THE KAILASA TEMPLE - A MAGNIFICENT PAST OF INDIA

THE KAILASA TEMPLE - A MAGNIFICENT PAST OF INDIA

Introduction

• Kailasa temple in cave 16 of Ellora is one of the largest rock-cut temples in the world.

Story behind the temple

• According to a legend cited in the 10th century book Katha Kalpa Taru, sometime in the 8th century, the queen of the Rashtrakuta ruler Elu made a vow that she would not eat till a magnificent temple was built to Lord Shiva, and she saw its amlaka (finial).
• The king invited many architects, but none of them was able to fulfil this vow.
• Finally, an architect named Kokasa from Paithan completed the task in no time.

Construction of the temple

• The construction of the temple began during the rule of the Rashtrakuta king, Dantidurga (735-757 AD).
• A group of skilled artisans cut and carved the vertical face of the basalt rock of a hill in Elapura, known today as Ellora, near Aurangabad.
• Unlike the Buddhists who made carvings inside the rock to construct cave temples, this group cut the rock internally and externally, with precision, to build a monolithic rock temple.
• The result is that the magnificent Kailasa temple is one of the largest rock-cut temples in the world.
• Major work on the temple was done by King Dantidurga’s successor, Krishna I (757-773 AD), although work continued under many successive kings for more than a century.

History of the temple

• The Kailasa or Kailasanatha temple is one of the largest rock-cut ancient Hindu temples located in Ellora, Maharashtra, India.
• It is considered one of the most remarkable cave temples in India because of its size, architecture and sculptural treatment.
• The Kailasanatha temple (Cave 16) is one of the 32 cave temples and monasteries known collectively as the Ellora Caves.
• Its construction is generally attributed to the 8th century Rashtrakuta king Krishna I in 756-773 CE.
• The temple architecture shows traces of Pallava and Chalukya styles

Features of cave 16

• At the entrance there is a huge rock screen with carvings and a two-level doorway with eaves on top.
• A door on the lower level leads into the double-storey gopuram, which has exquisitely carved sculptures on the walls.
• Goddesses Ganga and Yamuna flank the entrance gateway.
• The gopuram at the lower level leads to the portico.
• On the either side of the portico are the north and south courts with life-size elephants and a victory pillar framing the Kailasa.
• There are five subsidiary shrines around the main temple in the circumambulatory path that runs along the side of the hill.
• This includes a shrine dedicated to river goddesses Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati, and a yajna-shala (hall of sacrifice).
• However, the main temple is the most impressive.
• The elephants and lions that form the high plinth of the main temple signify Rashtrakuta power and prosperity.
• Rock steps in the left court lead up to the top where Nandi and a 36-column mandap with a Shiv ling are located.
• There are many beautiful carvings: of Durga, Mahishasuramardini, Gajalakshmi seated in a lotus pool, Shiva as Ardhanari and Virbhadra, Ravana shaking the Kailash parvat, and the Mahabharata and Ramayana panels.

Features of the main kailasa temple

• Apart from the gopura, the main temple has a sabha griha (hall), vestibules and a Nandi mandap which leads to the garba griha (sanctum) with the Shiv linga, all of which are profusely carved and with Dravidian shikharas (towers).
• A bridge connects the Nandi mandap to the gopuram.
• The stiff climb up the hill was made worthwhile by the loveliness of the lotus on the roof of the sanctum.
• The lotus is crowned by a finial with four mythical lions, each facing one cardinal direction.

About the Ellora caves

• Ellora, located in the Aurangabad districtof Maharashtra, India, is one of the largest rock-cut monastery-temple cave complexes in the world.
• It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, featuring Buddhist, Hindu and Jain monuments, and artwork, dating from the 600-1000 CE period.
• There are 32 caves in Ellora, numbered according to their age.
• Temples 1 to 12 in the southern side are the Buddhist caves.
• Temples 13 to 29 are the Hindu caves, and in the northern side are the Jain temples.
• All of the Ellora monuments were built during Hindu dynasties such as the Rashtrakuta dynasty, which constructed part of the Hindu & Buddhist caves, and the Yadava dynasty, which constructed a number of the Jain caves.
• Funding for the construction of the monuments was provided by royals, traders and the wealthy of the region.

How to reach the Kailasa temple: 

Located at a distance of 30 kms from Aurangabad city in Maharashtra, this temple is in the rock cut caves of Ellora.

1.     By Road: Aurangabad is the nearest city to Kailasa temple and it is well connected with them by road. From Aurangabad bus and taxi services available to reach Kailasa temple. Aurangabad is also well connected by state transport buses from major cities of Maharashtra like Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Satara, Kolhapur and Ahmednagar.

2.   By Train: Aurangabad is the nearest railway station to reach Kailasa temple which is situated around 30 kms from the temple. There are direct trains available from the major cities in Maharashtra; like Mumbai, Pune, Ahmednagar, Nashik etc. to reach Aurangabad.

3.    By Air: Aurangabad airport is located at about 15 kms from the Kailasa temple and it is the closest airport to the Kailasa temple. Aurangabad airport is well connected to major cities of Maharashtra and India. One may fly to Aurangabad and reach Kailasa temple by any local transport.

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