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The Ajanta Caves are 30 rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments dating from the second century BCE to about 480 CE in Aurangabad district (a.k.a. Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar district) of Maharashtra state in India. [1][2][3] Ajanta Caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. [2]
Jul 24, 2024 · Ajanta Caves, Buddhist rock-cut cave temples and monasteries, located near Ajanta village, north-central Maharashtra state, western India, that are celebrated for their wall paintings. The temples are hollowed out of granite cliffs on the inner side of a 70-foot (20-metre) ravine in the Wagurna.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Ajanta Caves exemplifies one of the greatest achievements in ancient Buddhist rock-cut architecture. The artistic traditions at Ajanta present an important and rare specimen of art, architecture, painting, and socio-cultural, religious and political history of contemporary society in India.
- Getting There
- Opening Hours
- Entrance Fees and Charges
- Ajanta and Ellora Visitor Centers
- Where to Stay
- Should You Visit Ajanta Or Ellora?
- Travel Tips
- Dangers and Annoyances
- Festivals
The closest railway stations are in Aurangabad for the Ellora caves (45 minutes away) and the industrial city of Jalgaon for the Ajanta caves (1.5 hours away). Travel time from Mumbai to Aurangabad by Indian Railways train is 6-7 hours. Here are the options. There’s also an airport in Aurangabad, so it's possible to fly from many cities in India. U...
The Ellora caves are open from sunrise until sunset (around 5:00 p.m.), daily except Wednesdays. The Ajanta caves open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., daily except Mondays. Both caves are open on national holidays. However, try to avoid visiting them then (as well as on weekends) as the crowds can be overwhelming and you won't have a peaceful experience.
Visiting both the Ajanta and Ellora caves is costly for foreigners. The sites require separate tickets and the price is 600 rupees per foreign visitor. Indians pay only 40 rupees per ticket at each site. Children younger than 15 years are free at both places.
The visitor centers provide information about the two heritage sites using audiovisual media. The Ajanta Visitor Center is the larger of the two. It has five museum halls with replicas of the four main caves (1, 2,16 and 17). The Ellora Visitor Center has a replica of the Kailasa Temple. Both visitor centers also have restaurants, amphitheaters and...
Hotel Kailasis located right opposite the Ellora caves. It's a relaxing, tranquil place with stone walls and a scenic landscape, albeit simply furnished accommodations. Rates are 2,300 rupees for a non air-conditioned room, 3,500 rupees for an air-conditioned cottage, and 4,000 rupees for an air-conditioned cottage facing the caves. Tax is addition...
While the Ajanta caves have some of India's most sophisticated ancient paintings, the Ellora caves are renowned for their extraordinary architecture. Both the caves have sculptures. Don't have time or money to visit both caves? Ellora receives about twice as many tourists as Ajanta, as it's more accessible. If your itinerary forces you to choose be...
You can get an excellent view and perspective of inside the Kailasa Temple at Ellora by climbing up the hill around it.When visiting Ajanta, ask your driver to drop you at the viewpoint and meet you at the car park. Walk downhill from the viewpoint and enter at cave eight. From there, walk right to the end and star...Bring a torch with you to the caves as many of them are quite dark and lighting is poor.Try to reach the caves before 10 a.m. to beat the crowds and tour buses.Security was increased at the Ellora caves in 2013, following incidents of tourists being sexually harassed by groups of young Indian guys. This has been effective in improving safety. However, tourists still need to be aware of harassment from hawkers and touts that charge inflated prices. Maintenance and cleanliness has improved at both the Ajant...
A three-day Ellora-Ajanta International Festivalis organized by Maharashtra Tourism each year. It features some of India's most distinguished musicians and and dancers.
- Sharell Cook
- Dola RC
- This is a vihara (monastery), therefore squarish in plan consisting of an open courtyard and verandah with cells on each side, a central hall sided by 14 cells, a vestibule and garbha griha (inner sanctum).
- This vihara consists of a porch with cells on either side, a pillared hall bound by ten cells, an antechamber and garbha griha. Most importantly this cave contains two sub-shrines.
- This is an incomplete vihara consisting only of a pillared verandah.
- The largest vihara in Ajanta has its façade richly ornamented with sculpted figure of Bodhisvatta as a reliever of eight great perils among others.
Feb 23, 2015 · The Ajanta Caves, 30 spellbinding Buddhist prayer halls and monasteries carved, as if by sorcery, into a horseshoe-shaped rock face in a mountainous region of India’s Maharashtra state, 450km...
Ajanta Caves. The Ajanta Caves (75°40’ N; 20°30’ E) are situated at a distance of 107 km north of Aurangabad, the district headquarters. The caves attained the name from a nearby village named Ajanta located about 12 km.
