elapur

date A.D. 812 expresses a sense of bewilderment and excitement at the very sight of Kailasa in the following words:

"When the chariot-bound celestials happened to pass over the wonderful encampment over the edges of Elapur mountain, they were astonished to see a Shiva's Shrine. They continued to discuss and talk about it as 'not a man-made affair but a self-existent matter." After having tried his hand for creating another copy of the same, the architect considered his second effort as a waste of profession. The architect when having a look at this own earlier creation was amazed watch his own accomplishment and exclaimed-nhow could I have excavated such a wonderful composition." And by reason of it, the king was caused to praise his name. The Baroda copper-plate also credits the Rashtrakut king Shubhtung Krishna for having patronised the excavation of this Shiva Sanctuctry.

In the Indian folk psyche the entire rock-cut complex of Ellora was a divine creation. Last great Mughal emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir after visiting the rock-cut site of Ellora was impressed by its aesthetic value and in one of his letters to his son Bidar-Bakht wrote that he had visited Ellora in the company of his daughters and daughters-in-laws and was amazed to see the rock-cut shrines of Ellora, which in his view were god's creation. Aurangzeb was perhaps repeating what an average Indian felt about the creation of Ellora's rock-cut complex. It is possible that Aurangzeb might have overheard a Maharashtra folk tale about Ajanta and Ellora.

An interesting folk tale circulates among the villagers in the vicinity of Ajanta and Ellora. The genesis of the sculptures of Ajanta and Ellora has received a charming version in this folk tale. The story goes that long long ago devas, devanganas, gandharvas and apsaras resolved to spend a fullmoon night on the earth. Indra allowed them to leave the paradise on the condition that they would return to heaven from earth before the next sunrise. Devas and devanganas along with apsaras and gandharvas came to the earth. While descending from heaven they spotted the moonlit Ajanta and Ellora. Some of the celestials went to Ajanta and some of them came to Ellora.