Ellora Caves, a UNESCO heritage site located in Aurangabad, the scenic district of Maharashtra, will become India’s first monument equipped with a hydraulic lift. On Sunday, July 31, 2022, a senior member of the Archaeological Survey of India ASI provided this information to the public. Ellora cave Aurangabad, one of the region’s most popular tourist destinations, is a large rock-cut temple complex with Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist sculptures, which is approximately 30 km from the beautiful city of Aurangabad.
The project of installing the hydraulic lift is currently being approved, and this decision was made keeping the comforts of the tourists in mind. “ASI is launching various new projects in the 500 meters-spread Ellora caves to make the location more accessible and tourist-friendly for visitors,” said Milan Kumar, a superintending archaeologist from Aurangabad Circle ASI.
Out of the 34 caves in the area, cave number 16, also known as the famous Kailash Temple Cave, has two stories, and visitors must ascend the stairs to the top to enjoy the mesmerising view. Ramps and stairs provide wheelchair access to the cave, and ASI has now suggested placing small lifts on either side of the structure for the convenience of the tourists.
Kailash Temple Cave
Kailasa Temple which is the 16th cave in the Ellora Caves is a particularly noteworthy cave temple in India. It is known due to its architecture, size, and complete craving out of a single rock. Lord Shiva is the subject of the Kailash temple Ellora caves, which takes its name from Mount Kailasha. With an assembly hall and a gateway, Kailash temple Ellora cave is a multi-storey main temple surrounded by various shrines that are arranged in accordance with the square principle. Kailash temple has an integrated space for garbha-grihya (sanctum sanctorum) housing the linga-yoni, circumambulation, and a spire which is shaped like Mount Kailash, and the speciality of this temple is that all of the spaces are carved out of one single rock which is modelled after other Hindu Temples.
There will not be any kind of construction work that will be carried out to install these lifts. The official added that any individual in a wheelchair might easily access the 1st floor using the small, 9-square foot mechanism that will soon be installed.
According to officials, the proposal received the higher authorities’ preliminary clearance earlier this month, making Ellora caves the first ASI-designated world heritage site in the nation to have a hydraulic lift facility.
A route would be built on the upper hill so that visitors can access Kailash Cave, a single monolithic monument surrounded by hills, and take a view from the top. The ASI intends to install lighting for some paintings and conserve some cave parts. The paperwork to determine the project’s cost is currently being prepared said the official.
The ASI has been conducting a series of minor renovations to the cave complex to make it more accessible and tourist-friendly. On an average day, the cave complex receives between 2,000 and 3,000 visitors, including many international tourists.
The ASI intends to add more ticket booths and create a centralised counter for tourists looking to hire tour guides at Ellora. To make the experience more delightful for visitors, ASI also aims to install some landscaping with selfie points, and the complex will have a single entry and exit point.
According to Chauley, the ASI intends to build 3 to 4 restroom facilities equipped with sanitary napkin disposal features. He also mentioned that the electric car service inside the cave would begin in the next month.
These projects are at various levels of approval and implementation and might take a year or so to implement.
Ellora Caves History
The name Ellora is a short form derived from its old name Elloorpuram, also known as Verul or Elura. There are older references to the name that have been discovered, which include the Baroda inscription from 812 CE that mentions “the greatness of this edifice” and “this great edifice was built on a hill by Krishnaraja at Elapura,” the edifice mentioned in the inscription is from the Kailasa temple.
Ellora Caves Location
The Ellora cave’s history is well versed by many; located in the state of Maharashtra, approx about 100 kilometres, which is 62 miles to the west of the Ajanta Caves and 2.3 kilometres away from Grishneshwar Temple. They are approximately 29 kilometres, i.e. 18 miles towards the northwest direction of Aurangabad, approx 300 kilometres, i.e. 190 miles towards the east-northeast direction of Mumbai, and 235 kilometres, i.e. 146 miles away from Pune, India.
Ellora is located in the Western Ghats, a relatively flat and rocky area where the historic volcanic eruption produced the Deccan Traps, multilayered basalt formations. The Ellora caves’ west-facing cliff was created by volcanic activity during the Cretaceous era. The resulting vertical face made accessing numerous rock formation layers simpler, allowing architects to carve basalt with finer grains for extra intricate carving.
