Places to visit in Ellora

The BuddhistCaves were excavated between the period of the 5th and the 7th century. It was believed that these Buddhist caves were the first caves to be created but later it was found out that some of the Hindu caves were built before them. These excavations consist majorly of monasteries which are huge, high-rise buildings carved into the front face of the mountain. These also include the living spaces, sleeping rooms, kitchens and other facilities. In a lot of these caves, a look of wood has been tried to give to the stone by the sculptors. Further than the high-rise buildings, there are church-like stupas which are also known as Chaitya and their ceilings are such carved that they give a feel of wooden beams. Right at the centre of the cave, there is a huge fifteen feet figurine of Lord Buddha in a sermonizing pose. 

These Hindu caves have been excavated from the 6th to the 8th century. There are 17 Hindu caves and they all depict various styles of imaginative vision and implementation expertise. A few carvings were so complex that they took numerous generations and execution and co-ordination of a lot of skilled people to complete. These also contain engravings on almost every part of the cave. These include the doors and windows and even the pillars and the walls of the caves. On one of the walls of the cave there is a sculpture of Lord Vishnu turning into a man-lion to fight against a demon. On the second floor of one of the caves, there are sculptures of elephants and many other various animals which are of actual size. There are erotic sculptures of Hindu deities and mythological creatures. There are many sculptures which have now been destroyed over the past but still are a major attraction.

Although a historical place, children can still have a lot of fun at Ellora. The kids can enjoy the inscriptions on the walls of the caves and the stories behind them. The explorations of the caves itself will provide them with enough thrill and adventure. 

The Kailasnath temple is unrivalled centrepiece of Ellora. This has been constructed for the recollection of Lord Shiva. It has been carved out of one single piece of rock. The two-floor gate opens to a u-shaped courtyard. On the edge of the courtyard, there are galleries which are three floors high. These galleries have huge carved boards and niches consisting of giant sculptures of various idols. In the previous times, the galleries were connected to the centre temple through bridges, which are no more there. The courtyard has three structures in it. They are the sacred bull Nandi, Mantapa and Mandapa. The bases of these have been such carved that they depict an actual sized elephant holding the whole structure over it. In a whole, the temple is a pyramidal arrangement and is connected to the Shiva temple with a rock bridge. The shrine is complete with the pillars, windows, inside, outside, meeting halls, the huge Lingam at the centre, fortes, pillars, windows as well as the mithunas. 

The Dashavatara were earlier a Buddhist monastery. It has a two floored dig up temple at the back, a free standing monumental mandapa in the middle and an open court. The designing of the shrine is the same as some of the Buddhist caves. The pillars on the top floor depict a large number of themes which consist of ten avatars of Lord Vishnu. The carving depicting the death of Hiranyakashipu is known as the best relief. In this Lord Vishnu is in his man-lion form and he is emerging out of a pillar to put a fatal arm on Hiranyakashipu. 

The Jain caves in Ellora were formed between the 9th and the 10th century. Jainism has two sects- the Digambars’ and Swetambars’. The caves belong to the Digambars’. The Jain caves depict the very precise dimensions of the Jain thinking and customs. In Jainism, there is strictness in asceticism. This asceticism is not very large when compared to others but they have remarkably precise art work.

This Sabha is a two floored cave which has colossal temples in its court. It has a very precise carving of the lotus on its ceiling. It has the designation of “IndraSabha” maybe because it is meaningfully over-elaborate and this can be also because of the statue of Yaksha sitting over an elephant, which once depicted Indra. On the topmost area of the two floored temple, there is a statue of Ambika. In this statue she is sitting over a lion. She is loaded with fruits and is beneath a mango tree. 

These caves are located at a distance of about 9 km from the city of Aurangabad. These caves house the ancient temples of 6th and 8th century A.D.Again at Aurangabad after a careful study of both caves I and III, the conclusion the Historians have come to is that cave III was earlier to cave I. In Cave III there are surprisingly neat and organized designs of fretwork, scrolls, and panel of couples, tassels, flowers and geometrical designs.

It is a mausoleum that was constructed in the 17th century. It is located about 8 km away from Aurangabad. 

Panchakki is a water mill that incorporates a madrasa, mosque, a guest house dedicated to women and a sarai for travellers. It is a frequented picnic spot and one of the most visited tourist attractions in Aurangabad. Being painted all white with the surrounding water reflecting the blue colour of the sky, Panchakki is certainly a picturesque destination.  

Panchakki was built by Turktaz Khan, who was in the staff of King Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah. Its architecture was well engineered and stood ahead of its time by making use of scientific principles to generate electricity. The electricity was used to mill grain for military troops, saints and all the devotees who visited here. 

Highlights of Panchakki

• One can admire the calm waters of the reservoir that reflect the sky and create a magical view. 
• It is a haven for readers as Panchakki has a library inside it that holds about 2,500 books written in different languages. This library was closed earlier for administrative purposes and had 1,00,000 books at that time, which were moved to Hyderabad.  
• One must visit the cenotaph in Panchakki. It functions a memorial for Hazrat Baba Shah Musafir who was a spiritual mentor and a counsellor to Aurangzeb. He was also the one who founded the library in Panchakki.
• There is a 300 year old banyan tree that attracts a lot of people and adds to the magnificence of the site. 

Best time to visit Panchakki

The best time to visit Panchakki is during the winter and monsoon seasons as the weather in Aurangabad during these seasons is very pleasant. As a result, one can roam around comfortably without feeling like you have to rush through sight-seeing spots to get back to the comfort of your hotel.  Hence, the months from October to March and June to September are the best times to visit. 

The summer season and its scorching heat make sightseeing a bit of a challenge, which is why one might avoid the months of April and May. 

How to reach Panchakki

By Air: The nearest airport to Panchakki is the Aurangabad airport. It is well connected to major cities, and flights from Delhi and Mumbai fly on a daily basis to Aurangabad. The airport is at a distance of about 12 kms from the site and is an easy 45-minute drive away. 

By Road: Aurangabad is well connected to Pune, Mumbai, Kolhapur and Nashik by road and regular state transport and private buses are available all year round. This biggest advantage of using them is that their tickets are affordable. Panchakki is just a kilometer away from the main city and one can easily get any public vehicle to reach there. Ghati bus stop happens to be the nearest one to Panchakki, being just 350 metres away from it. 

By Train: There are regular trains from major cities like Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi etc. and one can also reach there by boarding an overnight train from Mumbai. The Aurangabad railway station is the closest to Panchakki and is located 4 kms away, which makes it is less than a fifteen minutes drive.  

To explore the wonderful city of Aurangabad, have a look at our travel packages that take you there!

Among the other attractions in Ellora are the different festivals that are observed each year in the locality. During the winter months, the Ellora Festival of Classical Music and Dance is arranged here by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation. Many famous artists come to Maharashtra during this time of the year to take part in this cultural festival. 

There is a music and dance programme that takes place every year in Ellora. It is famous as the Ajanta Ellora festival. This programme takes place in January in Aurangabad. In Aurangabad there is the SoneriMahal which is the destination for the festival. Thousands of people come and visit Ellora during this time. The main reason for this programme is to get more eyes to the historical sites which are present all around Aurangabad. These include the caves of Ajanta and Ellora, imbibing centuries of history and culture.