The Rock-cut Temples of India/The Caves of Ellora/Dus Avatara—Ellora 2
DUS AVATARA.—ELLORA.
ANOTHER circumstance that points out the Hindoo origin of this Cave is the Mantapa, or porch, left standing in the centre of the court-yard. This is an invariable accompaniment of Brahmanical temples, and generally is occupied by a statue of the bull Nundi—in Sivite temples, at least—and such we probably must consider this to be.
This Porch is further interesting as being the first known attempt to reproduce the exterior of a temple in the rock—a thing never done by the Buddhists. All their Caves are interiors as they ought to be. It was the Brahmans, who really had no use for caves, who first set the example of this architectural absurdity.
It was evidently intended that the mass between the lower and upper stories of this Cave should have been sculptured into a frieze. This not having been accomplished, the façade has consequently a clumsy and heavy look, which would have been relieved by the sculpture.