RAVANA SHAKING MOUNT KAILASH
RAVANA SHAKING MOUNT KAILASH
Ellora is famous all over the world for its rock-cut cave temples. Ellora caves are 30km. from Aurangabad and 50km. from Ajanta in Maharashtra. There are 34 caves in all, out of which 12 are Buddhist (cave no.1 to 12), 17 are Hindu (cave no.13 to 29) and 5 are of Jain (cave no. 30 to 34) origin. These cave temples are hewed entirely out of solid rock. Their massive pillars, colonnades, intricate galleries, painted ceilings are the finest specimens of matchless workmanship of our ancestors. They were built about 1500 years ago in the reign of the Rastrakuta dynasty (8th to 10th century A.D.).
The most marvelous, remarkable, and biggest monument of Ellora is the Kailash Temple, which is built-in cave no. 16. It is carved entirely out of one rock during the reign of Krishna-l (758 A.D.). The main body of this great rock-cut cave temple Kailash occupies a space of 50X30 square meters. The marvelous carving in this temple catches the passion of the theme and also reflects emotional effect. A pair of exquisitely carved monolithic dhwaja stambhas at the entrance of the temple is very attractive.
The niche around the Kailash temple contains beautiful carvings such as Ravana shaking Kailash, kidnapping of Sita, Mahishasur Mardini, etc. The relief sculpture Ravana shaking Kailash is based on a mythological theme from the great epic Ramayana. The sculpture shows a ten-headed evil spirit imprisoned in a cave made under the mount Kailash, the residence of Lord Shiva. Ravana is exerting the power of all his twenty arms to destroy mount Kailash. But all his efforts have been foiled by just a mere pressure of the foot by Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva appears here as supreme God. His wife Devi Parvati is in a half-reclining posture with a facial expression full of fear from the strength and terror of Ravana. Parvati shrinks towards Shiva and sits beside him, terrified maidservants are shown rushing abruptly. All the sculptures are in natural proportion and full of impressions of living reality. In this relief, the artist stresses the fact that the serenity of the divine is the most powerful.
The most marvelous, remarkable, and biggest monument of Ellora is the Kailash Temple, which is built-in cave no. 16. It is carved entirely out of one rock during the reign of Krishna-l (758 A.D.). The main body of this great rock-cut cave temple Kailash occupies a space of 50X30 square meters. The marvelous carving in this temple catches the passion of the theme and also reflects emotional effect. A pair of exquisitely carved monolithic dhwaja stambhas at the entrance of the temple is very attractive.
The niche around the Kailash temple contains beautiful carvings such as Ravana shaking Kailash, kidnapping of Sita, Mahishasur Mardini, etc. The relief sculpture Ravana shaking Kailash is based on a mythological theme from the great epic Ramayana. The sculpture shows a ten-headed evil spirit imprisoned in a cave made under the mount Kailash, the residence of Lord Shiva. Ravana is exerting the power of all his twenty arms to destroy mount Kailash. But all his efforts have been foiled by just a mere pressure of the foot by Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva appears here as supreme God. His wife Devi Parvati is in a half-reclining posture with a facial expression full of fear from the strength and terror of Ravana. Parvati shrinks towards Shiva and sits beside him, terrified maidservants are shown rushing abruptly. All the sculptures are in natural proportion and full of impressions of living reality. In this relief, the artist stresses the fact that the serenity of the divine is the most powerful.
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