There are 12 caves at Ellora dedicated to Buddhism. While 11 of them are “viharas” or monasteries for the monks, cave no.10 is special and is a “Chaitya” hall or Prayer hall also known as “Vishvakarma” cave. Inside this cave is a 15-foot statue of The Buddha seated in a teaching pose. The hall is designed as a wooden hut and the ceiling has curved beams, supported by pillars. This again is all stone and the beams have been carved out of stone … simply stunning. The Buddhist caves at Ellora were built around the 6th or 7th century.
What is fascinating about this cave is the acoustics. The guide who was with us, said that if he chants from a particular spot inside the cave, the sound could be heard even outside. He gave us a demo and I have recorded it standing about 10 feet away. The sound is so clear !
Do listen –
As yesterday was Buddha Purnima I was reminded of this and wanted to share it. Buddha left such a deep influence on mankind. I remember reading about Buddha in school and memorising the lines that the guide chanted –
We woke up at 4.30 today morning as we do on most days and I immediately captured the full moon as it tried to escape into the bright morning …
So beautiful. The waxing and waning of the moon teaches us a great lesson – when you have nothing, don’t despair because 15 days after the dark night of Amavasya is the Purnima or the full moon. Likewise, don’t rejoice when you are full, the full moon does get reduced to a dark night.
So go with the flow and enjoy the ride !!