Ellora occupies a relatively flat rocky region of the western ghats, where ancient volcanic activity had created multilayered basalt formations, known as the deccan traps Ad 575 and the end of the 9th century, 20 km north of aurangabad in the sahyadri hills, maharashtra, india. The ellora caves are listed by unesco as a world heritage site and is celebrated for its hindu, buddhist, and jain temples and monuments which were carved from the local cliff rock in the 6th to 8th century ce.
Not only is the ellora complex a unique artistic creation and a technological exploit but, with its sanctuaries devoted to buddhism, hinduism and jainism, it illustrates the spirit of tolerance that was characteristic of ancient india. Ellora is a site of outstanding cave temples, datable between c They are located near the village of ellora, 19 miles (30 km) northwest of aurangabad and 50 miles (80 km) southwest of the ajanta caves.
The hindu, buddhist and jain caves at ellora were chiselled between the 4th and the 9th centuries Ellora is also world famous for the largest single monolithic excavation in the world, the great kailasa (cave 16). Spanning over 2 km, these structures date from the 6th to the 10th century ce and represent three major religions—buddhism, hinduism, and jainism.
