A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar c21.42

c21.42

The rock-architecture of Ellora was begun by the Buddhists from 450 to 650, with twelve rock-cut halls that fall into two sub-groups, one slightly later than the other and each comprising a prayer-hall with monasteries attached to it. The later group contains two monasteries which are the only examples in three storeys, rising to a height of nearly 50 feet with wide courtyards in front. The technique of rock-architecture reached its culmination in some of these *vihāras* in which ‘lines are straighter, angles more correct, and surfaces more true than in any other examples’. At Aurangabad there are three groups of Buddhist excavations in a hill about 3 miles north of the city. One of them includes a *caitya* and four *vihāras*, another has four *vihāras*, and the third comprises three unimportant caves. They all belong to the sixth and seventh centuries. Some of the sculptures of deities and devotees, male and female, in these *vihāras* are remarkable for their massive proportions and bold relief and for their life-like presentation of the people of the period, their garments, head-dresses and ornaments.