{"id":11964,"date":"2023-02-15T11:21:18","date_gmt":"2023-02-15T05:51:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/viewsonnewsonline.com\/?p=11964"},"modified":"2023-02-21T12:03:49","modified_gmt":"2023-02-21T06:33:49","slug":"ultimate-majesty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/viewsonnewsonline.com\/ultimate-majesty\/","title":{"rendered":"Ellora caves and temple: The ultimate majesty"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
By Journey Man<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Kailasa temple of Ellora and its adjacent caves and temples for a World Heritage Site, but technologically it is also a wonder. It has still not been found how such an array of brilliant temples could be carved out of sheer rock, digging downwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ellora is situated about 15 miles north-west of Aurangabad. It is known to the world for its wonderful cave temples in the hills which are about a mile to its east. These cave temples, which were long concealed from view by the engulfing jungle, are now among India’s top tourist destinations that few visitors are likely to skip. They are officially listed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO. While the construction surrounding this magnificent architecture is still a mystery, historians believe that it dates back to 756 to 773 CE and was built by Rachtrakuta king Krishna I. Although, no details about the ruler have been documented anywhere and thus hasn’t been found to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, what is known is the fact that the architecture of the temple which is dedicated to Lord Shiva represents the top of Mount Kailash, the Himalayas which is also considered to be his abode. Not just this, but the method construction of the cave too was something that separates this temple from others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kailasa Temple was constructed upside down and since there were no cranes, the army of men with hammers and chisels made their way vertically into 200,000 tonnes of rock. Standing at almost three storeys tall, the main temple complex, Shikhara is a sight to behold. With individual shrines, large statues and free-standing pillars, the artisans added intricate designs and sculpture details as they descended from one storey to another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Carved from an enormous single rock, The Kailasha has stone carvings that depict various Hindu deities like Lord Shiva (to whom this temple is dedicated), Lord Vishnu and the panels in this temple even show the devotees of these gods. At the base of the temple, one can see the carved elements that appear to carry the load of the temple on their backs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The construction of Kailasa temple as discussed by scholars consisted of excavating out of the hillside three huge trenches at right angles, cut down vertically to the level of the base of the hill. This operation outlined the shape of the courtyard and at the same time left standing in the middle a large isolated mass or “island” of rock, over 200 ft long, 100 ft wide, and 100 ft high at its apex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to an architectural calculation, one and-a-half to two million cubic feet of rock was removed by digging these trenches. Since it would be nearly impossible to lift stones out of a trench that deep (without cranes), scholars speculate that they may have chosen the simplest method, which involved having the sculptors chisel the rock from top to bottom so that boulders removed from the area surrounding the main shrine could be rolled down the mountainside by supporting work crews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These caves were carved out of the vertical basalt cliffs of the Sahyadri Hills. Out of the 34 rock cut structures that are numbered, Buddhist settlements can be found in caves 1 through 12, Brahminical structures 13 through 29, and Jaina caves 30 through 34. Cave 16 is the Kailasa temple of Ellora, which is the largest monolithic rock structure in the world.
The Kailasa temple is 300 feet long and 175 feet wide, and it is carved out of a scarp that is over 100 feet high. Contrary to many other ancient rock structures, this temple complex was built (carved out) from top to bottom rather than bottom to top. The job was done with no better tools than chisels and hammers. Scaffolds were not used at all. Due to the size of the excavation and the splendour of the design, this cave is an unrivalled masterpiece of Indian architecture.
A common theory is that the Kailasa temple originally had a thick layer of white plaster on it that made it resemble the holy Kailash mountain, hence the name. Scholars do claim that the entire temple was in fact painted and plastered, which is why it was also known as the Rang Mahal, or painted palace. Some fragments of the old fresco paintings can still be seen on the porch roof of the upper temple. However, it’s still not clear how much of the surface was painted white.
Another perspective is to see the Kailasa temple as an allegory of Kailash mountain, which is said to be the abode of Shiva.
It is also said that the magnificent three dimensional sculpture of Ravana Anugraha Murti on the southern side of the main temple might be the reason that the temple was given the name Kailasa. In the murti, Ravana is depicted as multi-armed, shaking Mount Kailash, where Shiva is shown seated in repose. The ego of Ravana is shown being trampled by just the pressure of the toe of Shiva.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHISTORY<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Kailasa temple: The Architecture<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n