Ellora caves
| Ellora caves | |
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UNESCO world heritage 
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| Partial view of the Ellora Caves |
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| National territory: |
 India
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| Type: | Culture |
| Criteria : | (i) (iii) (vi) |
| Reference No .: | 243 |
| UNESCO region : | Asia and Pacific |
| History of enrollment | |
| Enrollment: | 1983 (session 7) |
The Ellora Caves in the state of Maharastra are - along with those of Ajanta - one of the most visited attractions in India . Since 1983 the complex of 34 counts Buddhist , Hindu and Jain cave temples for UNESCO - World Heritage Site .
location
The Ellora Caves are located about 30 km northwest of Aurangabad and can be easily reached from there by bus or taxi. Unlike the remote Ajanta Caves, which were abandoned as early as the 7th or 8th centuries, two trade routes crossed in Ellora - one in a north-south and the other in an east-west direction; The place was thus easily accessible for both traders and pilgrims and offered a variety of distractions through spectacular architecture with rich sculptural decorations, religious ceremonies and semi-religious festivals. Dealers, craftsmen and sales stalls of all kinds settled in the immediate vicinity, so that the forecourt of the caves used to resemble a festival area.
history
The entire complex was carved out of a 2 km long basaltic rock wall running from southeast to northwest as part of the Deccan architecture between the 5th and 11th centuries AD - that is, comparatively late compared to other cave monasteries . This rock face, with its overhangs and small natural caves, offered early hermits or small groups of monks protection and refuge in times of heavy monsoon rains ; In addition, she kept her back free in the event of attacks by wild animals ( tigers ) or predatory bandits. The vital water was collected in natural rock pools, later also in artificially created cisterns.
As the number of monks increased, so did the gifts, foundations and pilgrimage gifts. More and more new buildings were erected first by wandering stonemasons, but later by local stonemasons, and they were increasingly decorated with sculptures and paintings. With the advance of Islam and the associated blockade or relocation of trade routes, the heyday of Ellora ended.
Cave temple
All of the buildings were painstakingly carved out of the extremely hard rock with an inclined drive from top to bottom. The work of the sculptors probably began only after the architectural work was largely completed. The buildings are numbered from southeast to northwest and are divided into a Buddhist (No. 1–12, approx. 400–800 AD), a Hindu (No. 13–29, approx. 600–900 AD). and a Jain group (Nos. 30–34, approx. 800–1100 AD). Only the most important caves are described below:
Buddhist caves
- Vihara Cave (1)
The completely unadorned and column-free residential cave ( Vihara ) with its large, almost square common room and eight small adjacent cells may date from the 4th century and served the early monastic community as accommodation and meditation room. Walls and ceiling are only roughly hewn - traces of plaster and paint are not visible. No ornament or figurative representation distracted from the meditation; the silence and the charisma of the room are still impressive today. With a decreasing number of monks in later times, it could also have been used as a storage room and / or hostel for wealthy traders or pilgrims. The left wall has no cells, but a small double-arched niche, which perhaps served to hold an oil lamp; further holes with stone bars were probably used to tie up curtains, hanging lamps or other objects. The niche and pier holes surely come from a later time, when the cave was used as a pilgrimage hostel.
- Vihara Cave (5)
The largest vihara of the Buddhist group - in terms of its area - with a total of 20 cells probably dates from the 5th or 6th century and is divided into three parts by a large number of lateral supports. The supports are something in between square pillars (base zone) and round columns with pumpkin or pillow-shaped capitals ( amalakas ). In the large main room, parallel to the rows of columns, two low rows of platforms run towards the large niche in the rear wall; the pedestals were used as tables for the bowls during the morning meals (the only ones during the day) or as a shelf for the writings of the monks sitting on the ground during religious instruction in the afternoon. The shrine, which was formerly closed by two wooden door leaves, with a Buddha image seated in a European posture ( bhadrasana ) is framed by two guardian figures representing the Bodhisattvas Padmapani (left) and Vajrapani (right). On both sides of the teaching Buddha are servants with flywags ( chamaras ) in their hands, which refer to the princely origins of Siddharta Gautama and to his outstanding religious position as an enlightened man . The upper body of the Buddha - with the exception of the right shoulder - is covered by a wafer-thin stone robe ( sanghati ).
- Chaitya Cave (10)
The only cult Chaitya Hall in Ellora from the 5th or 6th century has an open courtyard area and three entrances. The facade, completely carved out of the rock, has two floors; a balcony in front of the upper part is supported by columns on the ground floor. At both levels there are - atypically - also small cells, the actual function of which (abbots, guard rooms or storage rooms) is not clear. From a door of the balcony there is a beautiful view of the interior of the room , which is divided into three naves by octagonal pillars (without base and capital), with its barrel vault , which is apparently supported by rafters and a continuous ridge purlin. Above the row of pillars runs a richly decorated architrave with a large number of seated Buddhas accompanied by servants; underneath is a surrounding frieze with ganas making music and dancing - an element taken from Hinduism. In the aisles, pilgrims were able to perform the religious walk ( pradakshina ) of the stupa in the apse with a picture of Buddha in front of them. The inner circumference - combined with touching the stupa - was probably reserved only for monks and other high-ranking people. The Buddha depicted in the European sitting posture and in the teaching gesture ( dharmachakramudra ) is accompanied by two guardian bodhisattvas and spanned by an arch with celestial beings ( apsaras ) wearing garlands . A richly embroidered stone ceiling hangs down from the throne seat carried by lions, an ancient sovereign and at the same time apotropaic (disaster-warding) symbol. The stupa itself is divided into several sections and is crowned by a stone fence ( harmika ) that once surrounded or carried a wooden umbrella ( chhatra ) , which has now been lost .
- Vihara Cave (12)
Cave 12 is a three-storey residential cave ( vihara ) with a façade devoid of decoration but still impressive due to its architecture. In contrast to the Chaitya halls with their columns, the levels are supported by mighty pillars with a square cross-section. There are simple monk cells in the side walls of the two lower floors, which are largely devoid of decoration. The upper floor has no cells, but a rich program of figures; The rooms were probably originally plastered and painted, because there are several small hollows in the floor that may have been used as a mortar to mix the colors. The Buddha figure in the shrine in the back wall is flanked by several smaller Buddha figures with passive meditation ( dhyanamudra ) or active teaching gestures ( dharmachakramudra ) - behind the meditating Buddhas there are trees as an indication of the loneliness of the forest, behind the teaching Buddhas there are umbrellas.
Hindu caves
- Hindu Temple (14)
The so-called Ravana Cave , which has remained unfinished and is consecrated to Shiva, is richly decorated with wall reliefs. One shows the demon Ravana shaking the holy mountain Kailash , the residence of Shiva and Parvati in the Himalayas, from below . Further wall reliefs show Shiva - accompanied by musicians and heavenly beings - as the god of dance ( nataraja ) as well as the 'seven mothers' ( sapta matrikas ), which are deeply anchored in popular belief and thus very popular in large parts of India . Another relief shows the god Vishnu in his boar incarnation ( varaha ) as he lifts the earth in the form of the goddess Bhudevi from the depths of the primeval ocean on one of his arms . Also Durga is - as usual - presented as Töterin the buffalo demon. The not yet smoothed floor of the main room is littered with hollows for mixing stucco and colors.
- Double temple (15)
Two temples dedicated to the god Shiva lie on an elevated position and can only be reached via an 80-step staircase. The older one - designed in the manner of a vihara and only slightly decorated - is driven into the rear rock wall, the other stands free in front of it, was completely carved out of the rock and is designed much more elaborately outside and inside. In the sanctum ( garbhagriha ) of both temples there is a lingam , in the entrance area of the older temple there is a stone Nandi bull. Wall reliefs show Shiva in the pillar of fire, as the annihilator of the demon Andhaka , as Nataraja and as the bridegroom of Parvati. But Vishnu can also be seen - as Varaha and sitting on the sun eagle Garuda as the savior of an elephant threatened by demons ( gajendramoksha ).
- Kailasa Temple (16)
The Shiva dedicated Kailasa Temple (or Kailasanatha Temple ) of Ellora is the most impressive temple in Ellora. At the same time, it is considered the largest rock temple in India.
- Cave Temple (21)
One of the most impressive Hindu buildings in Ellora is the cave temple No. 21, also consecrated to Shiva and richly decorated with reliefs. Shiva's mount ( vahana ), the Nandi bull, rests on a pedestal in front of the temple . Inside the temple there are several large-format figure reliefs, including Shiva as Nataraja, Shiva and Parvati, the 'Seven Mothers' ( sapta matrikas ), Durga as the slayer of the buffalo demon ( mahisasurmardini ) and the like. a. A - comparatively small - Shiva lingam stands in the center of a multi-articulated, approximately 1 m high and exceptionally round yoni .
Jain caves
- Temple Cave (32)
The Jaina Caves are about 500 m from the other caves. The two-storey cave no.32 with its forecourt, in which - on both sides of a small temple - an elephant and a pillar of honor ( stambha ) hewn out of the rock , is to be seen in its entirety as a scaled-down replica of the Kailasa temple. With its rich, almost baroque-looking figure and fresco decorations, it is one of the highlights of Ellora and is dated to the 9th century.
On the side walls on the ground floor there are two large Tirthankara images: on the left Parshvanata protected by snakes ( nagas ) and attacked by terrifying demons ( asuras ); right Bahubali / Gomateshvara in motionless meditation, so that plants climb up his legs (cf. also Shravanabelgola ). The ceiling of the upper floor shows an extraordinarily three-dimensional lotus blossom , which is considered a symbol of purity, perfection and wisdom in all Indian religions. In the main niche in the back wall, Mahavira sits on a lion throne; He is the 24th and last Tirthankara and is considered - as a possibly historical person - as a contemporary of Buddha and as the actual founder of Jainism. Traces of paint can still be seen on the walls, pillars and some figures, which indicates that the entire temple was once richly painted.
meaning
The temple cave complex of Ellora with its juxtaposition of Buddhist, Hindu and Jainist rock temples and caves is undoubtedly one of the most impressive monuments of Indian art and architecture.
See also
literature
- Dietrich Seckel : Art of Buddhism. Becoming, wandering and changing. Holle, Baden-Baden 1962
- KV Soundara Rajan: Cave Temples of the Deccan. Archaeological Survey of India , New Delhi, 1981
- Herbert Plaeschke and Ingeborg Plaeschke: Indian rock temples and cave monasteries . Köhler & Amelang, Leipzig 1982 [on Ajanta and Ellora]
- Alistair Shearer: The Traveller's Key to Northern India. A Guide to the Sacred Places of Northern India. Harrap Columbus, London 1987 pp. 82ff ISBN 0-7471-0010-1
- Andreas Volwahsen, Henri Stierlin (ed.): India - buildings of the Hindus, Buddhists and Jains. Taschen-Verlag, Cologne o. JS 140f ISBN 3-8228-9532-6
- Carmel Bergson: Ellora - Concept and Style. Abhinav-Publications, New Delhi 1992 ISBN 81-7017-277-2
- Bernd Rosenheim: The world of the Buddha. Early Buddhist Art Sites in India . Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 2006 ISBN 3-80533-665-9
Web links
- Ellora Caves - Plans + photos (English)
- Ellora Caves - Photos and information (English)
- Ellora caves - photos + information ( ASI , English)
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 20 ° 1 ′ N , 75 ° 11 ′ E
Cultural heritage: Ajanta Rock Temple (1983) | Ellora Cave Temple (1983) | Red Fort in Agra (1983) | Taj Mahal (1983) | Konarak Sun Temple (1984) | Mahabalipuram Temple District (1984) | Churches and Monasteries of Goa (1986) | Khajuraho Temple District (1986) | Temple District of Hampi (1986) | Mughal city of Fatehpur Sikri (1986) | Pattadakal Temple Complex (1987) | Elephanta Caves (1987) | Great Temples of the Chola Dynasty (1987) | Buddhist shrine near Sanchi (1989) | Humayun's Mausoleum (1993) | Qutb Complex (1993) | Mountain Railways in India (1999) | Mahabodhi Temple of Bodhgaya (2002) | Bhimbetka Caves (2003) | Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (2004) | Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park (2004) | Red Fort in Delhi (2007) | The Jantar Mantar in Jaipur (2010) | Mountain Fortresses of Rajasthan (2013) | Rani Ki Vav (2014) | The architectural work of Le Corbusier : Capitol Complex in Chandigarh (2016) | Nalanda Mahavihara Archaeological Site (2016) | Old City of Ahmedabad (2017) | Victorian Gothic and Art Deco ensembles in Mumbai (2018) | Old City of Jaipur (2019)
Natural heritage: Kaziranga National Park (1985) | Manas Wildlife Sanctuary (1985) | Keoladeo National Park (1985) | Sundarbans National Park (1987) | Nanda Devi National Park and Valley of Flowers National Park (1988) | Western Ghats (2012) | Great Himalaya National Park (2014)
Cultural / natural heritage: Kangchenjunga National Park (2016)