Cave XIV., or the Ravana-ka-kai, has four pillars in front and twelve inside, the open hall, which is 54 feet by 55 feet 6 inches to the front of the shrine. A wide pradakshina runs round the shrine, giving a total depth of 85 feet to the excavation. The pillars have high square bases and drooping-eared florid capitals, with circular necks of varied patterns. The style of decoration is similar to that found at Aurangabad, and in the latest caves at Ajanta, belonging to the middle of the 7th century. The pilasters are carved from the floor to the brackets, and resemble the pilasters that were developed in the Brahmanical caves at the commencement of the following century. All the compartments of the wall between the pilasters are filled with carving; and the sculptures of the cave are partly Saiva and partly Vaishnava. The south wall has the following Saiva sculpture:-1, Mahishasuri killing the buffalo-demon. 2, Siva and Parvati on a raised platform, playing at chausar, with Ganapati and another attendant waiting behind Siva, two females and a male behind Parvati, and Nandi and thirteen rollicking ganas below. 3, Siva dancing the tandava over the destruction of the world; three figures with drums and fifes are to his right; Bhringi the skeleton attendant of Siva is behind; and Parvati with two ganas one of them with a cat’s face, are on his left; above are Brahma and Vishnu on the left; and Indra on an elephant, Agni on a ram and two others are on the right. 4, Ravana, the demon king of Ceylon, having got under Kailasa, the heaven of Siva, is trying to carry it off; Siva and Parvati with attendants and two guardians stand at the sides, and four ganas are mocking Ravana; Parvati, alarmed at the place shaking, clings to Siva, who fixes Ravana under the hill with his foot, until he repents of his temerity. 5, Bhairava the destructive form of Siva, having one foot on a large fat dwarf, another at his side, and Ganapati behind him, holds up with two hands the elephant hide in which he wraps himself; with another two hands he holds a spear with which he has transfixed Ratnasura, his puny enemy; with a fifth hand ho holds a long sword; and the sixth has a bowl to receive the blood of his victim. The pradakshina on this side has three skeletons:-Kal, four-armed, with a scorpion on his breast; Kali, the female personification of death; and a third kneeling skeleton. Ganapati comes next, eating his favourite balls of sweetmeat; beyond him are the seven divine mothers, four-armed, and each with a child and a cognizance on the base below. [These are, perhaps,-1 Chamunda with the owl; 2, Indrani with the elephant; 3. Varahi with the boar; 4, Lakshmi with Garuda; 5, Kaumari with the peacock: 6 Maheswari with the bull; and 7, Saraswati with the hansa or goose.] On the north wall are:-1, Bhavani or Durga, four-armed, with her foot resting on a tiger, and holding a trisula in her upper right hand. 2, Lakshmi over a mass of lotuses, in which are four-armed Naga-canopied figures holding up water jars; a tortoise is among them, and an attendant on her right holds a simha or conch, while elephants bathe Lakshmi with water from jars. 3, Varaha, the boar-incarnation of Vishnu, with his foot on Sesha the great serpent, holding up Prithvi, the earth, which he rescues from destruction; a snake-demon is between his feet, and on either side are standing figures with Naga hoods, one of them in the attitude of supplication. 4, Vishnu, four-armed, in his heaven of Vaikuntha, sitting between I akshmi and Sita; four attendants are behind them with chamaras ; Garuda is below, with several males and females, some of them playing on musical instruments. 5, Vishnu and Lakshmi sitting on the same couch under an ornamental arch, with attendants behind them; seven dwarfs are seated below, and four of them have musical instruments. The front of the shrine has two very tall male dvarapalas, and a number of female figures, attendant dwarfs, fat gandharvas with curly wigs and garlands, &c. An altar is inside against the back wall, with a broken image of Bhavani, to whom the temple was doubtless dedicated. In the floor of the hall are four holes, as if for firepits.
