Rockfall Hazard Analysis of Ellora Cave, Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India

The Ellora caves are located in Deccan Trap lava flows of upper Cretaceous to lower Eocene age. The terrain preserved one of the most historical places near Aurangabad city of Maharashtra, India. The Kailashnath temple is one of the most attractive caves and anticipated damage due to rockfall activity. The rockfall problem around the temple could be related to weathering, jointing and human intervention or a combination. In this study, rockfall hazard at Kailashnath temple is evaluated by 2D rockfall analysis. Different sizes of blocks are taken into consideration in the analysis based on visual observation at the site. The impact of fallen blocks on the Mandapa (Nandi Mandapa) structure is evaluated. The kinetic energy and velocity of the impacted blocks and damage caused by this impact on Nandi Mandapa has been evaluated. The obtained data are used to define the possible damage to Nandi Mandapa and based on the evaluation of the data; protection measures such as net fences are suggested with suitable height considering different sizes of the rock blocks. The height of the net fences has been figured out using equations proposed by Peila and Ronco (2009) and it is found as 1.49 m.