Along a two-kilometre basalt cliff outside Aurangabad, 34 rock-cut caves — carved between the 6th and 10th centuries — line the escarpment.
What makes Ellora unique is not just its scale but its plurality: 17 caves are Hindu, 12 Buddhist and 5 Jain, all cut side-by-side into the same living rock.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983.
Kailasa Temple — Sculpted Top-Down
Cave 16, the Kailasa Temple, is Ellora’s masterpiece and one of the great engineering feats of the ancient world. Commissioned in the 8th century by Rashtrakuta king Krishna I, it is a full-scale Hindu temple carved down from a single mass of rock.
The artisans began at the top of the cliff and worked downwards, removing an estimated 400,000 tonnes of stone. The result is a two-storey temple 30 metres tall, complete with courtyards, subsidiary shrines, gopurams and colossal elephant sculptures — all a single continuous stone.
Buddhist Chaityas and Viharas
The 12 Buddhist caves (Caves 1–12) are the earliest, dating from the 6th to 8th centuries. They range from simple monastic viharas (living quarters for monks) to grand ceremonial chaityas (prayer halls) with vaulted ceilings.
Cave 10, the Vishvakarma or Carpenter’s Cave, is Ellora’s only classic chaitya — its stone ceiling ribbed to imitate wooden beams.
Jain Serenity in the Last Caves
The five Jain caves (Caves 30–34) at the northern end of the complex are the latest, dating from the 9th–10th centuries. Their carving is finer and more restrained than the Hindu caves — the aesthetic of asceticism made stone.
The Indra Sabha (Cave 32) is the highlight, with painted ceilings, a monolithic tirthankara statue and delicate pillars.
Visiting
Ellora is a 30-km drive from Aurangabad, best combined with the nearby Ajanta Caves and Daulatabad Fort.
Closed on Tuesdays. Arrive at opening (6 am) for the best light on Kailasa. Wear comfortable shoes — the site involves considerable walking and some climbing.