Ellora Cave 15

The Hindu cave known as Ellora Cave 15, also called Dashavatara Cave, is located 350 m from the Kailasa Temple. It is also 400 m from the Ellora Caves Bus Stop. It is right next to Cave 14 in Ellora. One of the most beautiful and well-known caves in places to visit in Ellora Caves is this one.

Artisans dug out 17 Hindu caves, numbered 13 through 29, from the west face of the hill between 650 and 900 AD. The most important ones in this group are Caves 14, 15, 16, 21, and 29. These caves are in the middle of the cave complex. The caves stand grouped on either side of Ellora's famous Kailasa Temple.

Ellora Cave 15 Historical Background

Dantidurga, a Rashtrakuta king, built the 15th cave called Dashavatara Cave. This cave mostly shows different types of Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. This building has two floors and an oversized patio with a single-story Nandi mandapa.

River gods flank the entry. This site was originally a Buddhist monastery but was converted into a Shiva temple in the 8th century AD. On the caps of the first floor, you can see some Buddha statues. Ellora Caves tour packages offer a great way to explore this historical site.

Depiction of Vishnu's Ten Avatars

A set of steps leads to the first floor, which has eleven sunken rooms with giant bas-reliefs of different gods and goddesses cut into them. They are Mahisasuramardini, Bhavani or Durga, Uma in a penitent state, Kali, Surya, Ganapathi, Parvati, and Siva and Parvati.

The shrine of the linga and an antechamber are on the second floor, which is 109 feet by 95 feet. The walls on each side of the hall are divided into six rooms. The north-side rooms depict Siva dancing, a pitha for a linga, Siva and Parvati playing the chausar, and Ravana shaking the Kailasa.

Two panels to the north of the entryway door show Markandeya-anugraha and Gangadhara. There are pictures of Govardhanadhari Vishnu, Sheshasayi Vishnu, Vishnu on a garuda, Varaha, Vishnu as a boar, Vamana, and Narasimha on the south wall. Two walls to the south of the entry show Tripurantaka and Lingodbhava.

Architectural and Artistic Significance

Cave 15, also called Dashavatara Cave, and is unique because of its beautiful designs and strong structure. It also holds deep mythological meaning. This two-story cave is different from the other Hindu caves at Ellora because it has a unique mix of rock-cut buildings and sculptures.

The lower level of the cave is plain, but the top level has beautiful carvings of Hindu gods and stories from old books. The most interesting thing about the cave is the panel with detailed pictures of Lord Vishnu's ten forms, which is called Dashavatara. The great mandapa (hall with columns) and sanctum sanctorum show how good the Rashtrakuta kingdom was at building.