Ellora caves information

Elephanta Caves The 'City of Caves', on an island in the Sea of Oman close to Bombay, contains a collection of rock art linked to the cult of Shiva. Here, Indian art has found one of its most perfect expressions, particularly the huge high reliefs in the main cave. Description is available under license Grottes d'Elephanta Sur une île de la mer d'Oman au large de Bombay, la « cité des grottes » constitue un ensemble rupestre typique du culte de Shiva où l'art de l'Inde a trouvé l'une de ses expressions les plus parfaites, notamment dans les gigantesques hauts-reliefs de la grotte principale. Description is available under license Пещерные храмы на острове Элефанта Этот «Город Пещер», расположенный на острове в Аравийском море близ Мумбаи (Бомбея), содержит целое собрание наскального искусства, посвященного культу бога Шивы. Здесь искусство Индии получило одно из своих наиболее совершенных выражений, особенно на огромном горельефе в главной пещере. source: UNESCO/ERI Description is available under license Grutas de Elefanta Situada en una isla del mar de Omán, frente a la costa de (antes, Bombay), la “ciudad de las grutas” es un conjunto monumental rupestre característico del culto a Siva. El arte indio ha logrado aquí una de sus expresiones más perfectas, sobre todo en los gigantescos altorrelieves que ornan la gruta principal. source: UNESCO/ERI Description is available under license Elephanta grotten Het eiland Elephanta (Gharapuri) – de Grottenstad – ligt op ongeveer 10...

Religious devotion was not uncommon in ancient times, but tolerance was often much harder to come by. Happily, for curious travelers and religious devotees alike, the caves at Ellora offer a truly exceptional example of both. Covering an area more than 2 kilometers in size, the Ellora Caves are a massive and humbling tribute to faith and medieval-era workmanship in India. In fact, the term “caves” hardly does justice to the 34 Buddhist, Brahmanist and Jainist temples in Ellora, each painstakingly carved out of the mountainside and filled with delicate works of art. Sculpted Buddhas and other religious figures abound, along with intricately carved images in the walls and decorative fixtures on the temples, usually seen in traditionally masoned buildings, but hardly common for something excavated out of solid rock - particularly using the tools and workforce available in the 5th through 10th centuries, when these temples were created. It’s truly hard to believe that the temples are, in fact, vertically excavated out of stone. Many of them put much easier-to-construct buildings to shame with their elaborate design, demonstrating both the strength of religious conviction that went into their creation as well as the highly skilled craftsmen who participated. It is a feat that would be difficult to match even with modern techniques, and of course far less likely to be undertaken due to the cost and time it would take to create it. But the delicate excavation isn’t the only featu...

Elephanta Caves The 'City of Caves', on an island in the Sea of Oman close to Bombay, contains a collection of rock art linked to the cult of Shiva. Here, Indian art has found one of its most perfect expressions, particularly the huge high reliefs in the main cave. Description is available under license Grottes d'Elephanta Sur une île de la mer d'Oman au large de Bombay, la « cité des grottes » constitue un ensemble rupestre typique du culte de Shiva où l'art de l'Inde a trouvé l'une de ses expressions les plus parfaites, notamment dans les gigantesques hauts-reliefs de la grotte principale. Description is available under license Пещерные храмы на острове Элефанта Этот «Город Пещер», расположенный на острове в Аравийском море близ Мумбаи (Бомбея), содержит целое собрание наскального искусства, посвященного культу бога Шивы. Здесь искусство Индии получило одно из своих наиболее совершенных выражений, особенно на огромном горельефе в главной пещере. source: UNESCO/ERI Description is available under license Grutas de Elefanta Situada en una isla del mar de Omán, frente a la costa de (antes, Bombay), la “ciudad de las grutas” es un conjunto monumental rupestre característico del culto a Siva. El arte indio ha logrado aquí una de sus expresiones más perfectas, sobre todo en los gigantescos altorrelieves que ornan la gruta principal. source: UNESCO/ERI Description is available under license Elephanta grotten Het eiland Elephanta (Gharapuri) – de Grottenstad – ligt op ongeveer 10...

Religious devotion was not uncommon in ancient times, but tolerance was often much harder to come by. Happily, for curious travelers and religious devotees alike, the caves at Ellora offer a truly exceptional example of both. Covering an area more than 2 kilometers in size, the Ellora Caves are a massive and humbling tribute to faith and medieval-era workmanship in India. In fact, the term “caves” hardly does justice to the 34 Buddhist, Brahmanist and Jainist temples in Ellora, each painstakingly carved out of the mountainside and filled with delicate works of art. Sculpted Buddhas and other religious figures abound, along with intricately carved images in the walls and decorative fixtures on the temples, usually seen in traditionally masoned buildings, but hardly common for something excavated out of solid rock - particularly using the tools and workforce available in the 5th through 10th centuries, when these temples were created. It’s truly hard to believe that the temples are, in fact, vertically excavated out of stone. Many of them put much easier-to-construct buildings to shame with their elaborate design, demonstrating both the strength of religious conviction that went into their creation as well as the highly skilled craftsmen who participated. It is a feat that would be difficult to match even with modern techniques, and of course far less likely to be undertaken due to the cost and time it would take to create it. But the delicate excavation isn’t the only featu...

However, recent research reveals that the site developed more organically with artists working on Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain caves simultaneously at certain times. [1] Artists did not work on caves according to their own personal religious affiliation nor did they work as specialists for only one type of cave. Close examinations of architectural elements and their ornamentation—as well as treatments of sculptural form and While the subjects of these panels can be identified quite easily, interestingly, many of the carvings in Cave 29 remain “unfinished” in one way or another. One of the most incredible aspects of rock-cut architecture is the fact that artists could create colossal sculpted programs without worrying about the structural integrity of the cave. Furthermore, the subdued lighting within these spaces surely contributed to perceptions of sculpted form materializing (or self-manifesting) from temple walls. Adding to this visual experience is the fact that most of Ellora’s carved architectural and sculptural elements were once painted (or were intended to be painted) with natural pigments. Recent examinations of these reliefs by art historian Vidya Dehejia and sculptor Peter Rockwell prompt us to consider processes of sculpting as well as premodern conceptions of “completeness.” [3] For example, in the Shiva destroying Andhaka panel, portions of the rock beneath Parvati have been left unfinished. These areas only reveal the marks of the point chisel—a preliminary to...