Front of Tin Thal [Buddhist Cave XII, Ellora]

Photograph of the façade of the cave temple XII, Tin-Thal, at Ellora in Maharashtra, from the right, taken by Henry Cousens in the 1870s. The spectacular site of Ellora has a series of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain cave temples excavated into the rocky façade of a cliff of basalt. The works were carried out under the patronage of the Kalachuri, the Chalukya and the Rashtrakuta dynasties between the 6th and 9th centuries. Tin Thal is a Buddhist excavation which probably dates from the 7th century. It consists of a broad forecourt with three superimposed halls extending deep into the cliff. The pillars are square and have simple brackets capitals. The halls were used for congregational purposes; each sanctuary has a seated Buddha with Bodhisattva attendants.