The Buddhists began the practice of creating temples by hollowing out rock faces. The monks needed places where they could pray and hold discussions in peace, and caves were ideal for this purpose. Gradually, these caves became temples or monasteries where the monks lived.
The earliest Buddhist cave temple was found in Maharashtra, at Bhaja near Pune. It is more than 2000 years old. Instead of images, the presence of Buddha was indicated only by a stupa or mound in the early cave temples. In the later cave temples though, like the ones at Ajanta, many images of Buddha can be seen. The distinguishing feature of all the temples is a huge arched window that is found over the main entrance. The Ellora Caves near Aurangabad, and the Elephanta Caves near Mumbai, are other famous cave temples of this era.
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