Ellora Cave Temples

Seated Buddha

The main hall, with its impressive colonnade, is focused upon a huge teaching Buddha, seated in the bhadrasana pose on a lion throne. The main image is flanked by standing attendant bodhisattvas: Avalokitesvara (with his long-stemmed lotus and what may be a ruined Amitabha in his jata headdress) to the left and Manjusri (a stupa in his crown) to the right. Similarly, focusing the devotees' attention in front of, rather than upon, the stupa, two pairs of celestial couples on either side, together with the bodhi (pipal) tree over the Buddha's head, form a powerful honorific arch, enclosing the haloed image and the richly decorated throne. Although they can only be seen when approached, there is a large carved teaching padmasana Buddha on the right side of the stupa's fronting projection, and an equally large bhadrasana image on the left, with very similar large bhadrasana images carved on the stupa's drum. However, two panels remain uncut, one being very flawed, the other showing traces of the head being just started by the sculptor.

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