Ellora Caves Maharashtra India

Our Planet’s Landmarks Series #23

Ellora Caves Maharashtra India

As we drove from Mandu to Ellora, a lack of Ellora direction signboards concerned us. The 325-km stretch passes through AH47 and NH52. And throughout, Ellora was conspicuous by its absence on any gantry. But, trusting Google Maps, we continued regardless.

Even as we reached Ellora, we found it difficult to say we were there. It was late evening. We had found our hotel. That gave us confidence we had reached. But the mystery of missing signboards finally got resolved the next morning.

As we reached the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ellora Caves, we found the original name for the town was Verul. The British Era bastardised it to Ellora. Don’t ask me how!

My brush with Ellora Caves

Next morning, we made our way to the caves. The entrance gave us a glimpse of the crowds. And their diversity. Tourists, youth, villagers, school kids – they were all there. Reading the entrance signage I discovered it was a cluster of 34 caves spread across a 2-km rockface. Caves 1 to 12 are Buddhist, 13-29 are Hindu, and 30 to 34 are Jain. The caves complex dates back to between 600 and 1000 CE.

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Earlier times were no different than today. Art patronage came from the kings and rulers. It was beneath the stature for the king to do a detailed inspection of any project. Artists knew it. With that in mind, they created their best pieces of work closer to the grand entrance, a place the king would visit.

Kailasa Temple (Cave #16)

It was no different in Ellora. As we entered, the first cave in front of the grand entrance was Cave #16, also known as Kailasa Temple. It is one of the largest megalithic rock-cut Hindu temples in India. To excavate this temple, the artists removed 3 Million Cubic Feet of basalt. This rubble weighed a whopping 200,000 Tonnes.

Sheer conceptualisation and execution of this temple evokes awe. Here was a rock-cut temple chiselled from top down. Every one of its walls, columns, motifs, details, sculptures, carvings, bass reliefs. Almost over a period of 250 years.

The sanctum sanctorum of Kailasa temple is on the first floor. As I entered, I wondered how a cavernous hall had been hollowed out of a stone harder than granite!

More Ellora

I went around to see some more caves. Each cave had either a monastery or a temple. But despite the excellence of workmanship, I found the rest of the caves pale in front of the Kailasa Temple. Looking at these exquisite structures, a few questions bothered me.

I wondered who was the master planner. What method he used to pass the design and drawings over to 6 generations. Where did the excavated rubble go? And remember, here we are talking about 200,000 Tonnes of excavated stone. India’s architecture, structural engineering, and construction techniques were so advanced. Why had we lost that edge over the centuries?

I may not have the answers to these questions. But it is clear to me the Ellora Caves complex is one of our planet’s landmarks.

For more planet’s landmarks, click HERE

For Ellora Wikipedia listing, click HERE

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