Ajanta Ellora Caves

Fact File
It was in the 19th century that famous Ajanta Caves were discovered.

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.

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

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

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.