<Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> Ellora (\ e-ˈlȯr - ə \, IAST: Vērūḷ), located in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, India, is one of the largest rock - cut monastery - temple cave complexes in the world, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, featuring Buddhist, Hindu and Jain monuments, and artwork, dating from the 600 - 1000 CE period . Cave 16, in particular, features the largest single monolithic rock excavation in the world, the Kailasha temple, a chariot shaped monument dedicated to Shiva . The Kailasha temple excavation also features the gods, goddesses, and mythologies found in Vaishnavism, Shaktism as well as relief panels summarizing the two major Hindu Epics . </P> <P> There are over 100 caves at the site, all excavated from the basalt cliffs in the Charanandri Hills, 34 of which are open to public . These consist of 12 Buddhist (caves 1--12), 17 Hindu (caves 13--29) and 5 Jain (caves 30--34) caves, with each group representing deities and mythologies that were prevalent in the 1st millennium CE, as well as monasteries of each respective religion . They were built in proximity to one another and illustrate the religious harmony that existed in ancient India . All of the Ellora monuments were built during Hindu dynasties such as the Rashtrakuta dynasty, which constructed part of the Hindu & Buddhist caves, and the Yadava dynasty, which constructed a number of the Jain caves . Funding for the construction of the monuments was provided by royals, traders and the wealthy of the region . </P>

Ellora caves depict different type of cultures of