Ellora Caves
| Ellora Caves | |
|---|---|
Location of Ellora Caves in India Ellora Caves (Maharashtra) | |
| Type | Monolithic caves |
| Location | Aurangabad district, Maharashtra, India |
| Coordinates | 20°01′36″N 75°10′38″E / 20.0268°N 75.1771°E |
| Area | Indian |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, iii, vi |
| Designated | 1983 (12th session) |
| Reference no. | 243 |
| UNESCO Region | Asia-Pacific |
The Ellora Caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Aurangabad, India. It is one of the largest rock-cut cave complexes in the world, with artwork dating from AD 600–1000, including Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain caves.[1][2] The complex is a leading example of Indian rock-cut architecture, and several are not strictly "caves" in that they have no roof. Cave 16 features the largest single monolithic rock excavation in the world, the Kailash temple, a chariot-shaped monument dedicated to the god Shiva. The Kailash temple excavation also features sculptures depicting various Hindu deities as well as relief panels summarizing the two major Hindu epics.
There are over 100 caves at the site, all excavated from the basalt cliffs in the Charanandri Hills, 34 of which are open to public.[3] These consist of 17 Hindu (caves 13–29), 12 Buddhist (caves 1–12) and 5 Jain (caves 30–34) caves,[4][5] each group representing deities and mythologies prevalent in the 1st millennium CE, as well as monasteries of each respective religion.[4] They were built close to one another and illustrate the religious harmony that existed in ancient India.[2][6] All of the Ellora monuments were built during the Rashtrakuta dynasty (r. 753-982 AD), which constructed part of the Hindu and Buddhist caves, and the Yadava dynasty (c. 1187–1317), which constructed a number of the Jain caves. Funding for the construction of the monuments was provided by royals, traders and the wealthy of the region.[3][7]
Although the caves served as temples and a rest stop for pilgrims,[5] the site's location on an ancient South Asian trade route also made it an important commercial centre in the Deccan region.[8] It is 29 km (18 mi) northwest of Aurangabad and about 300 km (190 mi) east-northeast of Mumbai. Today, the Ellora Caves, along with the nearby Ajanta Caves, are a major tourist attraction in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra and a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).[9]
- ^ Owen 2012, pp. 1–2.
- ^ a b "Ellora Caves". whc.unesco.org. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. 6 March 2008. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
These 34 monasteries and temples, extending over more than 2 km, were dug side by side in the wall of a high basalt cliff, not far from Aurangabad, in Maharashtra. Ellora, with its uninterrupted sequence of monuments dating from AD 600 to 1000.... a unique artistic creation and a technological exploit but, with its sanctuaries devoted to Hinduism....
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
asiintrowas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Lisa Owen (2012). Carving Devotion in the Jain Caves at Ellora. Brill Academic. pp. 1–10. ISBN 978-9004206298.
- ^ a b Norbert C. Brockman (2011). Encyclopedia of Sacred Places, 2nd Edition. ABC-CLIO. pp. 155–156. ISBN 978-1-59884-655-3.
- ^ Ancient India: Land Of Mystery. Lost Civilizations. Time Life. 1994.
- ^ Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam (ed.). India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 178 – via archive.org.
- ^ Pandit 2013.
- ^ "Ellora Caves". Retrieved 19 May 2012.