Ellora attempts the first systematic overview of the Ellora cave temples, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The origin of rock-cut architecture in India may be traced to the indigenous tradition of the use of natural caverns by ascetics and mendicants.The earliest rock-cut excavations were patronised by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka in the Barabar and Nagarjuni Hills around 250 BCE. Between 200 BCE to 200 CE Buddhist chaityas and viharas were excavated along ancient trade routes. In tracing the evolution of rock-cut temples, the Ellora cave temple site is the only site that houses Buddhist, Brahmanical and Jain caves. These rock-cut cave temples were excavated between 600–1000 CE.

Ellora looks into each of these groups of rock-cut temples by religion, patronage and stylistic influences each patron dynasty drew from surrounding regions. The contributors to this volume bring their considerable expertise on Ellora to provide a comprehensive understanding of the chronology, stylistic development and an overview and documentation of the 34 main caves and the lesser caves of the site. Also included is an extensive interview with the scholar Walter Spink, who is the author of several volumes on the caves of Ajanta. Complementing this authoritative research will be comprehensive photographs of the site and ground plans of the most significant caves.

Pia Brancaccio is Associate Professor of Art History at Drexel University. Her research focuses on Buddhist art from South Asia. Vidya Dehejia is the Barbara Stoler Miller Professor of Indian and South Asian Art at Columbia University and has authored numerous books on South Asian art. Deepanjana Klein is the International Head of Department for Contemporary Indian & Classical Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Art at Christie’s. Lisa N. Owen is currently an Associate Professor at University of North Texas. Her research focuses on ancient and medieval rock-cut monuments in India. Walter Spink is Professor Emeritus, History of Art, at the University of Michigan. He has published widely and is considered a leading authority on Indian art. Arno Klein is Director of the MATTER Lab (Mind-Assisting Technologies for Therapy, Education, and Research) at the Child Mind Institute in Manhattan.

In the book
• Foreword
• Introduction
• Overview of Ellora Cave Temple Site
• Buddhist Caves
• Brahmanical Caves
• Jain Caves
• Unfinished Caves
• Cross-fertilization of Style from Surrounding Rock-cut Cave Temples