KAILASH CAVE, Ellora

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

At –>Ellora, the so-called Kailash Cave or simply Kailash is not at all cave in the speleological sense of the word but a temple in a pit (SMITH, G 1882: 359), monolithic temple (note 1), which, excavated from massive rock in situ, resembles sort of (sunken) -pyramid- that towers above a a tiny cell (note 2). ETYMOLOGY: Cailas HAMILTON, W (1828, 1: 541-542) Cailása MALLET, C W (1801: 404) Kailas SMITH, G 1882: 359) Keylas MALLET, C W (1801: 404) Kylas OLIPHANT, L (1852 chapter XVIII) Ranga Mahal SMITH, G 1882: 359)CAVE DESCRIPTION 1828: Elora (Eluru) … Cailas … remarkable excavations of Hindoo temples, which in magnitude and perfection of execution surpass any thing of the kind in India, but which it is impossible to render intelligible without the assistance of plates. The cae temples occupy a considerable extent of surface, but at first do not strike the mind as any thing wonderful, until they are discovered to be all one solid mass of rock. The following are the dimensions … (HAMILON, W 1828, 1: 541). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1852: Ellora … can boast of the wonderful Kylas. (OLIPHANT, L 1852 chapter XVIII). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1882: … the Kailas or Ranga Mahal (725-800 A.D.), a great monolithic Dravidian temple of Shiva, nearly 100 ft. [30.5 m] high, hewn out of the rock, highly sculptured outside and in; but -a temple in a pit,- and therefore the last as well as greatest effort of the Brahmans to imitate and excel their Boodhist rivals (SMITH, G 1882: 359).CAVE DESCRIPTION 1982 -- not seen: BONNET, J (1982: 22-36) was said to mention Grotte de Kailash (Claude Chabert, Paris, 1994 personal correspondence).ON, W 1828, 1: 541). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1852: Ellora … can boast of the wonderful Kylas. (OLIPHANT, L 1852 chapter XVIII). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1882: … the Kailas or Ranga Mahal (725-800 A.D.), a great monolithic Dravidian temple of Shiva, nearly 100 ft. [30.5 m] high, hewn out of the rock, highly sculptured outside and in; but -a temple in a pit,- and therefore the last as well as greatest effort of the Brahmans to imitate and excel their Boodhist rivals (SMITH, G 1882: 359).CAVE DESCRIPTION 1982 -- not seen: BONNET, J (1982: 22-36) was said to mention Grotte de Kailash (Claude Chabert, Paris, 1994 personal correspondence).