Ellora Buddhist Cave 11 Answers to the Name Do Taal and to Vajrapani

Summary: Ellora Buddhist Cave 11 accepts Do Taal as moniker even though it adds up to three levels and powerful Vajrapani as protector in Maharashtra, India.

sculpture of protector bodhisattva Vajrapani (right), with vajra (thunderbolt) in his upraised right hand; Sunday, March 5, 2017, 01:08: Photo Dharma from Sadao, Thailand, CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Wikimedia Commons

Ellora Buddhist Cave 11 in Maharashtra state, western peninsular India, accounts for three levels, even as its moniker Do Taal only acknowledges two, and allies with powerful Vajrapani as guide and protector.

The eleventh cave from the southern entrance to the 800- to 1,600-year-old Ellora Caves bears among its sculpted artwork compassionate Padmapani, mass-enlightening Buddha and powerful Vajrapani. The bodhisattva Vajrapani (from Sanskrit बोधि, "enlightenment" and सत्त्व, "sentient being"; and वज्र, "diamond, thunderbolt" and पाणि, "in hand") communicates all the power of every Buddha. He demonstrates that powerfulness as guide and protector of Siddhartha Gautama (from Sanskrit सिद्धार्थ, "successful" and गौतम, "light [dispels] darkness"; 624?-544 B.C.E.?) enlightened as Gautama Buddha.

Vajrapani as protector bodhisattva expresses the power of each and every Buddha (from Sanskrit बुद्ध, "awakened") and wisdom of each and every Wisdom King.

Ellora Buddhist Cave 11 features Vajrapani with Gautama Buddha, with Padmapani (from Sanskrit पद्म, "lotus" and पाणि, "holder") instead of Avalokitesvara and without wise bodhisattva Manjusri.

Manjusri (from Sanskrit मञ्जुश्री, "gentle glory") and Vajrapani gather sometimes with compassionate Avalokitesvara (from Sanskrit अवलोकितेश्वर, "watchful lord"), sometimes with compassionate Padmapani. Avalokitesvara, Manjusri, Padmapani and Vajrapani altogether and individually harbor the wisdoms of First, Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Wisdom Kings Akshobhya, Amitabha, Amoghasiddhi, Ratnasambhava and Vairocana. Akshobhya (from Sanskrit अक्षोभ्य, "immovable") of the East, First Wisdom King, impels the consciousness wisdom of the Buddha against the spiritual poisons of anger and hatred.

Amitabha (from Sanskrit अमिताभ, "infinite light") of the West, Second Wisdom King, joins to the other four the compassion wisdom of the Buddha against desires and selfishness.

Itinerant artisans under Rashtrakuta (from Sanskrit राष्ट्रकूट, "country chieftain") dynasts (753?-982?) perhaps kindled virtuous, wise pilgrims passersby through compassionate, mass-enlightening artwork in Ellora Buddhist Cave 11.

Amoghasiddhi (from Sanskrit अमोघ, "infallible" and सिद्धि, "action") of the North, Third Wisdom King, loosens the wisdom of accomplished actions against spiritually poisonous envy and jealousy. Ratnasambhava (from Sanskrit रत्नसंभव, "jewel-born") of the South, Fourth Wisdom King, masters the wisdom of richness for mustering against the spiritual poisons of greed and pride. Vairocana (from Sanskrit वैरोचन, "solar") of the Center, Fifth Wisdom King, nourishes the wisdom of emptiness and never nurtures the spiritual poisons of delusions and doubts.

Do Taal offered pilgrim passersby two levels, each with enshrined, sculpted Buddha, Padmapani, Vajrapani trios, before the 1876 excavations and three levels after the 1877 excavations. Ellora Buddhist Cave 11 possesses a lowest-level, 102-foot- (31.09-meter-) long, 9-foot- (0.31-meter-) wide verandah with one shrine, one stairway and two cells since the 1876-1877 excavations.

The present second-level, previous first-level verandah quarters eight square pillars, one unfinished cell and one shrine sculpted with an enthroned Buddha, waterjar-bearing females and the trio. Its back wall and its north end respectively reveal three cells all whose carvings sport Gautama Buddha sculpted with his attendants and the verandah stairway upward. One shrine never started, even as two shrines with four-armed Padmapani, lotus-bud bearers, small-sized Buddha and the compassionate, mass-enlightening trio share present third-story, previous second-story space.

Perhaps pilgrim traders traveled through threatening, traumatizing, troubling territories to Ellora Buddhist Cave 11 for tranquil takeaways of trusting in the powerfully compassionate, mass-enlightening sculpted trio.

front view of three levels of Ellora Buddhist Cave 11; Sunday, March 5, 2017, 00:47: Photo Dharma from Sadao, Thailand, CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

sculpture of protector bodhisattva Vajrapani (right), with vajra (thunderbolt) in his upraised right hand; Sunday, March 5, 2017, 01:08: Photo Dharma from Sadao, Thailand, CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:034_Cave_11,_Buddhas_and_Bodhiattvas_(34154390765).jpg; Anandajoti Bhikkhu (Anandajoti Bhikkhu), CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/anandajoti/34154390765/

front view of three levels of Ellora Buddhist Cave 11; Sunday, March 5, 2017, 00:47: Photo Dharma from Sadao, Thailand, CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:023_Cave_11,_Front_View_(33769518090).jpg; Anandajoti Bhikkhu (Anandajoti Bhikkhu), CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/anandajoti/33769518090/

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