Maharashtra - South India and Kerala - page 194

you can pass through a doorway to Cave 8 , the first cave in which the sanctum is detached
from the rear wall. Cave 9 is notable for its wonderfully carved fascia.
Cave 10 is the only chaitya in the Buddhist group and one of the finest in India. Its ceil-
ing features ribs carved into the stonework; the grooves were once fitted with wooden
panels. The balcony and upper gallery offer a closer view of the ceiling and a frieze de-
picting amorous couples. A decorative window gently illuminates an enormous figure of
the teaching Buddha.
Cave 11 , the Do Thal (Two Storey) Cave, is entered through its third basement level, not
discovered until 1876. Like Cave 12, it possibly owes its size to competition with Hindu
caves of the same period.
Cave 12 , the huge Tin Thal (Three Storey) Cave, is entered through a courtyard. The
locked shrine on the top floor contains a large Buddha figure flanked by his seven previ-
ous incarnations. The walls are carved with relief pictures.

CAVE

Hindu Caves
Where calm and contemplation infuse the Buddhist caves, drama and excitement charac-
terise the Hindu group (Caves 13 to 29). In terms of scale, creative vision and skill of exe-
cution, these caves are in a league of their own.
All these temples were cut from the top down, so it was never necessary to use scaf-
folding - the builders began with the roof and moved down to the floor.
Cave 13 is a simple cave, most likely a granary. Cave 14 , the Ravana-ki-Khai, is a
Buddhist vihara converted to a temple dedicated to Shiva sometime in the 7th century.
Cave 15 , the Das Avatara (Ten Incarnations of Vishnu) Cave, is one of the finest at El-
lora. The two-storey temple contains a mesmerising Shiva Nataraja, and Shiva emerging
from a lingam (phallic image) while Vishnu and Brahma pay homage.
Caves 17 to 20 and caves 22 to 28 are simple monasteries.
Cave 21 , known as the Ramesvara Cave, features interesting interpretations of familiar
Shaivite scenes depicted in the earlier temples. The figure of the goddess Ganga, standing
on her Makara (mythical sea creature), is particularly notable.
The large Cave 29 , the Dumar Lena, is thought to be a transitional model between the
simpler hollowed-out caves and the fully developed temples exemplified by the Kailasa. It
has views over a nearby waterfall. When we visited the footpath to Cave 29 and the Jain
temples was closed requiring a short rickshaw ride (?100).