Ellora

Ellora

Ellora , village, E central Maharashtra state, India. Extending more than 1 mi (1.6 km) on a hill are 34 rock and cave temples (5th-13th cent.), most of them Hindu but some Buddhist and Jain. The most remarkable building is the great Kailasa temple, excavated on the instructions of the king Krishna I (reigned c.756-773). Dedicated to the god Shiva, who is enshrined as a giant lingam in the innermost sanctuary, the temple is a free-standing structure, carved like a statue from the surrounding hillside. The rear wall of its excavated courtyard (276 ft x 154 ft/84 m x 47 m) is 100 ft (30 m) high. The temple proper (164 ft x 109 ft/50 m x 33 m) was carved from a single mass of rock. The roof of its central hall is supported by 16 square columns. Mythological and animal figures are profusely carved on nearly all the surfaces. One of India's greatest architectural treasures, the temple attracts thousands of tourists annually.

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Ellorā

Ellorā. The site of 34 artificial caves carved into a cliff-face, 19 miles north of present-day Auraṅgabad, constructed during the 8th to 9th centuries ce. Twelve of the caves are Buddhist in orgin, while the remaining are Hindu and Jain (see Hinduism; Jainism). The Buddhist caves are thought to have been constructed by workers from Ajaṇṭā and exhibit similar sculpted features and bas-reliefs.

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DAMIEN KEOWN. "Ellorā." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

DAMIEN KEOWN. "Ellorā." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-Ellor.html

DAMIEN KEOWN. "Ellorā." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-Ellor.html

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Ellorā

Ellorā or Elūrā. A complex of cave and rock temples in Maharashtra, India. Sacred to Hindus, Jains, and Buddhists, its thirty-four temples, monasteries, and sanctuaries come from all three religions. They were constructed from the 5th to the 9th cents.

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JOHN BOWKER. "Ellorā." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN BOWKER. "Ellorā." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Ellor.html

JOHN BOWKER. "Ellorā." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Ellor.html

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