Days 157-158: 7-8 March ’22: All India Road Trip: Maharashtra: Aurangabad, Ajanta & Ellora Caves
So far:
28 States, 5 Union Territories | Distance Covered: 25,004 km.
Previous stops: Mumbai, Pune, Panchgani | Next stops: Bijapur, Badami, Hampi.
We started early from Mumbai on 7th March, Monday towards Aurangabad in anticipation of our much awaited visit to the magnificent Ajanta and Ellora Caves. On the way we realised that Ellora Caves are closed on Tuesday, the next day (while Ajanta Caves are closed on Mondays). So we straight away drove to Ellora, which was another 30 km away from Aurangabad.
Ellora Caves is a UNESCO heritage site and is one of the largest rock-cut monolithic cave complexes in the world, with artwork dating from the period 600–1000 CE. These consist of 17 Hindu, 12 Buddhist and 5 Jain caves, each group representing deities and mythologies prevalent in the 1st millennium CE, as well as monasteries of each respective religion largely built during the Rashtrakuta Dynasty.
Next day we drove to Ajanta Caves, that is around 100 km from Aurangabad.The Ajanta Caves are approximately 30 rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments dating from the 2nd century BCE to about 480 CE. The caves include paintings and rock-cut sculptures described as among the finest surviving examples of ancient Indian art, particularly expressive paintings that present emotions through gesture, pose and form.
It was an amazing experience revisiting these caves after years and understanding from the guides, in depth the history, architecture, stories, art and culture of that era.
Very well work. I would really like to visit Ajanta Ellora Caves someday. The information and experience you have shared is really great. Thank you for such a nice work.