Pic: I took this picture on top of Cave No.16, "Kailāsa," on July 20, 2023.
IND-002: Ellora Caves
First revision: Aug.03, 2023
Last change: Jul.2, 2024
Searched, Gathered, Rearranged, and Compiled by Apirak Kanchanakongkha.
Map of the Ellora Caves, Source: re-thinkingthefuture.com, Access date: Aug.03, 2023.
Cave No.01
Took a picture on July 20, 2023. Cave No.1 is an uncomplicated Vihara with no pillars or carvings. The monks used four cells in the south and east walls around a 13-meter square assembly hall for residential purposes, as there are no images of Buddha, Gods, and Goddesses.
Cave No.02
Dvārapālas took a picture on July 20, 2023.
Cave No.2 was a hall for worship and is accessed by a flight of stairs. At the cave door are Dvārapāla (द्वारपाल - guard or doorkeeper) flanked by windows. The interior (14.5 sq.m.) has a hall. Twelve pillars support this hall. Some of the pillars are decorated with pot and foliage motifs. A gallery runs down each side. In the center of the back wall is a 3-meter-high seated Buddha and two standing Buddhas, while along each of the side walls are five Buddhas accompanied by Boddhisattvas (बोधिसत्त्व) and Apsarā (अप्सरा - celestial nymph).
Cave No.03
It has a square central chamber with a Buddha image, this time seated on a lotus supported by Naga figures with snake heads. It has a chapel at the portico's end. Around the wall are 12 meditation cells.
Sculpture of Buddha in the diamond meditation pose or Paddhamasana, source: www.indiathatwas.com, access date: Mar.26, 2024.
Inside Cave No.3, source: smarthistory.org, access date: Mar.26, 2024.
Sculpture of Avalokiteshvara or Bodhisattva Padmapani, taken on July 19, 2023.
Cave No.04
Cave 4 has largely collapsed. The outer half is almost completely gone. The cave measures 35*40 feet.
Inside the cave, there is a stone carving of Buddha seated in Bhadrasana. The sandstone on the left hand is very loose. There are Buddhist disciples, angels around, and dwarf gods flying above. There are female deities (Jata mukuta) standing holding a rosary on the left side, and on the right side is a god. It is assumed that it is Vajrapāni, The bodhisattva wearing a crown. Leaning on the large dwarf god on the right, taken on July 19, 2023.
Left side of the cave, there is a stone carving of the Bodhisattva. Avalokiteshvara or Padmapani is seated. His head is high. There is a tiny Buddha on the front head. There is a key hanging on the right shoulder. The upper part of the left shoulder has a deerskin draped over it. He holds a mala or rosary in his right hand. He held a lotus flower on his left thigh. Left and right, there are female deities taking care of him. One holds a rosary in his right hand. (Some say that this female deity's name is Tara, and she holds a pitcher of water.) One in her right-hand holds a lotus bud. (Some say it is a female deity named Bhrikuti holding a bouquet of lotus flowers.) In the background is a standing Bodhisattva or Buddha, taken on July 19, 2023.
Cave No.14
Śiva Naṭarāja from Cave No.14, Ellora Caves, Maharashtra, Bharata, took a picture on July 20, 2023.
