Ellora Caves
- Kushala
- Apr 7, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 30
I also visited the Ellora caves on my side trip.
The Ellora caves number over 100, with 34 of them open to the public. They represent multiple religions and are carved out of the same rock. Learn more about the Ellora caves on their Wikipedia page.
Our first stop was Cave 16, which may be the most famous. I found this website with lots of interesting facts about Cave 16. Check it out!
This famous site appears on the 20 rupee note.
Here's a close up of that tower.
One of the structures behind me is Kailasa temple. Remember, this was all carved from the same stone. Amazing!
Inside the Kailasa temple is a large Shiva Lingam.
Just outside the room where the Lingam is, there's a carving of the nine planets in the ceiling.
And a building with a platform perfect for meditation.
You may notice that most of the elephants trunks are cut off. The Mughal King Aurangzeb (in the same lineage of kings that built Bibi Ka Maqbara - see the post about that site) was a devout Muslim, and ordered the destruction of many Hindu temples and important sites. In 1682, King Aurangzeb hired 1000 workers to destroy the Kailasa temple. One of the signs of the destruction is the missing trunks on many of the elephants.
There is an elevated platform that runs around most of the massive structure of Cave 16. Many Hindu Gods and Goddesses are carved into the walls.
And there is a large carving of Kali in one of the many rooms in Cave 16.
And there were some wild monkeys hanging around. There aren't any wild monkeys in Ganeshpuri, just wild dogs and cats. Someone was tossing food to this monkey, which is why it was easy to snap a picture. Most of them are moving too quickly!
A panoramic view of the breathtaking Cave 16...
We moved on to a couple of other caves. This Cave has three floors. We didn't go in.
This Cave is a Buddhist cave.
It has excellent acoustics! We did some chanting and enjoyed the echo.
I'm quite grateful that I got to visit the Ellora Caves. There is so much more to explore there - I will certainly return!
Absolutely breathtaking! You look so neat in that meditation spot! Were you really able to meditate like that, sitting on the stones with people walking around?
Wonderful pics and explanation!!! What a stunning and interesting site both historically and culturally. And the chatting video is a nice gift to us. I’m enjoying listening to it again tonight. You’re right, the acoustics are good. And so are the chanters! I thought it was a pre-recorded track playing in the cave then recognized your voice!
when are you coming home?