f.23v Panorama of Ellora Caves with waterfall.

Watercolour drawing of the panorama of the caves of Ellora with a waterfall, from an Album of 83 drawings; 80 of landscapes and antiquities in the northem Deccan, 2 portraits and 1 flower study made during a tour chiefly to Ellora, Rauza, Daulatabad, Aurangabad and Ajanta. September to November 1849. Although the artist is unidentified, these drawings are of some interest since they show the state of the Ajanta and Ellora Caves soon after the Royal Asiatic Society had brought them to the Company's notice in 1844. Robert Gill had been deputed to make a record of Ajanta in 1846 and was presumably on the spot when these sketches were made.The spectacular site of Ellora, in Maharashtra, is famous for its series of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain cave temples excavated into the rocky façade of a cliff of basalt along more than 2 km. The works were done under the patronage of the Kalachuri, the Chalukya and the Rashtrakuta dynasties between the sixth and the ninth centuries. The southernmost group consists of twelve Buddhist caves; seventeen Hindu caves are situated in the middle of the site, including the grandiose Kailasanath Temple which marks the climax of the artistic and architectural achievement at Ellora; five Jain caves are excavated north of the site. The caves are remarkable for the artistic quality of the sculptures that adorn them.