Kailasa Temple, Ellora

Coordinates: 20°01′26″N 75°10′45″E / 20.02389°N 75.17917°E / 20.02389; 75.17917
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Kailasa Temple
Rashtrakuta Empire
Completed8th century C.E
Ground plan of the temple

The Kailasha (

Indian architecture".[2] The top of the structure over the sanctuary is 32.6 metres (107 ft) above the level of the court below,[3] and although the rock face slopes downwards from the rear of the temple to the front, archaeologists believe it was sculpted from a single rock.[4]

The Kailasa temple (Cave 16) is the largest of the 34

Rashtrakuta king Krishna I (r. c. 756 – 773), with some elements completed later. The temple architecture shows traces of Pallava and Chalukya styles. The temple contains a number of relief and free-standing sculptures on a grand scale equal to the architecture, though only traces remain of the paintings which originally decorated it.[6]

Kailasha Temple from the rock behind it

History

Kailasa (Kaliash) temple lacks a

IAST Kṛṣṇarāja):[7][8]

  • The
    gods and the architect were astonished.[8] Most scholars believe that this is a reference to the Kailasanatha Shiva temple at Ellora.[9]
  • The Kadaba grant of Govinda Prabhutavarsha similarly appears to credit Krishnaraja with the construction of the temple.[7]

However, the attribution of the temple to Krishna I is not completely certain because these epigraphs are not physically connected to the caves, and do not date Krishnaraja's reign.[8] Moreover, the land grants issued by Krishna's successors do not contain any references to the Kailasa temple .[9]

The Kailasa temple features the use of multiple distinct architectural and sculptural styles. This, combined with its relatively large size, has led some scholars to believe that its construction spanned the reigns of multiple kings.

plinth during his invasion of Deccan, and added a new layer of paintings. Finally, Ahilyabai Holkar commissioned the last layer of paintings in the temple.[15]

nandi-mandapa, the lower-storey, the elephant-lion frieze, the court elephants and the victory pillars.[16] Dhavalikar admits that the most important sculpture of the temple, which depicts Ravana shaking the Kailasa mountain, appears to have been built after the main edifice. This sculpture is considered one of the finest pieces of Indian art, and it is possible that the temple came to be known as Kailasa after it. Dhavalikar theorizes that this sculpture was carved around 3-4 decades after the completion of the main shrine, on the basis of its similarity to the tandava sculpture in the Lankeshvar cave.[17] H. Goetz dated this relief to the reign of Krishna III.[15] Like Goetz, Dhavalikar attributes some other structures in the temple complex to the later rulers. These include the Lankeshvar cave and the shrine of the river goddesses (possibly constructed during the reign of Govinda III).[18] Dhavalikar further theorizes that the excavation of the Dashavatara cave, which began during the reign of Dantidurga, was completed during the reign of Krishna I. This explains the similarities between the sculptures in the two caves.[19]

Pallava-Chalukya influence

Dhavalikar pointed out that no major part of the monolithic temple appears to have been an afterthought: architectural evidence suggests that the entire temple was planned at the beginning.

Pallavas, who had constructed the Kailasa temple at Kanchi. According to the Virupaksha temple inscriptions, the Chalukyas brought the Pallava artists to Pattadakal after defeating the Pallavas. Dhavalikar theorizes that after defeating the Chalukyas, Krishna must have been impressed by the Virupaksha Temple located in their territory. As a result, he brought the sculptors and architects of the Virupaksha Temple (including some Pallava artists) to his own territory, and engaged them in the construction of the Kailasa temple at Ellora.[21]

If one assumes that the architects of the Virupaksha temple helped construct the Kailasa temple at Ellora, the construction of a massive temple during the reign of a single monarch does not seem impossible. The architects already had a blueprint and a prototype, which must have significantly reduced the effort involved in constructing a new temple. Moreover, quarrying a monolithic temple would have actually involved less effort than transporting large stones to build a new temple of similar size. Assuming that one person can cut around 4 cubic feet of rock every day, Dhavalikar estimated that 250 labourers would have managed to construct the Kailasa temple at Ellora within 5.5 years.[20] The presence of non-Rashtrakuta styles in the temple can be attributed to the involvement of Chalukya and Pallava artists.[22]

Construction method

One side of the courtyard, from the top of the gopuram

The Kailasa Temple is notable for its vertical excavation—carvers started at the top of the original rock and excavated downward. The traditional methods were rigidly followed by the master architect which could not have been achieved by excavating from the front.[23]

A

Ghrishneshwar (Shiva) at Elapura to cure her husband. She vowed to construct a temple if her wish was granted, and promised to observe a fast until she could see the shikhara (top) of this temple. After the king was cured, she requested him to build a temple immediately, but multiple architects declared that it would take months to build a temple complete with a shikhara. One architect named Kokasa assured the king that the queen would be able to see the shikhara of a temple within a week's time. He started building the temple from the top, by carving a rock. He was able to finish the shikhara within a week's time, enabling the queen to give up her fast. The temple was named Manikeshwar after the queen. M. K. Dhavalikar theorises that Kokasa was indeed the chief architect of the Kailasa temple, which may have been originally known as Manikeshwar. Multiple 11th-13th century inscriptions from central India mention architects born in the illustrious family of Kokasa.[25]

Architecture

The Kailasa temple architecture is different from the earlier style prevalent in the

Kailasa temple at Kanchi, but it is not an exact imitation of these two temples.[26] The southern influence on the temple architecture can be attributed to the involvement of Chalukya and Pallava artists in its construction.[27] The indigenous Deccan artisans appear to have played a subordinate role in the temple's construction.[28]

The entrance to the temple courtyard features a low

Vaishnavaites (affiliated with Vishnu). A two-storeyed gateway opens to reveal a U-shaped courtyard. The dimensions of the courtyard are 82 m x 46 m at the base.[1] The courtyard is edged by a columned arcade three stories high. The arcades are punctuated by huge sculpted panels, and alcoves containing enormous sculptures of a variety of deities. Originally flying bridges of stone connected these galleries to central temple structures, but these have fallen. Some of the most famous sculptures are Shiva the ascetic, Shiva the dancer, Shiva being warned by Parvati about the demon Ravana, and river goddess.[29]

Within the courtyard, there is a central shrine dedicated to

Nandi (the sacred bull). The central shrine housing the lingam features a flat-roofed mandapa supported by 16 pillars, and a Dravidian shikhara.[1] The shrine – complete with pillars, windows, inner and outer rooms, gathering halls, and an enormous stone lingam at its heart – is carved with niches, plasters, windows as well as images of deities, mithunas (erotic male and female figures) and other figures. As is traditional in Shiva temples, Nandi sits on a porch in front of the central temple. The Nandi mandapa and main Shiva temple are each about 7 metres high, and built on two storeys. The lower stories of the Nandi Mandapa are both solid structures, decorated with elaborate illustrative carvings. The base of the temple has been carved to suggest that elephants are holding the structure aloft. A rock bridge connects the Nandi Mandapa to the porch of the temple. The base of the temple hall features scenes from Mahabharata and Ramayana.[30]

  • Front view
    Front view
  • Shikhara
    Shikhara
  • Mandapa roof
    Mandapa roof
  • Arcades
    Arcades
  • Ramayana panel
    Ramayana panel
  • Mahabharata panel
    Mahabharata panel
  • Ravananugraha relief
    Ravananugraha relief

There are five detached shrines in the temple premises; three of these are dedicated to the river goddesses:

Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati.[1]

There are two

Dwajasthambams (pillars with flagstaff) in the courtyard. A notable sculpture is that of the Ravana attempting to lift Mount Kailasa.[1]

In art and literature

The Kylas, Caves of Ellora. is a poetical illustration by Letitia Elizabeth Landon based on an engraving of a painting by Samuel Prout published in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1833. This includes observations on the temple by Lord Munster from his "Overland Journey from India".

See also

  • List of colossal sculpture in situ

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Section II: Periodic Report on the State of Conservation of Ellora Caves, India, 2003" (PDF). UNESCO. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  2. ^ Michell, 362
  3. ^ Michell, 365
  4. ^ "Ellora's Kailasa Temple: Built from the Top". www.livehistoryindia.com. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  5. ^ Michell, 357
  6. ^ Michell, 362–366
  7. ^ a b c Deepak Kannal 1996, p. 101.
  8. ^ a b c Lisa Owen 2012, p. 135.
  9. ^ a b Lisa Owen 2012, p. 136.
  10. ^ H. Goetz 1952, p. 86.
  11. ^ a b M. K. Dhavalikar 1982, p. 33.
  12. ^ H. Goetz 1952, p. 89.
  13. ^ H. Goetz 1952, p. 106.
  14. ^ H. Goetz 1952, p. 92.
  15. ^ a b H. Goetz 1952, p. 107.
  16. ^ M. K. Dhavalikar 1982, p. 42.
  17. ^ M. K. Dhavalikar 1982, p. 39-40.
  18. ^ M. K. Dhavalikar 1982, p. 41.
  19. ^ M. K. Dhavalikar 1982, p. 44.
  20. ^ a b M. K. Dhavalikar 1982, p. 35.
  21. ^ M. K. Dhavalikar 1982, pp. 37–38.
  22. ^ M. K. Dhavalikar 1982, pp. 38–39.
  23. ISBN 81-7039-218-7
    .
  24. ISBN 978-81-7305-270-5
    .
  25. ^ M. K. Dhavalikar 1982, p. 42-43.
  26. ^ Deepak Kannal 1996, p. 102.
  27. ^ M. K. Dhavalikar 1982, pp. 38–40.
  28. ^ Deepak Kannal 1996, p. 108.
  29. ISBN 978-81-237-5255-6
    .
  30. ^ M. K. Dhavalikar 2003, p. 56.

Bibliography

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