Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Kailasa Temple
This rock-cut temple, built by King Krishna I of the Rashtrakuta dynasty in AD 760, was
built to represent Mt Kailasa (Kailash), Shiva's Himalayan abode. To say that the assign-
ment was daring would be an understatement. Three huge trenches were bored into the
sheer cliff face with hammers and chisels, following which the shape was 'released', a
process that entailed removing 200,000 tonnes of rock, while taking care to leave behind
those sections that would later be used for sculpting. Covering twice the area of the
Parthenon in Athens and being half as high again, Kailasa is an engineering marvel that
was executed straight from the head with zero margin for error. Modern draughtsmen
might have a lesson or two to learn here.
Size aside, the temple is remarkable for its prodigious sculptural decoration. The temple
houses several intricately carved panels, depicting scenes from the Ramayana, the Ma-
habharata and the adventures of Krishna. Also worth admiring are the immense monolith-
ic pillars that stand in the courtyard, flanking the entrance on both sides, and the south-
eastern gallery that has 10 giant and fabulous panels depicting the different avatars of
Lord Vishnu. Kailasa is a temple, still very much in use; you'll have to remove your shoes
to enter the main shrine.
After you're done with the main enclosure, bypass the hordes of snack-munching day
trippers to explore the temple's many dank, bat urine-soaked corners with their numerous
forgotten carvings. Afterwards, hike up a foot trail to the south of the complex that takes
you to the top perimeter of the 'cave', from where you can get a bird's-eye view of the en-
tire temple complex.
HINDU TEMPLE
Buddhist Caves
The southernmost 12 caves are Buddhist
viharas
(monasteries), except Cave 10, which is
a
chaitya
(assembly hall). While the earliest caves are simple, Caves 11 and 12 are more
ambitious, and on par with the more impressive Hindu temples.
Cave 1
, the simplest
vihara,
may have been a granary.
Cave 2
is notable for its ornate pil-
lars and the imposing seated Buddha, which faces the setting sun.
Cave 3
and
Cave 4
are un-
finished and not well preserved.
Cave 5
is the largest
vihara
in this group, at 18m wide and 36m long; the rows of stone
benches hint that it may once have been an assembly hall.
Cave 6
is an ornate
vihara
with wonderful images of Tara, consort of the Bodhisattva
Avalokitesvara, and of the Buddhist goddess of learning, Mahamayuri, looking remark-
ably similar to Saraswati, her Hindu equivalent.
Cave 7
is an unadorned hall, but from here
CAVE
