http://www.indiafacts.co.in/ajanta-ellora-grandeur-cultural-amensia-part-1/
Preface
What’s common to Stratford-upon-Avon, Westminster Abbey, Mount Rushmore, Drumcliffe, Walden Pond State Reservation, Alcatraz Island, Jack London State Historic Park, Hauteville House, and Zentralfriedhof among others? Equally, what’s common to Hampi, Badami, Bhoja Shala, Ambernath, Grishneshwar, and Ellora?
The former are all vibrant, living showcases of the deep commitment a nation displays in preserving the memory of people and places about which these nations have every reason to be proud of.
The Walden Pond State Reservation is spread over 462 acres of land to honour the memory of just one man, a man who would’ve probably committed suicide if he saw the America of today. It’s also a tribute to the people of America who continue to preserve Thoreau’s legacy in this manner.
The latter examples represent the exact opposite of the former. They are classic instances and living reminders of the mass assault on the cultural symbols, monuments and memories of an ancient and hallowed civilization. The magnificent fort at Chitradurga is encroached by an ugly mob of huts and houses that completely blankets one side of the mountain while Hampi, a ridiculous apparition of a UNESCO World Heritage Site is a free-for-all haven: the Bahamani barbarian hordes who physically vandalized it couldn’t have done a better job at converting even the current remnants into a sprawling complex characterized by uninhibited displays of crime, drugs and debauchery.
And so it is with the Ellora caves, which I visited a few years ago on a trip, which also included the Ajanta caves and the Grishneswar temple.
Ellora
To be fair, Ellora caves don’t suffer from the same shocking apathy that characterizes most historical monuments across India. However, the difference in the apathy differs only in degree. Contrasted with its neighbour at Ajanta, Ellora, a UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the world’s finest architectural splendours.
While the entire Kailasanatha temple complex looks like it is a cluster of temples and pillars and sprawling halls, it was actually carved out by vertically excavatingsome 200,000 tonnes out of a single, mammoth rock.
The 34 “caves,” built between the 5th and 10th century represent the perfect model of Indian rock-cut architecture and stand unrivalled till date. They are really not caves in the strict sense of the word but temples and sculptures carved out through the basalt-rich Charanandri Mountain located some 30 Kilometres from Aurangabad in Maharashtra. These artistic expressions of the finest of Indian spirit are spread across an enormous two-Kilometre expanse.
Kailasanath Temple Complex: The Crown Jewel of Ellora
The most spectacular of all of Ellora architecture is undoubtedly the Kailasanath temple. I have used “temple” in this context to mean both Hindu and Buddhist structures for the sake of convenience.
Here is a side view of the Kailasanath temple.
The Kailasanath temple in itself is a study not merely of art and sculpture but is a living instance of what Ananda Coomaraswamy said about Indian art: its impersonal nature and how an all-encompassing religion like Santana Dharma brings out the best of expressions in every field of human endeavour. It takes several days to undertake a detailed and serious study of this one temple. The following view shows the 90-foot tall central pillar that’s always visible from any corner of the temple complex.
The Alas inscription dated 770 CE tells us that the Kailasanath temple was commissioned in 757 AD (or 773 AD ) by Krishna I, an uncle of the founder of the Rashtrakuta dynasty, Dantidurga. The construction work took about 150 years to complete.
Because Krishna I was a staunch devotee of Shiva, he modelled the temple after the Kailasa mountain, the divine abode of Shiva. The Kailasanatha temple in the height of its pristine and unspoilt glory must have actually recreated Mount Kailasa right amidst the Charanadri mountain range because archaeological evidence points to the use of white plaster all over, signifying the snow-clad abode of Shiva. Indeed, if one looks closely, one can still detect tiny traces of white plaster even today.
While the entire temple complex looks like it is a cluster of temples and pillars and sprawling halls, it was actually carved out by vertically excavating some 200,000 tonnes (or 400,000 tonnes according to others) out of a single, mammoth rock. It cannot be emphasized enough that the real achievement is that the entire temple complex was excavated, not constructed.
Indeed, it does evoke a sense of awe when we try and fathom what it must have taken in terms of mathematics, engineering, building technology, craftsmanship, artistry, design, planning, and the entire project execution when we recall that this “project” was executed over 150 years and spanned at least six generations of experts in all of these fields. It is also an illuminating pointer to the political stability and economic prosperity that the Rashtrakuta Empire must have fostered in order to sustain this activity over one and a half centuries. If you are a trivia or quiz buff, the Kailasanath temple covers twice the area of the Parthenon in Athens.
This singular temple is also an entire university in itself that imparts education in almost all of our major epics, Puranas, Gods and Goddesses. In a way, it is the architectural encyclopaedia of Santana Dharma.
Impeccable, perfect sculptures of Nandi who stands at the entrance of the temple, the sprawlingIndra Sabha, the inspiring majesty of Ravana trying to lift the Kailasa mountain, the Sapta Matrukas the various avatars of Vishnu (see the picture below), Apsaras, and the Rudra ganas,all carved into the walls are sculptural guides of our epics and mythology.
One can’t also help wondering even as this art leaves you awestruck, at the intimate knowledge these architects, artists, and artisans possessed about almost every facet of Sanatana Dharma and how they used stone to bring it to life. Indeed, carving such immaculate works of art was both an expression and the fulfilment of the religious and spiritual needs of these artisans and sculptors as well as a highly sacred duty they felt fortunate to perform.
[The Varaha avatara of Vishnu]
The Kailasanath temple is undoubtedly the grandest of all in Ellora and definitely finds a place in any compilation of the world’s greatest architectural marvels. Its affluence of art, intricacy of engraving the minutest of details, vividity in depicting life in all its moods and possibilities, and the sense of sheer elevation it brings to the mind can only be experienced, not explained. To illustrate this, we can examine one wall sculpture taken at random.
This wall sculpture shows the lighter side of life–Shiva’s vehicle, Nandi being tormented by monkeys pulling his tail, playing with his horns, yanking his leg, and so on. The fact that the sculptor or the master Stapathi thought of including this light-hearted scene only adds to the richness of the grandeur of the Kailasanatha temple.
Indeed, all structures, carvings, and sculptures in the Ellora caves are consistent in proportion, form, artistry, and aesthetics, and adhere to the rules and guidelines in ancient Indian texts of temple building and sculpture, including for example, the famous Aitareya Brahmana verse (Rig Veda, 6.5.27), Brahmanda Purana, Shilpa Ratnam, Mahaagamas, Gargya Samhita, and so on.
However, in terms of breadth, depth, richness, aesthetics and sheer grandeur, the Kailasanath temple is truly the crown jewel of Ellora.
Article Summary
Article Title
Ajanta and Ellora: Of grandeur and cultural amensia: Part 1
Author
Sandeep Balakrishna
Description
First part of a series on the sculpture, art, and cultural significance of Ajanta and Ellora caves and temples.
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