India 2018 (part VII): Ellora

Ellora, Maharashtra:

Kailasa Temple

From Mumbai I traveled to Aurangabad in central Maharashtra together with a friend. This city serves as an excellent base for visits to some of India’s most impressive sights – such as the world-famous Ellora Caves.

The Ellora Caves are one of the largest rock-cut temple complexes in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Dozens of unbelievable temples and caves were carved in a cliff of volcanic rocks between the 6th and 10th century AD. They were used by worshippers of Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism and feature truly incredible artwork! The most prominent structure is the Kailasa Temple (8th century AD), which constitutes the largest single monolithic rock excavation in the world. It’s a really stunning experience to walk around the site and wonder how it might have looked like centuries ago!

Kailasa Temple

ornaments

elephant sulptures

sculptures

Kailasa Temple

inside the Kailasa Temple

on the first floor

sculptures

Kailasa Temple

blocked path

Ellora Caves

Cave 2

Cave 5

statue of Lord Buddha

ornamented pillar

sculpture at Cave 6

Cave 9

entrance to Cave 10

Cave 10

Cave 11

sculpture in Cave 14

Cave 15

Kailasa Temple

Cave 21

sculpture at Cave 21

blocked path to caves 29-34

I can only recommend to travel here yourself, if you ever get the chance! We continued our journey to nearby Khuldabad where Aurangzeb, one of the greatest Mughal Emperors, is buried.