Kailashnath Temple, Ellora

The Kailasa Temple ( also Kailash or Kailasanatha Temple ) of Ellora is the largest fully carved out of a natural rocky outcrop, cave temple ' of India.

Location

The Kailasa temple is located in the center of a total of 34 buildings ( including unfinished ) comprehensive temples and cave dwelling complex of Ellora. Since all buildings Ellora are numbered from southeast to northwest, he wears the number 16

History

An inscription mentions the name of the Rashtrakuta king Krishna I. and the year 765; assuming a construction period of about 20 to 30 years (some researchers consider even 100 years for likely ), this should be a reference point for dating the entire construction in the second half of the 8th century. The Rashtrakutas were originally from the south of India and foreign rulers had the area around Ellora conquered only shortly before. As a demonstrative sign of his presence was Krishna I. hew out the unsurpassed in its kind Kailasa Temple from the rock. In the 13th century some relief figures were destroyed by invading Muslim forces, but on the whole, large parts of the architectural decoration have been preserved.

Ordination

The Kailasa temple is dedicated to Hindu God Shiva, whose residence - the imaginations of many, according to Hindus - the eponymous Mount Kailash in the Himalayas is, which is in Indian religious ideas often also with the world axis ( axis mundi ) and the Center of the Universe equated. An epithet of Shiva is " Lord of Kailash " ( Kailasanatha ).

Architecture

Orientation

The temple entrance is exact to the west, ie in the direction of the setting sun oriented toward: Such an orientation is in Indian architecture is quite common, although orientations predominate to the east.

Structural Engineering

The whole - about 90 m long and 60 m wide use range - temple was hewn out of the natural rock at oblique propulsion and from top to bottom; it is estimated that approximately 150,000 to 200,000 tonnes ( according to other sources even 400,000 tons ) had to be removed stone material. It is the same technique as was applied in the earlier Buddhist and Hindu caves; from most other temples in Ellora (except parts of the Hindu Temple No. 15 and the Jain Cave No. 32), however, the Kailasa temple differs in that the finished building stands a total free- plastic.

Influences

The flat ceiling of the wide bearing porch ( mandapa ) of the temple with a large, three -tiered central lotus ornament with four - pointing in all directions - lions, small wide -bearing shrines on the long sides and the dome-like closure of about 30 m high tower structure southern Indian influences significantly recognize (eg Mamallapuram, Aihole, Badami and others). The hermetically enclosing the temple Hofeinfassung together with the portal facade points to South Indian influences (eg Kanchipuram ) back.

Entrance hall

In front of the temple itself is a - to the outside as a facade acting - entrance hall with the representations of goddesses Ganga and Yamuna, here - as in many (also Buddhist and Jain ) temples of India - are equally to be regarded as guardian figures as also purifying powers. Other deities ( Kubera, Ganesha, Durga as Töterin the buffalo demon and Lakshmi ) and manner ( Vyasa and Valmiki ) decorate the entrance area. The figures accompany the entrants and grant him protection; simultaneously the holiness of the underlying actual temple construction is underlined. Divided by paired columns - - niches visible inside the entrance are two stem.

Lobbies

About stairs to reach another lobby that is - as is common with many Shiva shrines in all over India - a Nandi bull hosts, the mount ( vahana ) of Lord Shiva. About a cantilever - and of course also worked out from the rock - bridge takes you to the top of the temple proper. Above the entrance to the square, of 16 enggestellten and arranged in groups of four pillars supported and almost pitch-dark porch ( mandapa ), there are still some stucco and painting residues, suggesting that the ceiling - and possibly also parts of the walls - once also in same way were decorated.

Sanctum

Im from mighty walls ' surrounded by two large guardian figures ( dvarapalas ) guarded only by the Brahmins -accessible Sanctum ( garbhagriha ) itself is a Shiva lingam in the center of a - relative to the ground level slightly elevated - Yoni, in addition to their symbolic also quite practical features to are: they were large portions of the offerings of the pilgrims (water, coconut milk, ghee, sandalwood paste, etc. ) with which the lingam was doused and rubbed before, to the outside. From other parts of the offerings, a paste is prepared by the Brahmins, which is applied to the faithful as a dot on the forehead; from other parts again ( coconut meat, sugar) is prepared a sweet-tasting food ( prasad ) and distributed to the pilgrims. Today's offerings, however, rarely consist of natural history, but essentially out of money, incense and flowers.

The Sanktumsbereich is surrounded by five other shrines ( pancharatha ), which simulate the temple in miniature form and thus in a way to emphasize its spiritual and religious significance, universalize perhaps even in all directions.

Court

The front part of the courtyard is dominated by two elephants, which are to be interpreted as symbols of strength, power and dignity, and two about 16 m high monolithic pillars ( stambhas ) with similar meaning - both remnants of the former rock rock. In the left anterior Hofecke there are three reliefs of the river goddesses Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati, who are on their mounts ( vahanas ) and embody virtues such as purity, humility and wisdom; Ganga - the most important of the three - is in the middle. When walking around the temple you can see many details: For example, rests the whole building apparently on the backs of hundreds of small elephants that have the sovereign aspect of the building significantly. Furthermore, there are reliefs showing the remains of stucco and painting are recognizable, so that one can assume that the outside of the temple was formerly painted in color. Two extremely fragmented narrative reliefs with scenes from the Mahabharata ( southwest corner ) and the Ramayana ( southeast corner ) are particularly emphasized.

Relief figures

Although it must be noted that the figurative decoration of the Kailasa temple is not of outstanding artistic quality, as the stones should be so plastered and painted, the matters set forth are nevertheless of great diversity: So, in the alcoves on the north side of dealing depictions of Shiva as Vina player, as Nataraja and - along with Parvati - the dice game. The figure reliefs in the south side of coping are primarily devoted to the Hindu god Vishnu and his incarnations ( Krishna, Narasimha and others).