The Ancient and Medieval Architecture of India: A Study of Indo-Aryan Civilisation c20.13

c20.13

According to archæological convention, the Buddhist group is placed first in chronological order; but the probability is that the Saivaites, or followers of orthodox Brahmanism, were the first to occupy the site, for they held all the places adjoining the waterfall and Siva's crescent which made Ellora holy ground. Both the Jains and Buddhists would seem to have been allotted their respective stations to the north and south of the Saivaite group at a later date. On both sides of the ravine above the waterfall there is a series of simple excavations of no architectural pretensions, but they may possibly have formed the original asrâma, or hermitage of Ellora, before it became famous as a place of pilgrimage.