The Kailasa (Kailasanatha)
temple is one of the largest rock-cut ancient Hindu temples and is one of the
34 cave (Cave 16) temples and monasteries known collectively as the Ellora
Caves. What makes this thousands of year’s old structure a staggering
architectural marvel is that it is built by carving a mountain, from a single
Rock, of the Charanandri hills at a village, which once was called Elapura in
ancient times, now it is known as Ellora, Maharashtra.
The largest monolithic
sculpture in the world carved out of one single rock, it is considered as one
of the most remarkable cave temples in India because of its size, architecture
and sculptural treatment.
There are 3 main Gods in
Hinduism. Brahma the God of creation, Vishnu the God of Protection, Shiva the
God of destruction. And this temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva.
Architecture
Kailasa temple features the
use of multiple distinct architectural and sculptural styles. The temple
architecture shows the traces of Pallava and Chalukya construction styles. It
has many resemblances in style and plan with the Kailasa temple at Kanchi and the
Virupaksha temple at Pattadakal, but it is twice the size and sculpted out of
the rock instead of being built with blocks.
The Kailasa Temple is notable
for its vertical excavation, the work started at the top and progressed along
the slope of the mountain, rolling down the large boulders split from the
mountain using steel rod drills. The drill marks are still visible on the
surrounding walls and the technique is used even today in the stone quarries of
Rajasthan. It is important to give a thought to the technique as it would also
suggest the chronology of sculptures. It is clearly visible in all the cave
complexes that the scooping out of the rock is immediately followed by
sculpting. The masons and sculptors work simultaneously.
The Kailasa temple
architecture is different from the earlier style prevalent in the Deccan
region. As stated above, it appears to be based on the Virupaksha Temple at
Pattadakal and the Kailasa temple at Kanchi, but it is not an exact imitation
of these two temples.
T.S
satyamurthi, former archaeologist, explained why the sculptors of kailasa took
the kailaasanatha and virupaksha temples as their models. Since the kailasa
temple was cut out of a rock, from the top to the bottom, the sculptors could
not visualise how deep they could go in the rock formation. They also did not
know whether it was a solid rock formation that continued deep down. So they
used the measurements of the Kailasanatha and Virupaksha temples, as models and
multiplied them for the rock cut at Ellora. When you construct a temple from
the bottom to top you can make changes as you go up and make it more stable. But
when you excavate a temple out of rock from the top to bottom, you cannot make
changes or afford to make mistakes.
Kailasanatha
is arguably the largest and grandest monolith in the world, it is approximately
195 feet long, 145 feet wide and 90 feet tall. The entrance is facing the west.
The entrance to the temple courtyard features a low gopuram. Most of the
deities at the left of the entrance are followers of Lord Shiva, while on the
right hand side the deities are followers of Lord Vishnu.
There
are two inner courtyards flanking the entry passage. Each courtyard, in the
north and the south, has a gigantic elephant carved out of a single rock. Elephants
were the favoured animal of the Rashtrakuta kings, who are known to have won
several battles with their elephant brigade. The Dwajasthambhas or flag staffs
on either side are huge victory pillars with fantastic carvings, each about 15m
in height. The two monolithic elephants signify Rashtrakutha supremacy, the two
free standing pillars of victory further emphasise the great power of Rashtrakutas. Two huge freestanding
elephants and massive dhvajastambhas (flag staffs) flank the frontal portion of
the shrine.
The
central shrine is surrounded by subsidiary shines at the corners, three of
these are dedicated to the river goddesses: Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati. Closer
observation of the architectural mouldings on the central shrine as well as the
subsidiary shrines endorses the Kanchipuram influence, or rather the
Kanchipuram contribution. The central shrine along with the subsidiary shrines
is placed on an unusually high platform which is decorated with animated and
almost life-size figures of elephants and stylized lions (depicted as bearing
the weight of the temple). It looks like the elevation saves the temple from sinking.
The architectural work with the row of elephants can clearly be attributed to
Pallava artisans.
The shrine has a spacious
courtyard around it. The shrine has a large square-shaped navaranga mandapa
divided into nine equal squares, a mukhamandapa and laterally placed
ardhamandapas, a nandimandapa and a modest gopuram above the main entrance. The
mukhamandapa shows some traces of painting on its ceiling.
It has two bridges connecting
the corridor with the temple. All this was made out of the same rock. Nothing
was brought from outside and no pieces were cemented. The sculptures on the
upper register of the shrine can confidently be ascribed to the artists that
worked at the Virupaksha temple of Pattadakal and also in the Dashavatara cave.
Ravan Jatayu Yuddha, the Vali Sugriva combat, the descent of Ganga, and the
Lingodbhava are some of the significant panels from this group. The neutral
flat backgrounds, the dance-like postures and the theatricality generated
through the arrested movements of characters are the salient characteristics of
Pattadakal sculptures. Some of the sculptures from Mahakuta are repeated at
Ellora. It seems to have been revived at Kailasanatha. The sculpture in the
Yajnashala, the Yogishvara Shiva under the bridge leading to Nandimandapa and
the Gajalakshmi in front of the entrance are some examples of it. But the most
fascinating are the sculptural panel depicting the enraged Bhairava facing the
Yogishvara Shiva, and some notable sculptures are,
The
Ravana attempting to lift Mount Kailasa occupying the south wall of the monolith.
Ravana is ready to cut off
his tenth head, after offering nine of his heads to Shiva.
Shiva as Veerabhadra slaying
the Andaka.
Shiva rises from Lingam to
destroy the Yama.
Markandeya hugging the
Lingam.
Lord Narasimha disembowels
Hiranyakasipu.
Entire
episodes from the Ramayana carved on the wall.
Lord
Varaha with a stylized boar face holds Bhudevi.
Shiva carved inside a lingam.
This form is called Lingodbhava.
A bridge is carved on the second
floor to connect 2 mandapas.
The
Mahabharata panel on the northern side depicting episodes from the epic.
The
roof of the mahamantapa has four sculptures of lions, each with a raised paw,
standing in a circle. These animated lions are believed to be the guardians of
the temple complex. (Four sculptures of lions 4 Sides)
All
of them together make this monument one of the most ambitious aesthetic
endeavours in history. However, if you look closely, you can see it is still
unfinished in some portions.
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