The caves of Ajanta-Ellora, architectural miracles of the ancient world
The Ajanta-Ellora caves were built thousands of years ago as religious complexes
The caves of Ajanta and Ellora are true wonders of the world, rediscovered during the colonial era, in 1819. Countless research has been going on since to understand the gifted creators and what went behind carving these great structures out of rock thousands of years ago. Looking at the ancient designs, one can not help but wonder how extraordinary human beings are.
Our trip to these caves began last month. We travelled all the way to Aurangabad by train from Hyderabad. From Dhaka, we took a flight to Mumbai. If you want to save some money, you can take a train from Kolkata, but it will be time-consuming.
Aurangabad is a historical city with numerous beautiful relics from the Mughal era. Among all of them, the crown is the Bibi Ka Maqbara, which is the grave of Dilras Banu Begum, wife of Aurangzeb - the last great Mughal and who was apparently not a fan of elaborate tombs.
This tomb, also known as the mini Taj Mahal, was built by his son Azam Shah, after the memory of his beloved mother. If you look at their pictures, they certainly look alike.
Assuming that you are a foodie, the biryani in Aurangabad is a must try for you. We usually say the biryani in Delhi or Hyderabad are the best, but this one also has some unique flavours. Sagar Restaurant is the most famous one for biryani, but there are several other local restaurants too for tasting Mughal cuisine.
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Although they are certainly not as famous as the Ajanta-Ellora caves, there are 12 rock-cut Buddhist shrines in Aurangabad which are 1,400-years-old. You can also visit the Pitalkhora caves, which are 40 kilometres from Ellora and the artworks there are 2,300-years-old.
On the way to Ellora (30 kilometres from Aurangabad), it is mandatory to stop by the historical Daulatabad Fort, which started its journey 1,200 years ago. The colossal fort, or rather fortress, has a moat which was said to be filled with crocodiles in the ancient times. The view of the fortress from the top is absolutely breathtaking.
From Daulatabad, we drove to the small town of Khuldabad to visit the tomb of Emperor Aurangzeb and Asif Jah, the first Nizam of Hyderabad. This city is mainly known as a city of sufis.
To stay in Ellora, one of the best places is Hotel Kailas, from where you can actually see a few of the cave entrances, though it is a bit expensive for budget travellers.
And when you enter the compound of the Ellora caves, you will be amazed by cave number 16 (there are more than 100 but only 34 are open for visitors. 17 Brahmanical, 12 Buddhist and 5 are Jain influenced), the Kailash Temple.
According to archaeologists, it took over 100 years to finish the Kailash Temple. Scenes from Ramayana and Mahabharata are painted on its giant columns and walls. How the vivid colours still remain is a miracle.
From cave two, you will begin to see the giant sculptures of Buddha and other deities, more huge columns and hall rooms. But when we reached cave 10, we became speechless. It was a giant stupa with light pouring in from the top, making us feel as if we were inside a giant rock spaceship.
From Ajanta, Ellora is 104 kilometres but the road is horrible. Ajanta is closed on Mondays and Ellora is closed on Tuesdays. Ellora opens at 6 am so you can go in the early morning and watch as the sun rises over the temples, but Ajanta opens at 9 am.
Staying around Ajanta will not give you much choice but there are a few hotels, motels and homestays. After you reach the parking place near Ajanta, a special bus will take you 6 kilometres into the caves.
Ajanta has 29 caves, and the first one has the prime attraction: the most famous mural painting of Ajanta, the Bodhisattva Padmapani holding a lotus.
In caves one and two, there are many more paintings, especially the ceilings decorated with local flora and fauna, and stories from Buddhist mythology.
We visited all the 26 caves which were open to visitors and were glad to see the flying Apsara painting, which is also a symbol of Ajanta. Ajanta and Ellora caves are not just ancient structures, they are also a place of art, a place of beauty and a place to appreciate ancient artisans.
