Far shot of Cave # 16- piece de resistance at Ellora
Far shot of Cave # 16- the piece de resistance at Ellora. They say that if you see only one cave at Ellora, make it this one- cave # 16. Carved out of a single rock and loosely called the Kailasa temple, this temple is one of its kind in the world. Dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, the temple is based on Shiva’s abode - Mt Kailash. This temple comprises the typical features of a Hindu temple namely: the sanctum which houses the lingam-yoni (Hindu phallic symbol used to represent Shiva), a space for circumambulation, an assembly hall, a gateway and various shrines based on the square pattern. Other shrines in the temple carved out of the same rock are dedicated to Hindu gods Vishnu, Saraswati, Ganga and other gods- Vedic as well as non-Vedic. The mandapa (main shrine) is supported by a Dravidian shikhara (temple tower) and16 pillars with a Nandi (bull- a standard feature outside all Shiva temples) sitting in front of the temple. It is believed that the artists had to move around 3 million cu ft stone weighing 200,000 tonnes to excavate the temple. The Kailasa temple was built by the Rashtrkuta king, Krishna I. Detailed notes about the Ellora caves appear elsewhere in this album. (see previous and subsequent pictures later in this album). (Ellora Caves, near Aurangabad, Maharashtra, Dec. 2022)
Far shot of Cave # 16- piece de resistance at Ellora
Far shot of Cave # 16- the piece de resistance at Ellora. They say that if you see only one cave at Ellora, make it this one- cave # 16. Carved out of a single rock and loosely called the Kailasa temple, this temple is one of its kind in the world. Dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, the temple is based on Shiva’s abode - Mt Kailash. This temple comprises the typical features of a Hindu temple namely: the sanctum which houses the lingam-yoni (Hindu phallic symbol used to represent Shiva), a space for circumambulation, an assembly hall, a gateway and various shrines based on the square pattern. Other shrines in the temple carved out of the same rock are dedicated to Hindu gods Vishnu, Saraswati, Ganga and other gods- Vedic as well as non-Vedic. The mandapa (main shrine) is supported by a Dravidian shikhara (temple tower) and16 pillars with a Nandi (bull- a standard feature outside all Shiva temples) sitting in front of the temple. It is believed that the artists had to move around 3 million cu ft stone weighing 200,000 tonnes to excavate the temple. The Kailasa temple was built by the Rashtrkuta king, Krishna I. Detailed notes about the Ellora caves appear elsewhere in this album. (see previous and subsequent pictures later in this album). (Ellora Caves, near Aurangabad, Maharashtra, Dec. 2022)