Top Tourist Places – Ajanta and Ellora Caves
THE AJANTA AND ELLORA CAVES
We hear the name ‘Ajanta and Ellora Caves’ and our mind is full of images of splendid work of stone carving. One does not have to necessarily been a visitor of these caves to know something about them. The name speaks for itself. The site has such influential impression across the globe that the tourists not only from India but all over the world travel miles to admire these caves.
The Ajanta Caves or the ‘Ajintha leni’, as called by the natives, is located in Aurangabad district of Maharashta, India. These are approximately 300 rock cut Buddhist cave monuments which date from the 2nd century to about 480 CE. The most attractive portions of these caves are the paintings and sculptures, which the ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) descirbed as “the finest examples of Indian art, particularly painting.” The exact location of these caves is just outside the village of Ajintha, probably from where the caves get their historical name. The nearest railway station, Jalgaon, is about 59 kilometers away from the site, which further sums up the distance of city of Aurangabad to about 104 kilometers. The adjoining name with these caves- the ellora caves , is 100 kilometers away. The Ajanta caves are open from 9 a.m. until sunset. They are closed on Mondays but remain open on national holidays. The most amazing thing about these caves is that they were crafted by hand and that too only with the help of hammer and chisel.
The Ellora Caves also known as ‘Verul’ is an archaeologicaland historical site, located 29 kilometers north-west of the city of Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India. It is known to be built by Rashtrakuta dynasty between 5th century and 10th century. They are famous with other names as Elapura or Ellooru. They are the bet representatives of the Indian rock-cut architecture. The entire Ellora caves sum up to 34 caves in total, out of which 12 are the Buddhist caves, 17 are the Hindu caves and the remaining 5 are dedicated to Jainism. The closest railway service is at Aurangabad, which is approximtely 45 minutes away from the caves. The air service can also be availed from the city itself. These caves are closed on Tuesdays and alike Ajanta, these are open on all national holidays. On one hand, where we see the rich culture of our country in the form of paintings and sculptures in Ajanta caves; on the other hand we come across the extremely extraordinary work in architecture in the Ellora caves.
Another irresistable reason to be the lucky visitor to these caves is the four day Ellora Ajanta Festival, which is held at Soneri Mahal(Golden Palace). The festival is celebrated with immense pomp and show in the last week of November each year. The special attraction of this festival is the participation of India’s most distinguished singers and dancers. Not only this but once you stay in a hotel nearby, you also get the chance to do paragliding or sit back and relax in the resort. Most of the resorts there have their own house libraries which add upto make a bonus point for book-lovers. I’m sure this vivid introduction of the caves has left you bound to plan a trip to these caves for your next vacations. Have a safe trip!!