Ellora Caves- What’s There for You!!

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Ellora Caves- Whats There for You!!

• www.ticketgoose.com

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• Dating back to the 6th century, exquisite and
  impressive structures of cave temples of
  Buddhists, Hindus, and Jains were constructed in
  the Aurangabad- Chalisgaon highway, located at a
  distance of 30km from Aurangabad Verul Leni also
  known as Ellora Caves.
• Ellora, the UNESCO World Heritage Site inspires
  everyone with its rock-hewn temple architects
  around the world.
• To be surprising enough, this place is visited
  the most during monsoons because of the lush
  environs and the pleasant weather making the look
  astounding.

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Its History

• When the Ajanta Caves were abandoned and when
  Buddism was declining and a new religion,
  Hinduism had taken its vibe, the construction of
  Ellora Caves had started that was carved out of
  the vertical face of the Charanandri Hills
  somewhere between the 6th and the 10th century.
• It was during the 700 AD when Shaivism was at a
  peak, the Chalukya Kings had built the Kailasa
  Temple in the Ellora which was further switched
  to the Digambara sect of the Jains where the last
  period of construction began in the tenth
  century.
• So, Ellora has been in the hands of three
  different religions Buddhism, Hinduism, and
  Jainism.

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What to see here

• There are a total of 34 caves, amongst which 12
  are Buddhist caves that are called as Vishwakarma
  caves, 17 Hindu caves, and 5 Jain caves.
• Except for the tenth cave, all the other caves
  are used as a place for communal rituals, study,
  and meditation.
• Of the 34 caves, the most prominent ones are

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• Cave2- This cave is a large chamber supported by
  12 pillars lined with the sculptures of Buddhas.
• The doorway is bounded by a muscular Padmapani
  and a bejeweled Maitreya who is known as the
  Future Buddha.
• Cave5- Known as the Maharwada Cave as it was used
  by the local tribes of Mahar as shelter during
  monsoon.

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• Cave11- known as the Do Thal or Two Floors where
  one can get to see two floorings with the shrine
  of Buddha and sculptures of Durga and Ganesh,
  indicating that this cave was later transformed
  by the Hindus.
• Cave15- is called as the Das Avatara Cave as one
  can see the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu on
  its walls.

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• Cave16- This is not a cave but a temple carved
  from a solid rock that is dedicated to Lord
  Shiva. It was constructed to represent Kailash,
  the abode of Lord Shiva.
• Thus, with so natural and ancient, this place has
  to be in your travel bucket.