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Ellora Caves
 Ellora represents the epitome of Indian rock-cut architecture and is a World Heritage Site. Located in the city of Maharashtra and 32 in number, these structures are representing the three faiths of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, and were built between the 5th and 10th century. The 12 Buddhist ( caves 1-12 ), 17 Hindu (caves 13-29) and 5 Jain (caves 30-34) illustrate the spirit of tolerance, characteristic of ancient India, which permitted these three religions to establish their sanctuaries and their communities in a single place.
The famous wall paintings in Ellora are found in 5 caves, but these paintings are preserved only in Kailasa temple. These paintings were painted in two series, first, at the time of carving the caves and second, after many centuries later. The paintings of the first series show Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi. In the later series the main composition is that of a procession of Shaiva holy men. The paintings also show gracefully flying 'Apsaras'.
These caves are spread from the North to South and look absolutely stunning in the late afternoon when the golden sunrays fall on them. These historical monasteries, temples, and chapels reflect the outstanding imagination and magnificent art work The exquisite carvings and paintings found in Ellora are its major highlights, sculptors have strove to give the stone the look of wood.. The wooden beams, graceful angles, steps and the mystical figures of gods and goddesses are absolutely spellbinding. They exhibit the creative excellence of the artist of that time.
The most famous Buddhist cave is cave 10, also known as ‘Carpenter’s Cave’ and caves (caves 1-9) are monasteries. Caves 11 and 12, namely Do Tal and Tin Tal have three stories. Some monastery caves have shrines including carvings of Buddha, bodhisattvas and saints. Jain caves reflect specific attributes of Jain philosophy and tradition and are not relatively large in size. The Chhota Kailash (cave 30), the Indra Sabha (cave 32) and the Jagannath Sabha (cave 33) are the noteworthy Jain shrines.
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