Ellora Buddhist Caves Abound With Ancient Aspects of Tantric Buddhism

Summary: Ellora Buddhist Caves in Maharashtra, India, assemble the most ancient arrangements of adorational sculptures appropriate to Tantric Buddhism.

Bodhishaktis on lotus pads adorn wall of antechamber leading to Hindu Buddhist Cave 12's shrine; "Sculpture to the Left of the Shrine Door in the Tin Thal, Upper Storey" sketch by Scottish archaeologist James Burgess (Aug. 14, 1832-Oct. 3, 1916), Report on the Elura Cave Temples (1883), Plate XIX: via Internet Archive

Itinerant artisans during the seventh century 1,400 years ago, built the basic beliefs of Tantric Buddhism into bodhisattva and bodhishakti sculptures in 12 Ellora Buddhist Caves. Shrikant Ganvir of Pune University in Maharashtra state, during an interview with Sahapedia January 2016, correlates the Ellora Buddhist Caves with early, standardized Tantric Buddhist configurations. He describes Mahasiddha (from Sanskrit महासिद्ध, "great achiever") Sarahapada (from Sanskrit सरहपाद, "arrow-shooter") as directing Mantrayana, Tantrayana and Vajrayana Buddhism westward from its east Indian development.

Itinerant artisans, merchants, monks and traders entered Ellora Buddhist Caves for body, speech, mind exercises establis

Itinerant artisans during the Kalachuri (from Sanskrit कलचुरि) and Chalukya (from Sanskrit चालुक्य) dynasties, 550?-before 687 and 543-753 C.E. respectively, fashioned enlightenment-friendly female and male figures.

Tantric Buddhist bodhisattva (from Sanskrit बोधि, "enlightenment" and सत्त्व, "sentient being") sculptures gather around a sculptured Gautama Buddha (from Sanskrit गौतम, "darkness-dispelling light" and बुद्ध, "awakened"). Tantric Buddhist art has bodhishakti (from Sanskrit बोधि, "enlightenment" and शक्ति, "[female] power, strength") carvings, paintings and sculptures as the female counterparts to male sentient beings. Professor Ganvir identifies among the four most important bodhisattva images Ellora inclusions of Maitreya (from Sanskrit मैत्रेय, "loving-kindness"), Buddha 5,000 years after Gautama Buddha (624?-544 B.C.E.?).

Bodhisattva trio Avalokitesvara (from Sanskrit अवलोकितेश्वर, "watchful lord"), Manjusri (from Sanskrit मञ्जुश्री, "gentle glory") and Vajrapani (from Sanskrit वज्रपाणि, "thunderbolt in hand") join Gautama and Maitreya.

Tantric Buddhism, known as Tantrayana (from Sanskrit तन्त्र, "loom, warp, weave" and यान, "vehicle"), kindles carved, bodhishakti images and Buddhist litany panels in Ellora Buddhist Caves.

The sixth Buddhist cave lodges the ancientest image of Avalokitesvara's female counterpart, Tara (from Sanskrit तारा, "to cross"), merciful goddess of karuna (from Sanskrit करुणा, "compassion"). Buddhist Cave 9 manifests the only Ashtamahabhaya (from Sanskrit अष्टा, "eight"; महा, "great"; and भय, "fear") Tara in the western Deccan (from Sanskrit dakshina, दक्षिणा, "south"). Tantric Buddhism, also named Mantrayana (from Sanskrit मन्त्र, "mind-protecting" and यान, "vehicle") and Vajrayana वज्र, "diamond, thunderbolt" and यान, "vehicle"), nurtures 12 Dharini deities.

Green-fleshed Tara, green-painted as compassionate Ashtamahabhaya and Khadiravani (from Sanskrit खदिरवणी, "acacia forest"), opposes the Buddhist litany's (from Greek λιτανεία, "supplication") eight physical and spiritual obstacles.

Ellora Buddhist Caves present angry, hateful fires; avaricious, miserly enslavers; deluded, doubting demons; desire-pressed floods; fanatical bandits and thieves; ignorant elephants; jealous snakes; and proud lions.

The twelfth Buddhist cave quarters the 12 Dharini (from Sanskrit धारिणी, "earth") deities Aksayajnanakaranda, Anantamukhi, Cunda, Janguli, Mari, Parnasabari, Prajnavardhani, Ratnolka, Sarvabuddhadharma-Kosavati, Sarvakarmavaraṇavisodhani, Sumati and Usnisavijaya. Bodhisattva, bodhishakti and dharini deities require mantra repetitions, such as white-fleshed, white-painted Avalokitesvara's Om mani padme hum ("Lo! The jewel [of enlightenment] is in the lotus"). Enlightenment-seeking patrons and pilgrims said Om tare tuttare ture svaha ("I pray, oh Tara, oh swift one, so be it!") to Tara, green-sculpted like Dharini deities.

Ellora Buddhist caves transmit traditional tenets in Tantric Buddhism of body, speech, mind through yoga for, mantra to, meditation of talismanic bodhisattva, bodhishakti and dharini deities.

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sculptures of Tara, female counterpart of Avalokitesvara (bodhisattva of compassion), in Ellora Buddhist Cave 2 (left) and Ellora Buddhist Cave 6 (right); sketch by Scottish archaeologist James Burgess (Aug. 14, 1832-Oct. 3, 1916), Report on the Elura Cave Temples (1883), Plate XXXII: via Internet Archive

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Bodhishaktis on lotus pads adorn wall of antechamber leading to Hindu Buddhist Cave 12's shrine; "Sculpture to the Left of the Shrine Door in the Tin Thal, Upper Storey" sketch by Scottish archaeologist James Burgess (Aug. 14, 1832-Oct. 3, 1916), Report on the Elura Cave Temples (1883), Plate XIX: via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.1544/page/n138/mode/1up

sculptures of Tara, female counterpart of Avalokitesvara (bodhisattva of compassion), in Ellora Buddhist Cave 2 (left) and Ellora Buddhist Cave 6 (right); sketch by Scottish archaeologist James Burgess (Aug. 14, 1832-Oct. 3, 1916), Report on the Elura Cave Temples (1883), Plate XXXII: via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.1544/page/n126/mode/1up

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