Ellora Buddhist Cave 7 Appears Ample, Not Accomplished or Adorned as 8

Summary: Ellora Buddhist Cave 7 in Maharashtra, India, accounts for ample area albeit not as accommodating, accomplished and adorned as Ellora Buddhist Cave 8.

exterior view of Ellora Buddhist Cave 7 (center); Thursday, April 26, 2007, 09:19: Jorge Láscar from Australia, CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Wikimedia Commons

Ellora Buddhist Cave 7 in Maharashtra state, western peninsular India, assumes an ample appearance even as it appears abandoned and awry, not as accomplished and adorned as adjacent Ellora Buddhist Cave 8.

Itinerant artisans began building the seventh cave temple from the southern beginnings to the Ellora Caves during the Kalachuri (from Sanskrit कलचुरि) dynasty (550?-before 687 C.E.?). They constructed the seventh cavern as one of 11 vihara (from Sanskrit विहार, "walking [hall]") dormitory caves even though they completed only two of 15 cells. The 51- by 43-foot (15.54- by 13.11-meter) dormitory cavern displays five back-wall, three right end-wall and four left end-wall dormitory cells, all with high door thresholds.

Three of four columns extending from floor to ceiling no longer exist even as three of four back-wall, three right-end and four left-end cells exhibit incompleteness.

Further fashionings of the Sahyadri (from Sanskrit सह्याद्रि, "benevolent") basalt of the Western Ghats fit a foot traffic-friendly opening from Ellora Buddhist Cave 7 into 8.

The gouged-out passageway guided pilgrim artisans, laymen, merchants, monks and traders into a graven grotto symbolically guarded by Amoghasiddhi (from Sanskrit अमोघ, "infallible" and सिद्धि, "action"). The accommodating, adorned eighth cave from the southern entrance to the 0.746-mile- (1.2-kilometer-) long Ellora Caves has one chapel, one shrine, two halls and six cells. It is not incomplete, in line with the third wisdom, accomplished action, imparted by each Buddha (from Sanskrit बुद्ध, "awakened") to the third wisdom king, Amoghasiddhi.

Pilgrim artisans, laymen, merchants, monks and traders journeyed from the 28- by 25-foot (8.53- by 7.62-meter) hall, with two columns per end, into three north-side cells.

Ellora Buddhist Cave 7 keeps no accommodating, adorned shrine even though accomplished action knowingly kindled the carved, sculpted architectural artistry of the next-door shrine and threshold.

Traditional artisans locate one carved, sculpted gate-keeping guardian, on each side of Buddhist and Hindu (from सिन्धु, "river, stream") shrine and temple and Hindu palace doorways. The carved, sculpted threshold to the shrine interior manifests the dvarapala (from Sanskrit द्वार, "doorway" and द्पाल, "protector") duo, one per side, with their attendants too. The shrine interior nets a carved, sculpted, seated Gautama (from Sanskrit गौतम, "light [dispels] darkness") Buddha (624?-544 B.C.E.?) and a carved, four-armed, lotus-bearing, sculpted, standing Padmapani.

Itinerant artisans offered their sculpture of bodhisattva Padmapani (from Sanskrit बोधि, "enlightenment" and सत्त्व, "sentient being"; and पद्म, "lotus" and पाणि, "holder") a sculpted deerskin shoulder wrap.

Ellora Buddhist Cave 7 passed pilgrim passsersby into cave 8 for lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) symbols of Siddhartha (from Sanskrit सिद्धार्थ, "successful") Gautama passing into mass-enlightening self-enlightenment.

Uttar Pradesh deer (Rucervus duvaucelii) qualify as icons of Gautama Buddha's lecture, in Deer Park, on Four Noble Truths of self-enlightening detachment from desire-filled, sorrowful life. The outer, 28- by 17-foot (8.53- by 5.18-meter) hall shelters a back-wall chapel with Buddha between Padmapani and Vajrapani (from Sanskrit वज्रपाणि, "thunderbolt in hand").

Ellora Buddhist Cave 7 touted no talismans so transiting pilgrims traipsed into the eighth cave temple for compassionate Mahamayuri and Padmapani, powerful Vajrapani and self-enlightening Buddha.

"Bauddha Caves Nos. XVI & XVII"; sketch by Scottish archaeologist James Burgess (Aug. 14, 1832-Oct. 3, 1916), Report on the Elura Cave Temples (1883), Plate XIV: 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:

exterior view of Ellora Buddhist Cave 7 (center); Thursday, April 26, 2007, 09:19: Jorge Láscar from Australia, CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lascar_Ellora_caves_(4558951364).jpg; Jorge Láscar (Jorge Lascar), CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/jlascar/4558951364/

"Bauddha Caves Nos. XVI & XVII"; sketch by Scottish archaeologist James Burgess (Aug. 14, 1832-Oct. 3, 1916), Report on the Elura Cave Temples (1883), Plate XIV: via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.1544/page/n128/mode/1up

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