India : +91- 9910001555
UAE : + 96899844967
USA : +1 - 3035624600
Home » Buddhism Detinations in India » Ajanta and Ellora Caves
Ajanta and Ellora Caves
Art enthusiasts from across the globe tour Ajanta and Ellora Caves located near Aurangabad to the northeast of Mumbai. The caves of Ajanta and Ellora are considered as a Buddhist destination in India as it houses caves and temples related to Buddhism. Apart from the Buddhist cave temple, there are Jain and Hindu rock cut temples at Ajanta and Ellora.
The Caves of Ajanta and Ellora had been created by the Buddhist artisans and monks who decorated the caves with sculptures and paintings. Most of themes and motifs of the caves represent the life of Lord Buddha and his Avatar that has been carved in between the 2nd Century BC and 8th century AD.
Ajanta Caves :
The rock cut monuments of Ajanta dates back to the 2nd century BC; the paintings and sculpture are considered as masterpieces of Buddhist art and pictorial art. The Ajanta caves are about 4 kms from the village of Ajanta and 106 kms away from Aurangabad city. The River Waghur flows along the bottom of the ravine where is located the Ajanta caves. The Archeological Survey of India confirms 29 caves at Ajanta. The monastic complex of Ajanta caves comprises of two parts—viharas meaning monastic halls of residence and chaitya grihas meaning stupa monument halls. There are still differences about the classification of the caves according to the excavation and discovery phase of the caves, the first phase is known as Hinayana Phase and the second phase is knowsn as Mahayana Phase. The first phase of the caves has depictions of Buddha in the form of stupa or mound.
There are some special characteristics of caves of each phase. Those who have in-depth knowledge on different sects of Buddhism can understand easily the features of caves of each phase. Simply the caves of Ajanta have the murals and sculptures related to Buddhism.
Ellora Caves :
Ellora, a World heritage archeological site is about 30 kms from Aurangabad city. The caves of Ellora were built by the Rashtrakuta rulers. The monumental caves of Ellora represent the Indian rock-cut architecture. The total 34 caves of Ellora are excavated out of the face of the Charanandri hills. The caves comprises of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain rock cut temples and monasteries which were constructed in between the 5th and 10th century. Caves No 1 to 12 is categorized as Buddhist caves.
The Buddhist caves of Ellora are built between the 5th and 7th centuries. The caves are mainly large multi-storeyed monasteries which include living quarters, sleeping rooms, kitchens, and other rooms. Some of the monastery houses the shrines of Buddha, bodhisattvas and saints. The most famous cave is Cave no 10 which is known as Carpenter’s Cave. It houses a 15 feet high statue of Buddha. Among the 12 caves, 9 caves are monasteries.
India Buddhist tour itinerary covers the Ellora caves, the largest single monolithic excavation in the world. Art lovers tour Ajanta and Ellora to explore the architecture and paintings of an early period.