Ellora Caves in Aurangabad of Maharashtra in India

Ellora Caves in Aurangabad Maharashtra
Originally uploaded by Mskadu

I recently visited the world-famous Ellora caves near Aurangabad in Maharashtra, India. I was wonder-struck by the intricate stone-work done by artists ranging across the three religions viz. Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. See the adjoining photograph for an example.

Here's what wikipedia has to say about the caves (full article):

Ellora represents the epitome of Indian rock cut architecture.The 35 "caves" – actually structures excavated out of the vertical face of the Charanandri hills – comprised of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain cave temples and monasteries, were built between the 5th century and 10th century. The 12 Buddhist (caves 1-12), 17 Hindu (caves 13-29) and 5 Jain caves (caves 30-34), built in proximity, demonstrate the religious tolerance prevalent during this period of Indian history.

If you ever plan to visit India, I suggest you add this to your agenda. Highly recommended!

Here are some more photos



or see the entire set (73 photos).