Hindu Temples at Ellora Caves
Hindu Temples at Ellora Caves
Hindu Temples at Ellora Caves
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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sridharan2013
Bengaluru, India1,253 contributions
Feb 2020
This specific cave has a complete temple for Lord Shiva carved from outside and inside. Amazingly well kept, this temple is a master piece indeed. The huge shiv lingam inside is still majestic. The intricate carvings are a feast to eyes. A must see place and definitely a world class wonder, we must be proud of.
Written February 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Debashis T
Dehradun, India2,297 contributions
Mar 2023 • Family
After entering Ellora Caves premises, you first come across cave No.16, which is the most visited cave. But go to your right side towards cave No.1 and start your journey from there towards Cave No.16. The caves here are of three type according to religion (Sanatan, Budhhist and Jainism).The first 12 caves are budhhist caves. Next 17 caves are hindu caves.Take maximum time in Cave No.16, took pictures from above the temple and also from inside.You will surely mesmerized with the beauty and carvings of this temple.
After entering the Ellora Caves premises, you first come across cave No. 16, which is the most visited cave. But go to your right side towards Cave No. 1 and start your journey from there towards Cave No. 16. The caves here are of three types according to religion (Sanatan, Buddhism, and Jainism). The first 12 caves are Buddhist caves. The next 17 caves are Hindu caves. Take maximum time in Cave No. 16; take pictures from above the temple and also from inside. You will surely be mesmerized by the beauty and carvings of this temple.
Written December 2, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Monck
Abbotsford, Canada280 contributions
Mar 2020
There are 34 monasteries and Temples at this site all carved from the top down to create caves in solid Basalt rock done between 600 to 1000AD. It is three hour drive on a road under construction but more than worth the journey
Written March 14, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ShvRm_Traveller
Goa, India577 contributions
Nov 2019
There are in all 34 caves at Ellora group of caves. 17 of these are identified as Hindu Caves. The remaining are Buddhist and Jain Caves. Hindu caves are numbered 13 to 29. Among the Hindu Caves, Cave No. 16, which houses The Kailasa Temple is famous all around the world. The Kailasa Temple is a wonderful structure and there are many theories about how it was constructed.
Written March 31, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Donna_in_India
New York City, NY603 contributions
Nov 2019
There are 17 Hindu Caves at Ellora - numbers 13-29. They were excavated at the beginning of the 7th century. The Hindu caves are the centerpieces of Ellora and are so detailed and intricate that they must have required generations of planning and coordination, not to mention the 100+ years it took to actually create them.
Two of the more interesting Caves were Cave 14 also known as Ravana ki Kahi and Cave 15 also known as Dashavatara. Cave 14 contains sculptures of Hindu gods/goddesses (deities) such as Durga and Vishnu. Cave 15 was double-storied (I really liked this one) and had superb sculptures.
However the highlight of the Hindu Caves, and of Ellora, in fact, is Cave 16 known as Kailasanath (Kailasa/Kailasha) Temple. This temple is actually a complex - it is huge! - 266 feet by 154 feet. It was carved (top to bottom out of one single rock that is double the size of the Parthenon in Athens). It is the largest monolithic structure in the world and was sculpted with the mere use of hammer and chisel. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and there are countless carvings of him. There is an open courtyard with a towering pillar and numerous sculptured (life size) elephants, which are world famous. The two stairways leading to the Mandapa of the main temple are carved with narrative episodes from the two great Hindu epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Those were really interesting!! I also liked the Nandi Pavillion - housing a large sculpture of Nandi, the bull which Lord Siva rides. One of my other favorite sculptures was Ganesh - I had to look hard to find him but knew he would be in the complex.
Allow plenty of time for the Hindu temples, especially Kailasa. I'm not sure that I would recommend seeing Kailasa last - you may be too tired by then - and there is so much you should not miss!! If you see Kailasa first, by the time you finish the Hindu and Buddhist Caves, you may not make it over to the Jain Caves (especially if you're walking). We saw Kailasa right after seeing Jain Caves 32 & 33, and it worked out really well. (We continued on to the other Hindu Caves and the Buddhist Caves.) If for Kailasa alone, I would highly recommend having a guide. You will find out much more than you would from a guidebook.
Two of the more interesting Caves were Cave 14 also known as Ravana ki Kahi and Cave 15 also known as Dashavatara. Cave 14 contains sculptures of Hindu gods/goddesses (deities) such as Durga and Vishnu. Cave 15 was double-storied (I really liked this one) and had superb sculptures.
However the highlight of the Hindu Caves, and of Ellora, in fact, is Cave 16 known as Kailasanath (Kailasa/Kailasha) Temple. This temple is actually a complex - it is huge! - 266 feet by 154 feet. It was carved (top to bottom out of one single rock that is double the size of the Parthenon in Athens). It is the largest monolithic structure in the world and was sculpted with the mere use of hammer and chisel. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and there are countless carvings of him. There is an open courtyard with a towering pillar and numerous sculptured (life size) elephants, which are world famous. The two stairways leading to the Mandapa of the main temple are carved with narrative episodes from the two great Hindu epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Those were really interesting!! I also liked the Nandi Pavillion - housing a large sculpture of Nandi, the bull which Lord Siva rides. One of my other favorite sculptures was Ganesh - I had to look hard to find him but knew he would be in the complex.
Allow plenty of time for the Hindu temples, especially Kailasa. I'm not sure that I would recommend seeing Kailasa last - you may be too tired by then - and there is so much you should not miss!! If you see Kailasa first, by the time you finish the Hindu and Buddhist Caves, you may not make it over to the Jain Caves (especially if you're walking). We saw Kailasa right after seeing Jain Caves 32 & 33, and it worked out really well. (We continued on to the other Hindu Caves and the Buddhist Caves.) If for Kailasa alone, I would highly recommend having a guide. You will find out much more than you would from a guidebook.
Written February 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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