Maharashtra is a place where you will find wonderful art pieces, some are hundreds of years old!
One such famous collection of art pieces is the Ellora caves in Aurangabad. Located near Aurangabad, the caves of Ellora are a fine specimen of architecture, containing sculptures from Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain belief systems.
There are in total 34 caves in Ellora with sculptures in these caves dating between the 6th and 11th centuries.
Cave 16 contains the most popular sculpture in Ellora, the life-size structure of Lord Shiva in his abode at Kailash. Here you will experience Lord Shiva in his full glory with all his accomplices serving the lord. Also known as the temple of Kailash, the structure is twice the size of the Greek pantheon. The Kailash Temple holds the record for being one of the single largest monolithic Rock sculptures excavated in human history.
Another famous cave is cave number 10 which is a Buddhist cave containing a 15-foot statue of Lord Buddha. This cave is also known as the carpenter's cave because of its wooden finish. The Jain caves depict various stories of Jainism and contain intricately carved sculptures of Yaksha and Yakshi and other Jain gods and goddesses.
Cave number 32 is another cave that is worthwhile seeing. It contains a magnificent image of Indra in a dancing position. The detailing of the 8 and 12 arms of Indra will leave you awe-struck. These arms represent the various dancing poses of Indra.
The other caves contain various sculptures of Lord Vishnu, Goddess Saraswati, Ganga, Agni, Varun, Surya Dev, and other Hindu gods. The exquisite artistry of these sculptures surprises many modern-day artists as all the sculptures in these caves have been made only using hammer and chisel.
The magnificent sculptures were made by Buddhists, Jain and Hindu monks who used these caves as stoppage points during their pilgrimage journeys. The nearest city to Ellora caves is the city of Aurangabad which is only 27 km from Ellora. State transport, as well as private buses, ply between Aurangabad and Ellora caves, you could also hire a cab to Ellora from Aurangabad. The Aurangabad railway station is the nearest railway station from Ellora caves. There is a domestic airport in Aurangabad which is well connected with other Indian cities.
Come let's explore Ellora where you will get a glimpse of the architectural prowess of ancient Indian artists.
Ellora Caves, Aurangabad Timings: 8:00 A.M to 5:30 P.M.
Ellora Caves, Aurangabad Entry Fees: INR 40 for Indian nationals and INR 600 for foreign nationals
