Ajanta and Ellora caves are one of the prime representatives of the beautiful and architectural heritage of India. The caves are absolutely mind-blowing and world famous for its beautiful architecture.

This was explored by John Smith, the British army officer when he was on the hunting expedition in the year of 1819. If you are a travel buff and want to explore the beauty of the unknown, then this is the place to discover. Numerous visitors are there who love visiting the area for the amazing grace. The place has been nominated as World Heritage site by the UNESCO. The vivid sculptures, as well as paintings of these two caves, are just awe-inspiring.

Best time to visit Ajanta Ellora Caves

If you are planning to attend the Ajanta caves, you might be opting for the fantastic season to visit the place as well. So, June to March is one of the most beautiful times to visit this beautiful place due to the pleasant weather. If you visit the site in monsoon from June to September, you will be the witness of fantastic rain showers, and that makes the entire exploration a delightful experience too. While during November to February, the pleasant temperature drops moderately. Try to ignore during summer months like March to May because of the extreme hot.

How to reach

Being a famous attraction of India, these Ajanta Ellora Caves are readily available through the numerous modes of the transportation.

By air: These caves are about 100 km away from the Aurangabad Airport, and this is well-connected with the main cities in India.

By train: The Jalgaon Railway Station is one of the nearest railway stations and situated at a distance of 60 km. So, if you are wondering how to reach this place from different cities of the country, then you have found your answer, owing to simple connectivity.

By road: Aurangabad merely is reachable through the way from various neighbouring places such as Aurangabad, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Ahmedabad.

Timings and Fees

Ajanta Caves:

Timings: 9 am to 9:30 pm (Mondays closed)

Entry fee: INR 10 per head (Indians) | INR 250 per head (foreign tourists) | INR 25 per camera | INR 0 for children below 15 years old

Ellora Caves

Timings: From the sunrise to sunset

Entry fee: INR 10 per head (Indians) | INR 250 per head (foreign tourists) | INR 25 per camera

The architecture of Ajanta and Ellora Caves

The caves of Ajanta Ellora are classified into various phases: the first phase is the Hinayana phase, in this phase, the Buddha used to worship in a particular form of some symbols. Another one is the Mahayana phase. In this specific phase, Buddha also used to worship in some physical way. There are several 30 caves in Ajanta, out of which numerous caves containing the mural paintings like 1,2,16 and 17 known to be the best paintings as compared to the other pictures. On the other end, most unique sculptures can be found in the cave number 1,4,17 and in 19. The Buddhist rock architecture can be easily viewed in Ajanta Caves. The travellers are considered this trip as the historical tour of the life.

Sculpture: The beautiful paintings at Ajanta reflect its captivating charm and its modern structure wealth. Most of the paintings here are aimed some of the bright and reflecting colours. These vibrant colours add beauty to the situation of an Ajanta Ellora. The inventiveness of the sculptures can be observed along with the figures of paintings of Lord Buddha. This indicates the prominent place in the architecture century.

Painting: Most of the paintings reflect the message of the religious themes as well. You will be the witness of some vivid and picturesque portraits. Few paintings cover the birth of the master, which is known as the Jatakas. Few paintings have the message towards the strength of human being. The exact procedure of the arts and also the method of painting at Ajanta is the tempera. In order to offer the beautiful surface of this wall as a thin layer, it has been painted along with colors that applied to dry plaster. After that, the entire paintings are performed at the wet surface where the colors get absorbed. The modern architecture of the caves was very fashioned rough. There is the plaster that acts as base paintings.

Interesting facts about the caves

1. Cave 15 (Dashavatara) in Ellora portrays the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu
2. Ellora Caves were engraved on the basaltic volcanic formation, and that is also known as Deccan Trap.
3. Cave 29 (Dhumar Lena) has the same design as Elephanta Caves
4. The style of the painting found in Ajanta Ellora has been believed to have some of the inspired painting styles in Tibet and Sri Lanka
5. The statuettes of the caves are done in a certain way that they somehow look like a wooden construction
6. The primary subjects of these paintings have been found in Ellora caves are Jataka tales as well as incidences from the life of Lord Buddha
7. Ajanta Caves were dug in the rock surface, which looks like the horseshoe shape
8. The caves are more than two-thousand-year-old, but the effigies are about 600 years younger, as they were added later.

Most of the beautiful figures drawn on the wall of the caves are built using some of the ordinary chisel and hammer. The entire beautiful sculptures of the Ajanta and Ellora are the excellent examples of this beautiful craftsmanship of the ancestors. The wall and its paintings come along with lots of stories too. Some of the sculptures and sacred images of the Lord Buddha are actually preserved well in Ajanta and Ellora Caves. One of the interesting facts about the caves is that they unfold the history of the development of Buddhism in India. So, if you are a travel lover, you can easily visit this place to explore some fantastic historical stories. And along with that, you will get to see lots of paintings that have been inspired by Greek and Roman style.