Ajanta Caves

The Ajanta Caves are located in Aurangabad District of Maharashtra. They consist of 30 stone Buddhist Caves that were built from the 2^nd century BC till about 650 CE. Five of these caves are cathedrals or what in we call cahitya grihas and the remaining 25 are monasteries.

What bring hordes of tourists to these caves are the beautiful paintings, murals, carvings, sculptures and frescos. They all clearly depict the religious influences the place derives from Buddhism. Most parts reveal episodes from the lives of Buddha and various Bodhisattvas.

Lined along the Wagorah River, during ancient times each had an independent entrance from the river side. Today, they stand connected through terraced paths for the convenience of all visitors.

The natural beauty that surrounds the place is so heavenly; it immediately becomes apparent why the monks choose this place for their spiritual practices. Not coming back to this place after a first visit is nearly impossible.

They depict the skill of the Indian artisans who had carved the caves extensively with their hands, using simple tools like chisel and hammer. In close proximity lies the Ellora caves too, and generally visiting tourists prefer to plan a combined trip to the two places.

The first cave visitors enter through in Cave one, which has beautiful murals hangings on the walls, which have withered over time, and so is the case with other parts of the caves too.

Reaching Ajanta caves is not a difficult at all. For people coming from far of places the most convenient option is to take a 45 minute flight from Mumbai to Aurangabad, from where you can hire a cab to take you to the caves. Alternately you can also come here via road and rail. Coming here by sea is the most alluring option and many visiting tourists prefer it.