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The famous Ajanta and Ellora caves aresituated near the city
of Aurangabad. These rock cut cave shrines are considered,
one excellent specimens of ancient Indian architectural
style. The 29 caves at Ajanta and 34 caves at Ellora were
remained unnoticed till John Smith, a Brithish Army Officer,
accidentally came across the caves in1819. The caves of
Ajanta and Ellora have been listed as a UNESCO World
Heritage Site. |
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Ajanta Caves
The Ajanta group The Ajanta group of caves were
discovered in the 19th century. The cave is known for
its art and architecture. The caves are in wooded and
rugged horse shoe-shaped ravine. Ajanta is located 106
Kms, away from the Aurangabda city. The caves lying deep
with in the Sahyadri hills,cut into the curved mountain
slope, above the river Waghora. The caves speaks the
story of Buddhism dating back to 200 BC to 650 AD. The
29 caves were built as isolate retrates of the Buddhist
monks, who used to teach and perform rituals in the
Chaityas and Viharas. The monks carved out the
impressive images on the walls by using hammers and
chisel. Many of the house panels of caves, depicting
stories from the Jatakas, a rich collection of tales of
the several in carnations of the Buddha. In addition the
images of nymphs and princesses have also been depicted.
Ajanta caves are open all week days except Mondays.
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Ellora Caves
Ellora is an ancient village lies 30 Kms away from the
city of Aurangabad.The caves represents the excellent
rock-cut temple architecture. The 34caves are carved out
of the Charanndari hills, house massive facades and
nicely enhanced interiors. The caves consists of
Buddhist, Hindu and Jain cave temple and monasteries,
built between 5th century and 10th century A.D.The 17
caves in the centre are dedicated to Hinduism, the 12
caves to the south are Buddhist while 5 caves to the
north are Jain. The images in side the Buddhist caves
convey the message of nobility, grace and serenity in
herent in the Buddha. Cave no 6 and 10 has images from
the Buddhism and Hinduism faith, under the same roof.
The Hindu images are dedicated to Vishwakarma, the
patron saint of Indian crafts men. The Vishwakarma cave
is considered both a Chaitya and a Vihara. It has an
image of seated Buddha placed in the stupa. The two -
storied structure inside the Vishwakarma cave portrays a
colourful elaboration of dwarfs, dancing and making
music. TheVishwakarma cave, the Kailasa Hindu temple and
the Jain Indrasabha, present an attractive sight. Ellora
caves are closed on Tuesdays.
Attractions around Ajanta and Ellora :
Aurangabad Caves -The group of caves are located at a
distance of 9 Kms from Aurangabad. The rockcut caves built
between the 6th and 8th century AD, are must visit place.
Bibi-Ka-Maqbara - The tomb situated 8 Kms away from
Aurangabad, was built in 1679 by the Emperor Aurangzeb. The
tomb modelled like Taj Mahal, was built by the emperor in
the memory of his wife Rabia-ud-Durrani.
Panchakki or Water Mill - The mill dating back to
Mughal period, was built in 1624 A.D. It derives its name
from a mill worked by water power, used for grinding grain.
It was built to commemorate a Muslim saint Baba Shah
Muzaffar.
Accessibility :
Ajanta and Ellora caves are easily accessible from
Aurangabad.
» Air - Ajanta and Ellora have not their own airport.
Nearest airport is Aurangabad which is located at a distance
of 30Kms from Ellora and 106 Kms Ajanta. Aurangabad airport
is directly connected to Delhi, Mumbai, Udaipur and Jaipur.
» Rail - Aurangabad is the nearest railhead from
Ajanta and Ellora. The trains are available for Mumbai and
other cities of India from Aurangabad.
» Road - Ajanta and Ellora can be reached by road
from other cities of Maharashtra like Mumbai, Nasik, Jalgaon
and Aurangabad etc. |
Ajanta - Ellora
Travel Packages:
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