Ellora Temple Pillar Carvings

Ellora Temples, hewn out of rock outside Aurangabad in Maharashtra, were built between the 5th and the 10 century AD. They are a World Heritage site. Ellora has 12 Buddhist, 17 Hindu and 5 Jain caves/temples. Here are some photographs of the carved and intricately designed sculpted pillars of some of the temples. 

These pillars were at one time painted and one can see the remnants of the paint on the pillar. It has a round shape at the top and broadens out into a rectangular shape at the bottom.

This large hall inside a temple shows how the pillars are placed. Some of the designs have got worn away (at the bottom of the pillars)

Here you can see the floral motifs on the pillars. There are long leaves falling down from the small flowers. Above that there is a design of some small figures enclosed  by a beaded semi-circle. The top of the pillars the designs are larger in size.

Here is an intricate design carved on a pillar of a temple at Ellora. Figures, floral motifs and

The next three photographs show the pillars from Kailashnath Temple at Ellora, the most magnificent temple of all the Ellora temples.

Here is a close-up of the pillar design. Figures of people in various poses, dancing figures and geometric designs can be seen.

This is a base of a large column at Kailashnath temple showing elaborate carvings with gods and goddesses as well as other motifs.

More images from Ellora: Kailashnath Temple at Ellora - Photos or Ellora Temples sculpted exteriors or for images of Ajanta Art and Ajanta Temples try the label "Ajanta" or "Ellora" to find images from each of these places, including designs and sculptures.

Ellora Temple Interiors

Ellora  Temples, built on a rock face outside the city of Aurangabad were carved out between the 5th and the 10 century AD, and are a World Heritage site. They consist of 12 Buddhist, 17 Hindu and 5 Jain caves/temples. These are photographs of the vast interiors of some of the temples. One can only imagine how magnificent they must have been all those centuries ago, when time had not eroded the stone and chipped away at the paint and artwork.

Here is a photograph of the inside of one of the biggest temples. It is a Hindu temple from the shrine at the end of the hall and the figurine of a goddess inside of it. 

This is another view of the same temple, with a closer look at the carved pillars. Most of the work has been eroded.

Here is a long corridor outside one of the temples. The columns or pillars can be seen to the left of the picture. A small staircase at the end of the corridor takes you to the upper floors of the temple.

Another interior of a temple at Ellora. Here the carvings and engravings on the pillars are still visible.

This is a place where the Buddhist monks used to live. It is a type of ancient dormitory. The rooms are small cubicles and some have a stone platform for sleeping. Some of the cubicles have no concrete bed. There are no windows.

This is an example of the stone/concrete bed, although this photograph was not taken in one of the above rooms, but at Ajanta.

More images from Ellora: Kailashnath Temple at Ellora - Photos or Ellora Temples sculpted exteriors or try the label "Ajanta"  or Ellora for  for images of Ajanta and Ellora Art and Ajanta and Ellora Temples.

Ellora Frescoes and Sculptures

Ellora Caves are a World Heritage site and comprise of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain caves. The photographs here are of sculptures and frescoes from different caves at Ellora, which is located near Aurangabad in Maharashtra, India. One of the most famous caves at Ellora, the Kailashnath cave, has been shown in another post, the link to which is below this post.

These Buddhist, Hindu and Jain rock cut temples were built close to each other and the time period of the caves ranges from the fifth to the tenth century A.D.

The frescoes and sculptures are of different gods and goddesses. Some of the images are erotic. Love was celebrated openly in those days, before the influence of Christianity and Islam on Hinduism.

You can see Buddha in the following pictures. There was a strong presence of bats in many of the caves and their droppings were all over the place.

The discolouration of the rock is due to time, but also due to bat and insect droppings.

Related Images: Kailashnath Temple at Ellora - Photos or Ellora Temples sculpted exteriors or Grafitti and defacement of Indian monuments

Or try the posts on Ajanta, which has a separate post on Buddha statues, as well as two posts on the cave paintings and murals at Ajanta.

Grafitti and defacement of Indian monuments

The first two pictures are examples of how miscreants have defaced the walls of the buildings of the ancient Red Fort at Agra, also called the Agra Fort.

This sculpture at Ellora may not seem to be defaced at first glance, but in actual fact it is, but no one wants to talk about it due to the embarrassment it creates. Some miscreants have fondled certain body parts, resulting in some shiny areas. This is prevalent at Ellora, this being just one amongst many female statues spoilt this way. I was surprised to see this amongst the female statues and felt that this fact must be known to all.

Related Images: Designs from the Red Fort Agra or Agra Fort or try the label "Ajanta" or Ellora.for photographs of ancient Indian sculptures.

Ellora Temples sculpted exteriors

Ellora Caves and temples were built between the 5th and the 10 century AD, and are a World Heritage site. They consist of 12 Buddhist, 17 Hindu and 5 Jain caves/temples. While many ancient temples in India were destroyed by Mughal invaders, the Ajanta and Ellora caves survived due to their remote location.

These photographs will give you an idea of what the Ellora caves look like from the outside. The ancient architects of these cave temples have done a fine job and these caves survive even after centuries of neglect. True, a few caves were damaged due to falling rocks. The surface has been eroded due to environmental forces, affecting many of the sculptures.
The first photo is a combination of two pictures and is the view of the Ellora caves to the right (if one is facing the caves)

This is the view to the left. It goes beyond just that ofcourse but all of it has not appeared in the photo.

This is a small temple in front of one of the caves. It is heavily sculpted with images of goddesses and animals and has other ornate decorations. It is a Hindu temple.

This is one of the cave temples with a Nandi in front of it. Nandi is the bull which the Shiva (a major Hindu deity) rides and is the gate keeper of Shiva and Parvati in Hinduism mythology. In Hinduism, both man and animal have equal status. Animals are not considered inferior. In fact many animals which are useful to humans are revered. This is a Shiva Temple at Ellora caves.

Below is a carved facade of a Buddhist temple at Ellora. There is a statue of Buddha in a meditation pose inside the temple.

The image below is of a second storey sculpted rock-face of a Buddhist shrine at Ellora.

The picture below gives an idea of how painstakingly the ancient artisans carved out the rock-face, decorating every inch of space, including the ceilings.

The piece of art you see below has frescoes on the temple walls. One can see images of Buddha as well as animals and women. Am not sure whether this is a Hindu or Buddhist temple.

More images from Ellora: Kailashnath Temple at Ellora - Photos or or simply click on the label Ellora.

For Ajanta: Paintings and Murals from Cave 1 of Ajanta or Ajanta Temple Paintings and Murals from Cave 2
Buddha statues, frescoes and sculptures at Ajanta Caves  or simply click on the label Ajanta.

For designs and art from different parts of the world try the label "Art"

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Kailashnath Temple at Ellora - Photos

Kailashnath Temple is the largest and most awesome of all the temples at Ellora.  Built in the 8th century at Ellora, near Aurangabad, in Maharashtra, it is one of the world's largest monolithic structures. It is named after the abode of Lord Shiva, whose abode is Mount Kailash. It "covers an area double the size of Parthenon in Athens...The construction of this cave was a feat of human genius – it entailed removal of 200,000 tonnes of rock, and took 100 years to complete. "

The temple is an example of the Rashtrakuta architecture and Dravidian Art. It is double storeyed, with carved roofs and pillars, and large statues and frescoes. It is a Hindu cave although Ellora has Buddhist and Jain caves as well.

In this first view you can see the overview of the temple and the massive rock face it has been carved out of. The tiny people give you a perspective on the sheer size of the rock-cut temple. But don't go by the front view. The temple stretches backwards and inwards, and is longer than it is broad and you will see that in the following photos.

As we get closer we see the carved and sculptured rock, the face of the temple. Yet, we cannot imagine what lies beyond.

It's only as one enters that we see the depth of the temple. The spectacle is amazing! To think that all of it was hewn out one piece of rock! Again, the tiny tourists give you an idea about the size of the temple.

The image below gives you a closer look at the carved stone temple. The designs, patterns and frescoes are clearly visible in the image.

The two photographs below show the remnants of the paint on the stone walls of the temple. The temple was fully painted, but now most of the paint has worn off from this ancient temple.

You can see the fading colours of the ancient temple of Kailashnath.

The temple has several sculptures of lions and elephants. In Hinduism animals are considered on par with humans. They are not thought to be inferior. The image below is the view you get immediately to the left of the entrance.

Below is a close-up of the stone frescoes on one of the walls of the Kailashnath Temple at Ellora. An ornately carved pillar is to the left of the photo.

Related Images: For more images from Ellora: Ellora Temples sculpted exteriors or or simply click on the label Ellora.
For Ajanta: Paintings and Murals from Cave 1 of Ajanta and Ajanta Temple paintings and murals from Cave 2 and Buddha statues, frescoes and sculptures at Ajanta Caves or or simply click on the label Ajanta.

If you are looking for designs and art from different parts of the world try the label "Art"