TRAVERSE 151
calm fell over the scene , lush gardens and beautiful parklands gave way to a high natural stone wall , and there it was .
The natural wall had intricate carvings , sculptures from the past , Buddhist , and Hindu . This was like nothing else , indeed putting similar constructions scattered across the Middle East in the mediocre category . Everyone on site fell silent not knowing which way to look .
The Ellora Caves are all completely made by the hand of humans .
Thirty-four of them open to the public , many more hidden away . The earliest dating back to beyond the second century BC , although most are from a period of between fifteen hundred and a thousand years ago , and yet it felt as if craftsmen with more modern equipment had completed the structures .
The caves have been listed as a Monument of National Importance within India as well as being placed on the UNESCO World Heritage list , little surprise when considering what the caves , temples and artwork represent .
Walking amongst this city within the rock was astonishing . Not only Buddhist and Hindu structures but also Brahmanism , indeed the highest level of Hinduism , and Jainism , all telling a story of understanding and tolerance , the carvings pass through time from one end to the other , a temples way of explaining a religious history .
Walking amongst the earliest temples provided respite from the
TRAVERSE 151