The Buddhist caves at Ellora — numbered 1 through 12 — were created between the 6th and 8th centuries CE, a period when Buddhism in the Deccan was experiencing its final major phase of patronage and artistic production before gradually yielding ground to the resurgent Hindu traditions represented by the later cave groups.
These 12 caves divide into two types: viharas (monasteries with cells for resident monks) and chaityas (prayer halls with rock-cut stupas). They were created by the Rashtrakuta and Chalukya dynasties, whose patronage was religiously inclusive by the standards of the age — the same rulers also commissioned the Hindu caves that would eventually include the Kailasa Temple.
Cave 10, called Vishwakarma or the Carpenter's Cave, is the most spectacular. Named for its wooden-beamed ceiling effect achieved entirely in stone, it contains a magnificent rock-cut stupa in its apsidal hall, and a large seated Buddha in the teaching mudra (gesture). The facade features a large window that floods the interior with light — a deliberate architectural choice that creates a cathedral-like atmosphere unique among all the Ellora caves.
Cave 12 (Teen Tal — the Three Storey Cave) is the largest Buddhist monument at Ellora. Its three floors contain dozens of cells, shrine rooms, and assembly halls, housing a university-scale monastic community in its heyday. The main shrine on the top floor contains seven large Buddhas — one for each of the cosmic Buddhas of past, present, and future — that were once painted in brilliant mineral pigments.
For travellers staying at Hiranya Resort, the Buddhist caves are best appreciated on a quiet weekday morning in the company of a knowledgeable guide who can explain the iconographic differences between Theravada and Mahayana imagery — differences that transform these caves from beautiful sculptures into a readable text of philosophy.
