Today we went to the Ellora Caves. The complex was carved out of the solid mountain much like the Ajanta Caves we saw earlier. However, this complex was newer, mostly from the 6^th century but it had never been “lost” so they have been rather battered and defaced over the years. The original monasteries were Buddhist but the Hindus took them over and converted them. The temple though was carved from solid stone much like the statues you see in museums. When you look at the temple, it appears to have been constructed but it was not! Every opening, every figure, was carved out of solid basalt (volcanic) rock. there was no construction – just sculpting! It took a whole bunch of monks and artists 150 years of work to carve the temple! There are carvings that show influence from China and Greece as well as Persia. The temple was on the Silk Road. It existed for hundreds of years so that traders could buy silk, spices in one part of the world, and sells them in another. We spent four hours in awe at this complex. Everywhere you looked there was another amazing carving that told an important story. Our guide knew all the stories. Mostly he described the Hindu meanings attached to the temple. He told us which gods & goddesses were displayed. He stated that Hindu isn’t a religion but a way of life and all the gods and goddesses represent important aspects of life and that it is insufficient to simply pray to the gods, you had to do something to improve your life or your circumstances. The gods and goddesses simply helped to focus you in your life’s work.