Maharashtra

Capital: Mumbai
Main language: Marathi
Area: 307,762 square km
Population: 96,752,247 square km.

The state of Maharashtra is one of the largest in India both in terms of population and area. Its booming capital, Mumbai, makes it not only one of the most important states economically but also a major arrival point for overseas visitors. From Mumbai you can head off into India in a nuniber of directions but most travellers will either be heading south through Pune (Poona), with its famous ashram, to Goa or north-east to the amazing cave temples of Ajanta and Ellora. Most of the state stands on the high Deccan pleateau and historically this was the main centre for the Maratha empire which defied the Moghuls for so long and under the fearless rule of Shivaji carved out a large part of central India as their own domain.

Cave Architecture

The rock cut caves in Maharashtra all have several distinct design elements. All the Buddhist caves, which are generally the older ones, are either chaityas (temples) or viharas (monasteries). Chaityas are usually deep and narrow with a stupa at the end of the cave. There may be a row of columns down both sides of the cave and around the stupa.
The viharas are usually not as deep and narrow as the chaitya caves. These caves were usually intended as living and sleeping quarters for the monks and often have rows of cells along both sides of the cave. In the back there is a small shrine room, often containing an image of the Buddha. At Ajanta the cliff face the caves are cut into is very steep
and there is often a small vera entrance porch in front of tl cave. At Ellora the rock face sloping and the verandah or element often evolves into a i courtyard.

The cave temples reach their complexity and design in the caves at Ellora, in particular tl nificent Kailasa temple. Here t) hardly caves any longer for the enclosure is open to the sky. In they are much like other temples era — except that instead of beii up from the bottom they we down from the top. They are a ation of conventional architect that period.
The caves are notable for their tures and paintings.