Ellora Caves: A great communion of Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain rock-cut architecture

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Inside a Jain Cave in Ellora

Note: You can read my travelogue on the world famous Ajanta Caves here

Having already immersed myself in the spiritual and artistic wonders of the Ajanta Caves, I was all prepared for my next destination. Situated in the north-west of the city of Aurangabad and about 100 kilometres from Ajanta, Ellora is an UNESCO World Heritage Site that represents the epitome of rock-cut architecture in India. Ellora is one of the major tourist attractions in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra and is protected under the Archaeological Survey of India. The site has a total of 34 caves which are essentially structures excavated out of the vertical face of the Charanandri hills. There are 12 Buddhist (caves 1–12), 17 Hindu (caves 13–29) and 5 Jain (caves 30–34) caves. While the Buddhist and Brahmanical group of caves are built by the Rashtrakuta dynasty, the Jain group of caves are built by the Yadavas. As per the estimates, the Buddhist, Hindu and Jain rock-cut temples and viharas and mathas were built between the 5th century and 10th century. The Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain caves, built in proximity, are a testament to the religious harmony and tolerance prevalent at the time.

Ajanta Caves: One of the finest specimens of the Indian rock-cut architecture

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Note: You can read my travelogue on the world famous Ellora Caves here

Travel has always fascinated mankind. It caters both to the senses as well as the intellect. There is no denying that theoretical knowledge is important. But, bookish knowledge can only take us so far in our quest to unravel the mysteries of the world. The following quotation, taken from the Holy Quran, underlines the importance of travel in understanding the world we live in: “Don’t tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you have travelled.” India is a land of such incredible cultural diversity that traveling the entire length and breadth of it is no less remarkable feat than traveling across one whole continent. India’s rich diversity is beautifully summed up by the famous Hindi adage “Kos kos par badle paani, char kos par vani” which says that such is the multifariousness of our country that the taste of water changes after one mile while the language of people changes after four.