After seeing the splendour of the caves of Ajanta I couldn’t wait to see the exquisite Ellora caves numbering 34 and located a few miles away. It is an inherent trait of human beings which makes them pine for more and I went on to sate my hunger with the vision of these fabulous caves.

These caves are carved into the sides of a basaltic hill, 30 kms from Aurangabad. They are, indeed, the finest specimens of cave- temple architecture. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the elaborate facades and exquisitely adorned interiors of these caves. I found that apart from Buddhism, the structures represent the two other ruling faiths of India- Hinduism and Jainism. My guide informed me that the caves were chiseled out during the period between AD 350- 700. The 12 Buddhist caves are towards the south while 17 caves in the centre represent Hinduism. The 5 caves towards the north are dedicated to Jainism.

In the Buddhist caves I found an accurate depiction of the same nobility, grace and serenity which was inherent in the Buddha. They are the oldest (500-700 AD), and include several "Vihara" and "Chaitya halls". They have an extraordinary diversity with huge Buddhas seating on Lion and lotus thrones supported by Naga figures with snake heads, richly decorated facades, chapels inside galleries inside chapels, carved roofs and pillars covered with ornate bas-reliefs.

In Caves 6 and 10 I saw a harmonious co-existence of the Buddhist and Hindu faith- very much like it does in the Indian society. The latter is dedicated to the Indian god Vishvakarma and is both a Chaitya and a Vihara. A seated Buddha is placed in the stupa here. Its double- storied structure sports a colourful pageant of dwarfs, dancing and making music.

The Kailasa temple in Cave 16 is an architectural marvel, the entire structure having been carved out of a monolith. I was spellbound to learn that this entire process took over a century to finish! From here, the Jain caves are about a mile away. Cave 32 was quite an interesting one- with a beautiful shrine adorned with fine carvings of a lotus flower on the roof, and a yakshi on a lion under a mango- tree. While Caves 32 and 34 contain grand statues of Parasnath the others are replete with the images of Tirthankaras, and one of them, also, has a seated figure of Mahavira.

The Ellora experience left me totally bewildered- such magnificience is achieved with an instument as little as the chisel!