Maharashtra state in India is known for its Famous caves and cliffs. It is said that the varieties found in Maharashtra are wider than the caves and
rock-cut architecture found in the rock cut areas of Egypt, Assyria, Persia and Greece.[citation needed] The Buddhist monks first started these caves in the 2nd century BC, in search of serene and peaceful environment for meditation, and they found these caves on the hillsides.[2][1]
Buddhist and Hindu cave temples at
Ellora and the
Ajanta Caves contain fine artistic design elements and India's oldest wall paintings can be seen here. Maharashtra's famous rock-cut caves have several distinct artistic elements though sculptures of the time are regarded to modern viewers as stiff and not dynamic. The Buddhist caves, particularly the older ones, are either temples (Chaityas) or monasteries (Viharas).
Ancient
Remains of the Pravareshvara Shiva temple built by Pravarasena II at
Mansar
The oldest building in the state is Vakataka ruins in
Mansar.
Rock cut caves
Rock-cut architecture took turn with the Buddhist reign and remarkable Buddhist monuments were produced in areas such as Bihar in the east and Maharashtra in the west. Natural grottos and caves in the hillside were excavated by the Buddhist monks and turned into glorious prayer halls and monasteries.
Ranging from tiny monastic cells to colossal, elaborately carved temples, they are remarkable for having been hewn by hand from solid rock. Their 3rd century BC origins seem to have been as temporary shelters for Buddhist monks when heavy monsoon rains made their normal itinerant lifestyle impossible.
Modeled on earlier wooden structures, most were sponsuoions[check spelling] sit like a sceptre and crown amidst hills turned mauve.
Medieval
Hindu
During the early medieval period, the Maharashtrian region's architecture was largely based on a combination of old and new
Nagara styles.
Bhimashankar temple is considered to be a unique mix of these two
Nagara styles. During the late period, Hemadri a court polymath of Yadavas of Deogiri used
his unique combinational Nagara style to create many temples, which were again rebuilt due to numerous Islamic clashes and their penchant for destroying Hindu places of worship. Foremost among these are
Trayambakeshwar Temple,
Tulja Bhavani temple,
Ghrishneshwar temple among others.
^The
Daulatabad Fort itself was built by the
Yadava dynasty in the 12th century CE, and the Indo-Islamic structures were added later by the
Delhi Sultanate in the 14th century CE.