Ajanta & Ellora Sightseeing, Quick Facts, History, Packages, Tours & Excursions

Sightseeing Highlights:

Ellora Cave 

The series of 34 caves, running along a 2-km half-moon curved rock face, feature some of the most elaborate elements of rock-cut architecture in India. The caves are marked by distinctive influences of the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faith in religious art

The Buddhist caves

No. 1-20 marked by Chalukyan influences feature Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and myths from Buddhism. Cave 10 called the Visvakarma cave features a teaching Buddha. Carved Bodhisattvas mark  the upper level of Cave 12.

Hindu caves

No. 13-29 date between 7^th and 9^th centuries and mark the highest point in Ellora art. Featuring various aspects of Hindu mythology they show excellent  detailing. The best amongst the Hindu caves is Cave 16 which features the fabulously carved, massive (266 ft x154 ft Kailasanath Temple, hewn out of the rock face. This is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The 8^th century temple was commissioned by the Rashtrakuta King Krishna I. It is in fact the best of the Ellora group. The sculpted rock represents the abode of Lord Shiva, Mt Kailash.

Walking into the great courtyard of the temple you encounter two beautifully carved elephants. A panel depicting Lakshmi seated on a lotus with elephants pouring water over her with their trunks marks the Nandi pavilion. On either side of the pavilion are two 56-ft high pillars with sculpted garlands and lotus flowers.  

Flanking the south wall of the temple is what is known as the Ramayana panel, while the northern wall features legends from the Mahabharata and life of Krishna. Another panel shows Ravana (the demon king) shaking Mt Kailash to harass Lord Shiva and Parvati his consort. The lotus theme is carried out in the roof of the temple's mandap. Four lions carved in stone rest upon the lotus. There's a 107ft tower once plastered white to give the impression of the snowy reaches of Mt. Kailash. Life-size images of Durga, Chamunda Devi and Kali mark the Hall of Sacrifices, which also has images of Ganesh and Parvati. A phalanx of rock-cut monasteries is found to the right of it.

Jain caves

No. 30-34 marking the final years of (9^th century) are simpler than the Hindu caves. The Indra Sabha depicted in Cave 32 is the best amongst them with its fine detailing of a lotus on the ceiling. A half-made Chota Kailash, much smaller than the one in Cave 16, is featured in Cave 30.

Ajantha Caves

The 30 caves here have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Set in a horseshoe formation the ancient caves are located on a high ridge above the gorge of the Waghora River. It was in 1819 that an officer of the Madras Cavalry John Smith, who was out hunting, saw the top of Cave 10 peeping over the thick undergrowth that had hidden them over time.

The Buddhist cave art of Ajanta can be placed in two groups - the earlier Hinayana Buddhist period which lasted from 2^nd-1^st century BC. (Buddha was never shown in human form during this period but only representative forms - the Bodhi Tree, the Wheel of Law). The cave art representing the later Buddhist period or the Mahayana period which lasted from the 5^th-6^th century AD, is more elaborate. These caves were embellished during the reign of the Vataka dynasty.

The caves were home to monks, craftsmen and artists over this period, and also served as shrines during the rainy season. They featured the prayer hall (chaitya) and monasteries (viharas) wherein are large-scale Buddhas and smaller Buddha images.

Cave 1 (one of the seven Hinayana caves dating from the 5^th century) is the most well known for its evocative murals including that of Padamapani the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Avalokilesvara, scenes from the Mahjanaka Jataka and the Miracle of Sravasti. The great mandala painted in the ceiling over the primary shrine in Cave 2 is of particular interest. The vihar cave also features many Jataka tale panels linked to the birth of Lord Buddha.  In Cave 9, another Hinayana  chaitya cave, the large Buddha images were added in the 5^th century. Cave 10  (whose chaitya griba dates to the 2^nd century BC) is believed to be the oldest of Ajanta's caves. In Cave 17, a vihar, is the largest number of paintings in a single cave at Ajanta. An bejewelled dark-skinned apsara is revealed in the midst of her make-up routine. Of particular interest is the minute detailing of the apsara standing in adoration of Buddha.Cave 19, is a chaitya from where you can see the river might have been the original entrance to the cave complex. In Cave 26 visitors encounter the most exuberant elements of the sculptural art of Ajanta. Of particular note here is the massive 23ft long reclining Parinirvana Buddha surrounded by mourning disciples.

Excursions:

Aurangabad (30km)

The city, founded by  Malik Ambar, prime minister of Ahmadnagar's Nizam Shahai rulers in 1610 is the base for exploring Ajanta and Ellora. It was named Aurangabad after Mughal emperor Aurangzeb who used it as a base to control his expansion in the Deccan. The Bibi Ka Makbara,  set in a Char-Bagh style Islamic garden, was built  by his son Azam Shah as a memorial to Rabia Durrani his mother. The white marble Taj look-alike has nothing of the original's beauty and finesse.At the heart of town is the Mughal's walled city. The ruins of Naukonda Palace and Jami Masjid date from Malik Ambar's time.. A visit to the Himroo Factory is a must for the traditional kamkhab, gold brocade woven work introduced by Aurangzeb. The gold and silver thread was later displaced with cotton thread work. Pick up shawls and saris. It also makes the traditional Paithani saris. Khuldabad, about 25km away is where Empror Aurangzeb is buried in a simple grave. About 54 km away lies Paithan village famous for the six yard silk brocade saris of the same name. It takes 6 months for a single piece to be woven. The village has a 2000 year old tradition of sari weaving. Get in touch with the MTDC office for their half day visit on offer

Daulatabad (13km)

East of Aurangabad , high on a rocky perch in the vast granite expanses of the Deccan Plateau lies the fortified enclave of Daulatabad. Delhi's Muslim king Allauddin Khijili during his empirical expansions captured Deogarhi (as it was then called) in 1296. It was annexed to the kingdom of Mohommad Bin Tughluq in 1328 renamed Daulatabad. The tale of Tughluq's madcap bid to shift his capital from Delhi to the Deccan is familiar to Indians from the schoolroom. The march of the court to Daulatbad and return to Delhi after a brief sojourn cost the wayward sultan dear, with thousands dying  of disease and poverty along the way. Dualatabad's fortunes thereafter were marked by the rise of the Bahamani kingdom of the Deccan, the Mughals and the Marathas. In the Ambarkot section of the fort visitors encounter Chand Minar the 197ft high victory tower. The Jami Masjid features pillars claimed from Hindu and Jain temples. Of interest is the tiled Chini Mahal where Emperor Auranzeb imprisoned Golconda's last Sultan.The Qila Shikhan the massive cannon se upon the bastion

 Tourism Info: 

MTDC Holiday Resort

Station Road

Aurangabad

Discovered by chance in the jungles of the Sahayadri range, the Ajanta Cave complex with its stunning murals has been mesmerising visitors from around the globe for decades. It is about 100 odd km from Aurangabad city. The Ajanta Caves murals date to the 2^nd and 5^th century AD and feature scenes from the life of the Buddha and stories regarding his reincarnations retold in the Jataka Tales. Visitors will discover Boddhisatvas, Buddha images, court scenes and everyday vignettes of life in the 5^th century. By the time the Chalukya and the Rashtrakuta dynasties had started coming into power between the 7^th and 8^th centuries they brought with them strong influences of Hinduism, which reflected in the art and architecture.

Ellora hamlet located about 30km from Aurangabad is the site of the Ellora cave complex, now a World Heritage Site. The caves can be divided intro three groups Buddhist Caves, Hindu caves and Jain caves. The centrepiece of Ellora is, without doubt, the Kailasanath Temple cave. The Buddhist caves were the earliest structures (5^th-7^th centuries) and served as viharas (monasteries) and chaityas (prayer halls). The caves were embellished with carved images of Buddha, Boddhisatvas and events from the life of Buddha. The Hindu caves (7^th-8th centuries) offer a complex variety of artistic skills with a wide range of subjects. The Jain Caves reflect the ascetic elements of Jain philosophy and tradition.

Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb's base in Central India, the city of Aurangabad in the Deccan region of Maharashtra, offers visitors some stunning aspects of art heritage. The fantastic cornucopia of sculpture and paintings created on hard rock are mind-boggling.