Buddhist Caves
The sculptures in these Buddhist caves convey the nobility, grace and serenity that the Buddha possessed. Cave 6 and 10 have images from the Buddhist and Hindu faiths under the same roof. The Vishvakarma cave is both a Chaitya and a Vihara with seated Buddha in the stupa. Its double – storied structure support a colorful pageant of dwarfs who dance and play musical instruments. It was carved out of a solid rock to provide sanctuaries to Buddhist monks.

Kailasa Temple
The Kailasa temple in cave 16 is a masterpiece in itself. The entire structure was carved out of a single block of rock by hand and took over a century to complete. This recreation at the mountain-abode of Lord Shiva is the world’s largest monolith. Unlike other temples which are usually built form the base upwords, the sculptor or architect involved here sarted carving from the top and the sides. It is 50 meters in length, 33 meters wide and 30 meters high. The temple is a representation of Kailash, Lord Shiva’s home in mountains. The temple is decorated with carvings, sculptures, themes and incidents from the Puranas, Mahabharata, Ramayana and the adventures of Krishna. The temple is closed on Tuesdays.

Hindu Caves
Cave 15 is the finest Hindu Cave in Ellora. It has the Das Avatara (ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu) and the mesmerizing scene of Natraja and Shiva emerging from a lingam. The Ramesvara cave has figures of river goddesses on its entrance. The Dumar Lena cave resembles the great cave shrine at Elephanta and is dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Jain Caves
Among the Jain Caves, cave 32 is a beautiful shrine adorned with exquisite carvings of a lotus flower on the roof and an imposing yakshi seated on her lion under a mango-tree laden with fruit. The ceilings of this double storied cave are also decorated with paintings. While cave 32 and 34 contain grand statues of Parasnath, the other caves have the images of the Jain Trithankaras, and one of them also has a seated figure of Mahavira.