A Novice's visit to Aurangabad

Aurangabad the city of caves and dream places for us. From mumbai we started by train. CBD Belapur-> Thane -> Lok Manya Tilak Terminus. anyway own transport will help yoou in lot of many cases. plan accordingly. -> Aurangabad. 

.Surprisingly the food in aurrangabad is good ;). for accommodation without booking also we can manage but pre booking rooms are advised. from shared rooms(Rs.150 per night) to good decent hotels ( Rs.1500 per night). any way we managed to stayed in Great Punjab hotel (near to the Aurangabad Railway stating). there are number of autowalas are available at the affordable rate. just a little plan and curiosity will help u some god time in aurangabad. so first we begin with Ellora. (informations based on the site visit and from ASI)

Ellora know as verul has been a place of pilgrimage since ancient times. the 34 caves at ellora were excavated over a period of 600 years from the 5th century AD to the 11th century ADD. Extending in a linear arrangement, there excavations comprise buddhist shrines and monasteries caves 1-2 located at the southernmost end of the site; the hindu temples (cave 13-29(, occupying the central portion, and the jain temples (caves 30-34) at the northernmost end.

the mist remarkable excavation at ellora is that of the magnificent kailasa temple (cave 16), which is the largest monolithic structure in the world.

In the buddhist caves, are sculpted figures of lord buddha Bodhisattvas and the pantheon of buddhist divinities embellished with medallions, ornamental scrolls and floral motifs. the art of sculpture reaches its zenith in the hindu caves, where larger then life images of various deities(cave 15) LIKE SHIVA, VISHNU, along with other gods and goddesses exude vigor and the dynamic energy of divine beings. the jain caves are decorated with sculptures of mahavira, the founder of jainism and tirthankaras( the saints worshiped by the jains). Fragments of paintings, depicting celestial beings and couples flying through the clouds, reveal the wealth of visual imagery which must have once adorned these caves.

when you enter the first cave will face is cave 16;

the kailasha is a great monolithic rock cut temple isolated from the surrounding rock and excavated from top to bottom and scooped out all through from outside to inside. it is said that ten generations worked for it and took more than 200 years for its completion. the temple was planned and begun under the rastrakuta kind dantidurga(735-757 AD) and the major work went on in the reign of Krishna I(757-773 AD) the artistic activities of kalasha were carried out in the several phases and spread over many regins of the rastrakuta rulers. this cave is locally known as kailasha, the adobe of siva the patron deity of the temple. kailasha is temple complex, with all essential elements of temple, including main shrine nandi shrine, gateway, surrounding cloisters and subsidiary shrines. the temple is richly carved with niches, pilasters, windows and cornices. the whole temple is decorated with gigantic images of deities, amorous couples, friezes of epic scenes along fauna, floral and geometrical designs. after completion of the temple there is evidence of renewed plaster and painting in about 9th-11th centuries AD.

various sculpture carved here in the temple are not there by ancient, but by deliberate design. every sculpture has a meaning and a purpose. the two elephants and free standing pillars of victory in courtyard reflect Rashtrakuta supremacy and power. the figures of Sankhanidhi, padma-nidhi and the panel of gajalaxmi in courtyard symbolize their prosperity. while the figures of river goddess ganga, yamuna, saraswati, symbolize the purity, devotion and knowledge respectively. the enormous animals supporting the superstructure of kailasha show thre great importance given for the animal world in the hindu mythology, the whole temple complex is surrounded by a raised pillar corridor decorated with huge panesl of mythological stories.

the main temple is called as Rang-Mahal(paineted-palace) because after its completion, the temple was plastered and painted. rang-mahal is rectangular on plan. the 7 meter high plinth is decorated with life size elephants and mythical animals and friezes illustrating two great epics, ramayana and mahabharata. the main temple has a vadya mandapa, nandi mandapa, a pillared hall an antechamber and a small sanctum surrounded by five subsidiary shrines(panchayatana). the ceilings of the sanctum, antechamber and the hall have pendentive rosettes, goddess anna-purna and dancing siva respectively. the whole temple is also decorated with beautiful paintings.

lankeshvara temple carved on northern corridor is dedicated to lord siva. the temple consists a pillared hall, an antechamber sanctum and nandi shrine. on the parapet wall outside is a frieze of amorous couples carved in bass relief. the pillars and walls are decorated with a number of interesting panels. the sanctum houses a lingsa and the back wall is carved with maheshmurthi in low relief. 

CAVE 21 - RAMESHVARA

This cave temple locally known as "rameshvara" is dedicated to lord shiva. excavated in 7th century A.D., with a raised platform, it has a courtyard and hall consisting sculptured pillars on both sides of sanctum containng a siva-linga inside. the nandi platform, which is in the middle of the courtyard, is massive and decorated with figures of god and goddess. the richly carved pillars and pilasters support the beautigul facade. on the outside of the parapet wall a long frieze of elephants and amorous couples are carved with great beauty and rich imagination. a panel of river goddess execcuted outside the cave is really a masterpiece of ellora art. elaborately carved doorframe with floral decoration, guarded by massive figures and sculptured chapels is the main attraction of this cave. the sculptured chapels consisting of a number of figures of gods and goddess in hindu mythology reveal religious and social aspects of ancient india.

CAVE 14- RAVANA SHAKING THE KAILASHA 

the cave is locally known as "ravan ki khal" because of the sculputre of rvana shaking the kailasha a popular theme at ellora. this cave temple was probably dedicated to sakti cult. the sidewalls of the hal are scooped into several compartments containing the sculptured compositions of hindu mythology. the sanctum is separated from the backwall by a circumambulatory passage, openning into a hypostylar hall. the sanctum door is flanked by flywhisk-bearers, gigantic guards and river goddesses respectively. the disposition of the panels shown vaishnava theme on one side and saiva theme on the other showing religious harmony. the wall of the hall also contains a panel of seven-divine-mothers. the emphasis of female divinities suggests prevalence's of sakti worship.

CAVE 10 - CHAITYA GRIHA - CARPENDER CAVE

The double storied buddisht catherdrai-cum-monastery the only chaitya griha at ellora cave is stylistically and palaeographically datable to 7th century A.D. it is a beautiful creation of artists, who have copied the contemporary wooden constructions in cave architecture. the most remarkable feature is the music gallery(upper floor) and the beautiful carved facade. the facade is decorated with a number of frizes of animals, coupies and beautifully carved window, which allows light to in the cave.it contains of a large courtyard with a double storeyed apartments on both sides and an apaidal pillared hall on a raised platform.  the spacious hall apsidal on plan, has thirty pillars arranged in a elongated apse. the object of worship is a seated image of preaching buddha flanked by two bodhisttvas and celestial couples all carved against the stupa, which serves as a ornamental background. the drum of the stupa is also decorated with panels of buddha and bodhisttavas. the ribbed vault gives an echo effect a the hall when a person standing at one end of the columns of the nava create any sound.  

the upper floor is approached y a flight of steps cut in to the sidewall of varandah, it is possible that from this music gallery, background, and music was provided to te monks, chanting mantas below. it may also have been used for seating important visitors during prayers