Aurangabad Buddhist Cave Temple, Maharashtra

Address

Aurangabad Buddhist Cave Temple, Ellora Cave Rd, Verul, Maharashtra 431101

Diety

Buddha

Introduction

The cave temples of Aurangabad cut between the 6th and the 8th century are nine kilometers from Aurangabad, near Bibi-ka-Maqbara. Cave temples of Aurangabad make a worthy prelude to the far more celebrated Ellora and Ajanta. Some of the sculptural work here ranks with the best in india. The site, however, is reached after a hard climb and the groups of excavations are separated by one and half km across the hillside. Because of this difficult approach the Aurangabad caves are often dropped from the itinerary of tourists. The solid rock-face was hewn and carved with primitive tools. The method employed was to make a plan and then start work from the top. The facade and the verandah were first completed and then the hall, antechamber and cells of the shrine. Here the earliest excavations (Caves 1 & 3) probably date to 2nd – 3rd century A.D. Cave 3 is in the form of a chaitya griha of the Hinayana order, albeit preserved very badly due to the nature of the rock formation.

Puranic Significance

Caves I and III of Aurangabad and last caves of Ajanta co-existed as is apparent from striking parallels both the sites. Again at Aurangabad after a careful study of both caves I and III, the conclusion the Historians have come to is that cave III was earlier to cave I. In Cave III the artist seems to have decorated with surprisingly neat and organized designs of fretwork, scrolls, panel of couples, tassels, flowers, geometrical designs, and highest point of perfection and consummation. Twelve Buddhist Caves are found here which fall into three separate groups depending on its location. The first group consists of caves 1 to 5, the second 6 to 9 and third 10 to 12. The caves are datable from circa 2nd – 3rd century AD to 7th century AD. The first and the second groups are separated by nearly 500 metres from each other, with the former at the western side while the latter is on the eastern side of the same hill. The third group is further east of the second group.