Home to some of the finest rock-cut caves in India, Ellora is an archeological site, lying 30 km from Aurangabad city in Maharashtra. Ellora is a World Heritage Site renowned for its monumental caves built by the Rashtrakutas. Indianholiday offers online guide on Tour to Ellora Caves in India.
Enlisted among the World Heritage Sites recognized by UNESCO, Ellora (original local name Verul), features exemplary specimens of Indian rock-cut architecture. The 34 Ellora caves carved out of the vertical face of the Charanandri hills included Buddhist, Hindu and Jain cave temples and monasteries. Built between the 5th and 10th centuries, the Ellora caves represent the religious harmony that existed in India during that period.
A Tour to Ellora will introduce you to the 12 Buddhist caves (caves 1-12), 17 Hindu caves (caves 13-29) and 5 Jain caves (caves 30-34) in Ellora. Among the major attractions on Tour to Ellora in Maharashtra, the Buddhist Caves, built during the 5th to 7th centuries, were among the earliest structures in Ellora. Consisting mainly of viharas or monasteries, these Buddhist caves house shrines including carvings of the Buddha, bodhisattvas and saints.
The important Buddhist caves in Ellora include Cave No. 10, Cave No. 11 and cave No. 12. Cave 10 or Vishwakarma Cave is popularly referred as the Carpenter's cave. Cave 11 (Do Tal) and Cave 12 (Teen Tal) are both three-storied structures.
On your Tour to Ellora, you will also visit the Hindu caves built in the beginning of the 7th century. The most important Hindu cave in Ellora is Cave No. 16 or the Kailasha Temple. Carved out of a single piece of rock, this magnificent architectural splendor looks like a multi-storied Dravidian temple complex. The temple is richly adorned with sculptures from Hindu mythology and the legendary epics - the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The temple is designed to recall Mount Kailash, the abode of Lord Shiva.
Your Ellora Tour will remain incomplete unless you visit the Jain caves that reveal certain particular aspects of Jain philosophy and tradition. Though these caves are not as monumental as the other caves in Ellora, yet they showcase exceptionally intricate art works.
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