important :
The Ellora Caves are closed to the public on Mondays and National Holidays.
