April 6 - 8: Planned Buddhist and Hindu Caves of Ajanta and Ellora Itinearary

I have a  few days available before heading home and remembered seeing a program about the "The Buddhist Caves of Ajanta" and the "Buddhist, Hindu and Jain Caves of Ellora". After traveling throughout India and moving every night or every other night, I thought that spending 3 nights in Varanasi and 3 nights in Aurangabad would provide a fitting end to my travels. The caves are located near the city of Aurangabad which is 240 miles northeast of Mumbai.

The Buddhist Caves of Ajanta

The Ajanta Caves are a series of 29 Buddhist cave temples in Ajanta, India, were carved in the 2nd century BC out of a horseshoe-shaped cliff along the Waghora River. They were used by Buddhist monks as prayer halls (chaitya grihas) and monasteries (viharas) for about nine centuries, then abruptly abandoned. They fell into oblivion until they were rediscovered in 1819. Encompassing both Theravada and Mahayana Buddhist traditions, the Ajanta caves preserve some of the best masterpieces of Buddhist art in India.
 

 

Panoramic View of Buddhist Caves of Ajantas

 

Stupa



Buddha Statue











Buddhist, Hindu and Jain Caves of Ellora

The Ellora caves located about 30 kilometres from Aurangabad is a UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its extraordinary architecture. These caves aren't natural caves but man made temples cut into a massive granite hillside built by generations of Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain monks. Ellora Caves consists of 34 cave temples ( 12 Mahayana Buddhist caves dating back to 550-750 AD, 17 Hindu caves dating back to 600-875 AD and 5 caves of the Jain faith dating back to 800-1000 AD) dating from between the 6th and 11th centuries AD. The Kailasa Temple (cave16) is the most remarkable of all and the jewel in the crown. The most incredible thing about Ellora caves is the fantastic rock cut sculptures crafted by hand, with only a hammer and chisel. The caves at Ellora were remained shrouded in obscurity for over a millennium, till John Smith, a British Army Officer, accidentally stumbled upon them while on a hunting expedition in 1819.


 

I will be staying in Aurangadbad and taking a tour or travel independently depending on the research that I will be doing before I leave. I have booked a room at the VIT hotel which is rated 4*. The hotel is located near the railroad station...I will be catching another "midnight sleeper train" to Mumbai which is the final destination for my 40 day odyssey through India.