Caves of Enlightenment

The Ajanta Caves, Maharashtra, India

As promised in the post before, here’re some pictures of the Ellora and Ajanta caves, the highlight I will say, of any trip to Maharashtra. These caves are accessible from the city of Aurangabad, about 5 hours drive from where we stay in Daund. Ellora is only about 30km from Aurangabad. For Ajanta, it’s another 100 odd km from Aurangabad. These are all man-made caves carved out of the rocky mountainside to form temples and monasteries. In ancient times, what better way to prove your devotion than by carving monuments out of the hills?


The Ajanta caves are all Buddhist Caves constructed between 200 BC to the 7th Century, ...yeah, that long ago. They’re located in a horseshoe-shaped valley, hidden from view and long lost to the knowledge of people until rediscovered in the early 1800’s by the British.


An overall view of the Ajanta Caves from the top


The interior of one of the caves in Ajanta


Caves and sculptures didn’t really impress little Justin, as you can see - sound asleep


The centrepiece of the Ellora Caves, the Kailash Temple, a Hindu temple carved out of the rock in the 8th century. It features a massive central temple of more than 2 storeys high divided into two sections with an interconnecting bridge. This is surrounded by two storey abode-type structures chiseled out of the rock walls.








Views from different angles, Kailash Temple, Ellora


A three storey Buddhist monastery chiseled out of the rock about 1500 years ago, Ellora


The interior of a Buddhist cave in Ellora. The Ellora caves consist of Buddhist, Jain and Hindu Caves. They’re constructed between the 5th and the 10th century.


The interior of a Jain Cave, Ellora


A small waterfall near one of the Hindu caves, Ellora