Ellora is situated about 15 miles north-west of Aurangabad. It is known worldwide for its wonderful cave temples in the hills, about a mile to its east. These cave temples, which were long concealed from view by the engulfing jungle, are now among India’s top tourist destinations that few visitors are likely to skip. They are officially listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

These caves were carved out of the vertical basalt cliffs of the Sahyadri Hills. Of the 34 numbered rock-cut structures, Buddhist settlements are in caves 1 through 12, Brahminical structures in caves 13 through 29, and Jaina caves in caves 30 through 34. Cave 16 is the Kailasa temple at Ellora, the largest monolithic rock structure in the world.

The Kailasa temple is 300 feet long and 175 feet wide, carved from a scarp that rises over 100 feet high. Unlike many other ancient rock structures, this temple complex was built from the top down rather than the bottom up. The job was done with no better tools than a chisel and hammer. Scaffolds were not used at all. Due to the size of the excavation and the splendour of the design, this cave is an unrivalled masterpiece of Indian architecture.

Associated Narrative

There is considerable literary evidence, some of it apocryphal, from the medieval period, referring to this rock temple as the Manikeshwar cave temple because Queen Manikavati, of the Kingdom of Elapura, built it.

According to legend, a certain king of Alajapura (modern Ellichpur in Amravati District, Maharashtra) was afflicted with an incurable illness because of a sin he had committed in a previous life. The king once travelled to Mahisamala (Mhai-samala near Ellora) on a hunting expedition. The queen, who had travelled with the king, worshipped the god Ghrishneshwar and made a vow to the deity that if the king were healed, she would erect a temple in Shiva’s honour. The king bathed in the tank at Mahisamala and discovered that he had been cured of the illness. The queen was very happy and demanded that the king begin construction of the temple immediately so she could fulfil her vow.

She decided to keep a fast after seeing the temple’s sikhara (the crowning element at the top of the temple). The king agreed, but no architect came forward to commit to completing the temple in such a short time. Kokasa, a local of Paithan in Aurangabad, accepted the challenge and gave the king his word that the queen would be able to see the sikhara in a week. Kokasa, along with his team, then began carving the rock temple from the top, so that within a week, he could finish carving the sikhara and deliver the royal couple from their plight. The temple was then named Manikeshwar in honour of the queen, and the king built the town of Elapura (modern Ellora).

Historical Developments

The Rashtrakuta deposed the early Western Chalukyas and seized power in the Deccan in the 8th century CE. References in inscriptions of the Rashtrakuta dynasty attribute the erection of the Kailasa temple to the patronage of the Rashtrakuta monarch Krishna I (757–72 AD). In fact, the temple was originally named Krishneshvara after the Rashtrakuta King, but is now known as Kailasa. Although some academics concur that the Kailasa Temple at Ellora and other monolithic carvings of architectural forms cannot be claimed to have been created during a single king’s relatively brief reign, work might have continued under numerous succeeding kings for more than a century.

Kailasa Temple: Ellora’s Architectural Wonder

The construction of the Kailasa temple, as discussed by scholars, consisted of excavating three huge trenches at right angles into the hillside, cut vertically to the base of the hill. This operation outlined the shape of the courtyard and, at the same time, left standing in the middle a large, isolated mass, or “island,” of rock, over 200 ft long, 100 ft wide, and 100 ft high at its apex.

According to an architectural calculation, 1.5 to 2 million cu ft of rock were removed by digging these trenches. Since it would be nearly impossible to lift stones out of a trench that deep, scholars speculate that they may have chosen the simplest method, which involved having the sculptors chisel the rock from top to bottom so that boulders removed from the area surrounding the main shrine could be rolled down the mountainside by supporting work crews.

The puzzle remains as to where the many tonnes of stones removed went. Also, the rocks would have had to be discarded somewhere, but we cannot find any evidence of them being piled up nearby. We still don’t have any trustworthy sources on where the rocks went or how they were used.

According to pseudoscience books, there are countless hidden passageways beneath places like Ellora that once housed energy machines and other ancient technology. It is said these extraterrestrial machines may have been used to build the enormous temple of Kailasa. There are also mainstream discussions about mythological technology that could vaporise rocks. However, no reliable source supports any of these hypotheses.

It is possible to speculate that one reason people in western India carved out so many caves in this area was that the rock is naturally chisel-responsive. The rock is relatively soft as it weathers by exfoliation, layer by layer, with hard fresh rock constituting the core. According to art historians, masons and sculptors worked closely together. As one team scooped out the rock, the other team began carving the details. Since it was carved from top to bottom, artisans got enough room to sit and enough elbow room to hit the stone, thus avoiding any need for scaffolding.

Additionally, it is asserted that the architects already had a plan and a functioning model. Due to the striking similarities between Kailasa and the Virupaksha temple in Pattadakal, it has generally been assumed that the same artisans who constructed the latter structure may also have carved the former. The early Chalukyan example may have served as inspiration, but it should be noted that the Kailasa temple is about twice its size.

However, all we have is mere speculation; the actual construction process could have been different. Digging such deep trenches and then carving the rock masses in the middle, all done from top to bottom by mere chisel and hammer, with no strong evidence of how or where the chiselled rock was discarded, really makes us question the whole construction process again and again. There is a sense of wonder at how ancient societies constructed such a marvel, which is challenging even today with modern technology.

Inside the Temple: Kailasa and its architecture

A two-storey Gopuram is located at the entrance. On the sides of the entrances are sculptures of gods revered by Shaivites and Vaishnavites. Two interior courtyards are visible from the entrance, each bordered by a columned arcade.

Each courtyard, north and south, has a huge, single rock with a life-size elephant carved into it. The Rashtrakuta kings were known to have won several battles with their elephant brigade, making elephants a favourite of theirs. The presence of elephant sculptures in the temple might have represented the strength and prosperity of the Rashtrakuta kings.

After entering Kailasa’s main portico, visitors see a carved representation of Gajalakshmi sitting on a lotus. On the panel, there are four elephants. Each of the two larger elephants is pictured in the top row pouring water over Gajalakshmi from a pot, while the two smaller elephants are pictured in the bottom row filling the pots with water from a lotus pond. Behind the panel, there is a legend that promises prosperity to anyone who is a devoted follower of Shiva.

The sikhara (vimana) rises 96 feet above the court beneath it and is octagonal, which is a typical feature of Dravidian architecture. Around the garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum) is a small antarala (antechamber), which is joined by a large sabha-mandapa (Mandapa is a pillared hall). It has an ardha-mandapa on the sides and an agra-mandapa at the front. The nandi-mandapa is carved between the gopura and the agra-mandapa of the shrine, and a sort of rock-cut bridge joins all three parts.

The adhishtana, or plinth of the main temple, contains a row of enormous, nearly life-size sculptures of elephants that appear to be carrying the entire weight of the structure.

The circumambulatory path that runs along the side of the hill is lined with five auxiliary shrines honouring the three river goddesses, Ganga, Jamuna, and Saraswati. Two separate 45-foot-high kirti stambh (victory pillars) can also be found inside the temple’s structure. The trisula, which once decorated the capitals of these pillars, is gone.

On either side of the main temple, on the exterior wall behind the dhwaja stambha, are two interesting panels depicting scenes from the Mahabharata and Ramayana.

The Ramayana panel depicts several scenes across seven rows. The scenes of Rama’s departure from Ayodhya, Bharata trying to persuade him to return, the forest scenes of Shurpanakha, the abduction of Sita by Ravana, Rama meeting Hanuman, Hanuman crossing the ocean to reach Lanka, the Ashokavana, the scene in the court of Ravana, and in the last row, the monkey army building a bridge of stones to reach Lanka.

The Mahabharata Panel also has seven rows. Krishna’s early adventures are shown in the bottom two rows, and scenes from the Mahabharata war, Arjuna’s penance, and  Kirata-Arjuna’s fight as described in the Mahabharata are depicted in the top five rows.

Temple’s Name

A common theory is that the Kailasa temple originally had a thick layer of white plaster on it that made it resemble the holy Kailash mountain, hence the name. Scholars do claim that the entire temple was, in fact, painted and plastered, which is why it was also known as the Rang Mahal, or painted palace. Some fragments of the old fresco paintings can still be seen on the porch roof of the upper temple. However, it’s still not clear how much of the surface was painted white.

Another perspective is to view the Kailasa temple as an allegory of Kailash, the mountain said to be Shiva’s abode.

It is also said that the magnificent three-dimensional sculpture of Ravana Anugraha Murti on the southern side of the main temple might be the reason that the temple was given the name “Kailasa.” In the murti, Ravana is depicted as multi-armed, shaking Mount Kailash, where Shiva is shown seated in repose. The ego of Ravana is shown being trampled by the mere pressure of Shiva’s toe.

Behind the Temple: Kailasa and Cosmology

In addition to its magnificent architectural features, the complex also has cosmological aspects. The architectural design of the temple complex is viewed by some scholars as a journey from the material to the spiritual, from the earthly to the celestial, and from matter to mind.

The Gopuram, or entrance gate, serves as the main point of entry and symbolises the passage from the human world to the sacred. As one moves from one mandapa to the next, the size, volume, and space of the hall get smaller, and the light gets dimmer, which signifies that there are fewer distractions and one is getting closer to the sacred world.

The physical act of ascending the stairs leading to the main shrine symbolises the ascent to heaven, and the tall, pointed sikhara serves as a substitute for the heavenly sphere.

The coexistence of opposing elements, which strengthen one another and confer legitimacy on each other’s existence, is another principle that some academics claim the temple complex exemplifies. For instance, the caves’ total darkness makes it easier to appreciate even the meagre amount of light that filters through the halls. The uncarved rock faces give the intricately carved parts of the complex meaning. Another claim holds that the Shiva linga in the main shrine symbolises the fusion of the opposing elements, purusha and prakriti (or destruction and construction).

The impact of Shankara’s advaita philosophy on the complex where a god, shrine, and devotee are carved into a rocky hill has also been studied. This is the non-dualist unity of knowledge and devotion.

The atman, the fundamental components of the human spirit, essence of the individual, the conscious energy, is thought to be independent and complete in itself while also being a component of the brahman, the grand scheme of the cosmos, unchanging universal spirit, or consciousness that underlies all things. Similarly, the elements of the Kailasa temple are seen to be complete in themselves and are connected in such a seamless way that they appear to be a single complex. Therefore, the entirety of the Kailasa temple symbolises the brahman and the cosmos, while its individual parts symbolise the atman.

The Kailash temple of Ellora is a place where both architectural genius and the philosophy of spiritualism coexist. There is consensus that no later Indian dynasty was able to build a structure as majestic as the Kailasa Temple at Ellora. The Jains’ attempt to achieve a similar feat, though on a smaller scale, ended in an incomplete excavation: Cave 30, which earned the name Chhota Kailasa. Not only was building the temple challenging, but it was also nearly impossible to destroy it. Aurangzeb, the Mughal emperor, once attempted to destroy the temple and put its virtues to the test. Medieval sources assert that as a result, most of the paintings were destroyed and the carvings suffered significant damage. The caves, however, are still standing.