Art, Devotion and Patronage in the Caves at Ellora

Illustrated lecture by Dr Lisa N. Owen, Associate Professor, South Asian Art History, University of North Texas

Chair: Prof Himanshu Prabha Ray, Dept. of Archaeology and Ancient History, JNU

Through an analysis of two Jain caves at Ellora, the speaker will show that initial Jain activity started much earlier than the ninth century as attributed, while the work done in the ninth century demonstrates that these caves contributed to the development of imagery in Hindu monuments. Challenging the notion that the caves were created in separate religious phases, under successive Rashtrakuta kings, she invites us to view Ellora's monuments as products, not of imperial sponsorship, but of devotional interaction across chronological and religious boundaries