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Buddhist
Caves
The
sculptures in these Buddhist caves represents the dignity, elegance
and tranquillity that the Buddha have. Cave 6 and 10 have images from
the Hindu and Buddhist faiths under the same roof. The Vishvakarma cave is both a Vihara and a Chaitya and a Buddha is
seated in the stupa in the cave. Its double - storied structure
support a colorful procession 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 is in cave 16. It is a masterpiece in itself. The
whole structure was carved out of a single block of rock by hand and
took over a century to complete. One of the largest monoliths of the
world is the amusement at the mountain-abode of Lord Shiva. Unlike
other temples which are generally built form the base upwards, the
architect or sculptor involved here started carving from the sides and
top. It is 50 meters in length, 33 meters wide and 30
meters high. The temple represents Kailash, Lord Shiva's home in
mountains. The temple is ornamented with sculptures, themes, incidents
and carvings from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas, and the
adventures of Krishna. The temple is closed on Tuesdays.
Hindu
Caves
Cave 15 is the best Hindu Cave in Ellora. It has the Das Avatara
(ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu) and the amazing scene of Shiva and
Natraja emerging from a lingam. At the entrance of the Ramesvara Cave,
figures of river goddesses is situated. The Dumar Lena cave resembles
the great cave temple at Elephanta and is devoted to Lord Shiva.
Jain Caves
Among the Jain Caves, cave 32 is a beautiful temple decorated with
wonderful statues of a lotus flower on the roof and a magnificent
yakshi seated on her lion under a mango-tree laden with fruit. The
ceilings of this double storied cave are also ornamented with
paintings. While cave 32 and 34 contain large statues of Parasnath,
the other caves have the images of the Jain Trithankaras, and one of
them also has a seated figure of Mahavira.
Aurangabad Caves
The caves are situated 9 Kms from Aurangabad city, near Bibi Ka
Maqbara. The temple carved between the 6th and 8th century A.D.
Bibi Ka Maqbara
Built in 1679 by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, this mausoleum is just
8 Kms from Aurangabad. The tomb was built by Aurangzeb in memory of
his wife Rabia-ud-Durrani.
Panchakki (Water Mill)
The Panchakki dates back to the Mughal period was built to commemorate
a Muslim saint Baba Shah Muzzafar. Built in 1624 A.D, the mill
deriving its name from a mill functioned by water power for grinding
corn.
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