Ajanta Ellora

Fact File

World famous Ajanta Caves were discovered in the 19th century.

Overview

Discovered in the 19th century, Ajanta Caves, lies in the Sahyadri Hills. This World Heritage Site dates back to the 2nd century B.C. and are cut into the rocks of crescent shaped gorge. Caves include, the Buddhist chaitya, vihara and monastery caves. Ellora caves, depicting the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths , are the architectural marvel. Constructed arond 5th and 8th century, caves houses the Kailasa temple, the Buddhist Vishvakarma chaitya and vihara. Among 34 caves, Jain cave number 32 is excellent and it houses the elegant Yakshi statue and paintings on the ceilings here are great.

Ellora Festivals

Ellora festival of classical dance and music is organised in the third week of March by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation. It acts as a platform for the artists to show their talents by the performances. Renowned artists from all over the world, participate in this grand festival. It is awe-inspiring to look the magnificent caves during the festival.

Getting There

By Air : There is an airport in Aurangabad. It is linked to Delhi, Udaipur, Jaipur, and Mumbai.

By Road : The excellent road network in Maharashtra links the caves of Ajanta and Ellora with Mumbai, Pune, Ahmednagar, Jalgaon, Shirdi, Nasik, Dhule.

By Rail : Aurangabad is linked to Mumbai and Pune. Jalgaon, a railhead on the Central Railways line, is 59 kilometres from Ajanta.

Did You Know?

• The Cave 16 or Kailasa Temple has been carved out of single rock. The construction of this cave took around 100 years in its completion and entailed removal of 200,000 tonnes of rock.
• Verul Leni is the local name of the Ellora Caves
• The Caves of Ellora face towards west and can be best viewed in the afternoon.
• The flash photography is strictly banned in the caves at Ajanta.
• The caves of Ajanta are maintained properly and are treated with chemical for their longer life.

Chief Attractions

Aurangabad Caves

Located in the outskirts, the caves are carved out between the second century and the sixth century. These caves are famous for their architecture and intricate carvings. Among the twelve caves most fascinating are the Caves 3 and 7.

Ghrishneswar Temple

This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is one of the jyotirlings. Built in the 18th century, it houses many shrines of gods such as Vishnu, Ganesh, Shiva, Parvati etc. Made of red sandstone, it also includes shrines of Mahabharata heroes.

Bibi - Ka - Maqbara

TBuilt in 1678, this monument is called the 'Taj of South India'. It is a mausoleum made by Prince Azam Shah, for his mother Begum Rabia Durani, wife of the Mughal Emperor Auranzeb. Visitors can see fantastic work of Mughal architecture here.

Daulatabad

Named by Mohammed Bin Tughlaq, it is located 13km away from Aurangabad and was earlier called Devgiri. Built in the 12th century, these fortress are crowned atop a hill. Known for the brilliant architecture, it served as the head quarters of the Yadava rulers.

Location

Both Ajanta and Ellora caves are located in the city of Aurangabad in Mumbai.

Best Time to Visit

It is best to visit these marvelous site in the month of October to March.