Ajanta and Ellora Caves Architecture

The Ellora and Ajanta caves are excellent examples of ancient rock-cut cave temples. They are located in Maharashtra, India, and are designated by UNESCO as one of the World Heritage Sites. These caves were constructed in two phases, and the gap was almost four centuries between them. The first phase of the construction of caves was done around 2nd century, while the second phase were constructed by the Vakatakas and the Guptas. These caves are also known for their exquisite paintings on the walls. The themes of these painting generally depicts the incidents from Buddha's life, Bodhisattvas and the Jatakas.

Ajanta Caves Architecture
Ajanta Caves were discovered 1819 by a British hunting party. Their origin can be traced to the second century B.C., and these caves were used for dwelling till 650 AD. The Ajanta caves are sculpted on the inner side of a valley along the Waghora river. It is made out of a granite rock and there are 30 caves, including the incomplete ones. The Ajanta Caves are a world famous heritage, known for their unique architecture and the abundance of sculptures and paintings.

The caves in Ajanta belong to the Hinayana and Mahayana sect, the two Buddhist schools. Of these the 9, 10, 12, 13 and 15A are Hinayana caves and the rest are Mahayana caves. Chaityas are the caves numbered 9, 10, 19, 26 and 29, whereas all the other 24 caves 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11-18, 20-25, 27 and 28 are viharas. Vihara caves were the worship halls and monasteries, and are embellished with Lord Buddha's various paintings and carvings.

Cave number 1 is situated at the eastern end of the horse shoe-shaped ravine. It is a vihara and the sacred place of pilgrimage, and in the cave enshrines an image of the Buddha in the dharamachakra pravartana mudra (the preaching pose). Next to it, is the cave number 2 which is notable for the beautiful depiction of Jataka tales. Cave number 16 is one of the biggest viharas and is well known for the decorative murals. It beautifully portrays the life of Sundari, wife of Nanda who was the half brother of Lord Buddha.

Ellora Caves Architecture
The construction of Ellora Caves stated from 5th century and continued till the 10th century. It was contributed by three major religions, i.e. Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism, who used the site to build their temples. There are 34 caves on this site, which are excavated out of the vertical face of the Charanandri hills.

Out of the 34 caves, cave numbers 1 to 12 are Buddhist, and were built between 5th century and 7th century. Cave number 10 was named as the Vishwakarma cave, after the architect of the Gods. Cave number 11 is known as Do Tal and 12 is called Teen Tal.

The Hindu caves were constructed during the Kalachuri and Rashtrakuta period, between 5th and the 10th century. These caves represent a very different and creative style of vision and execution skills. Of all the 17 Hindu caves (numbered 13 to 29), the most important one is cave number 16. It is also known as the Kailasha Temple which is carved out of a single piece of rock. It took around 100 years to complete this temple and because if its magnificent architecture, it appears like a free-standing Dravida type of a temple. The temple is an epitome of religious architecture and depicts the Hindu mythology and epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

The Jain caves numbered from 30 to 34 beautifully reveal specific dimensions of Jain philosophy and traditions. The most remarkable of these caves are the Chhota Kailash (cave number 30), the Indra Sabha (cave number 32) and the Jagannath Sabha (cave number 33).

Although the construction of the Ellora and Ajanta caves was highly contributed by the Buddhist monks, the followers of other religions like Hinduism and Jainism also played a very important role in it. The caves provided a serene and peaceful environment, and this site is one of the most outstanding rock-cut caves in India.