Monday, August 8, 2016

Dashavatara, Ellora

In Ellora the cave numbered as 15 is a Hindu Temple. To reach this magnificent Cave No. 15 one has to climb up series of steps where the entire court has been hewn out of the solid rock with a curtain wall across in front of it, and a sacrificial hall in the middle. This cave originally a Buddhist monastery is popularly known as Dashavatara.



This cave is a double storey, the lower part measuring 95 feet in length is a few feet above the level of the court, and it is supported by 14 square pillars. The upper floor is 95 feet wide and 110 feet deep inclusive of the vestibule of the shrine, supported by 44 square columns.



The two pillars in the front are carved with floral ornamentation,  including dwarfs, snakes etc.



In the eighth century was converted into a Hindu sanctuary under the patronage of the Rashtrakuta king Dantidurga. The beautiful carvings in this cave were done under the patronage of the Kalachuri, the Chalukya and the Rashtrakuta dynasties between the sixth and the ninth centuries. This cell has a huge sculptress of The second has Siva and Parvati. 



One of the cell has Varaha holding the Prithvi on his hand, with three other snake figures below it.



23 comments:

R Niranjan Das said...

Nice captures of the beautiful sculptures.

rupam sarma said...

Amazing, Nice post.

Jeevan said...

Interesting cave and unique rock cravings!

Alexa T said...

It's so lovely to see historical places, full of stunning architectural aspects! Many thanks for sharing these with us! A great week ahead!

Kenneth Cole Schneider said...

The amount of work which went into this ancient structure is so impressive. It is remarkably well-preserved.

Al said...

Amazing - so much work and craftsmanship.

Lady Fi said...

How lovely!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Remarkable carvings. I am starting to be able to recognize a few of them after following your blog for a few years!

magiceye said...

Amazing work well captured!!

Reader Wil said...

Very interesting ! What is Dashavatara? How clever to use solid rock for a building!

Forest Dream Weaver said...

More beautiful sculptures......thanks for sharing.....enjoy your week!

genie said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Maria's Space said...

There are some lovely buildings

MelodyK said...

intriging pfoto's of beautiful buildings and figurines

Have a nice ABC-W-Day / – week
♫ M e l ☺ d y ♫ (abc-w-team)
http://melodymusic.nl/abc-wednesday-19-e/

Leslie: said...

It seems to ENTICE one to ENTER!

Leslie
abcw team

photowannabe said...

I am always amazed to see such intricate work done out of solid rock with such primitive tools.

Rajesh said...

Genie: No, I have not studied history in college. But it is my passion for historical sites keeps me going.

carol l mckenna said...

Creative shots of Indian history!

Happy week to you! ^_^!

Roger Owen Green said...

I love the detail. You ARE very knowledgeable.
ROG, ABCW

Amit Agarwal said...

Amazingly beautiful captures!

NatureFootstep said...

a nice archad.

Joyful said...

There are so many fine examples of Indian temples and sculptures.

Ranjana's craft blog said...

Ellora sculptures are always interesting