Ajanta & Ellora Tour.
Ajanta the quiet beauty of the caves with painted walls and Ellora the rock-cut splendours are the two UNESCO world heritage Buddhist sites are at Aurangabad district of Marathwada province in the state of Maharashtra, India. Aurangabad is situated approx.., 350 kms from Mumbai. Despite its rich historical heritage, Aurangabad is one of the major educational centers in Maharashtra.
Nearby places: The Milind Maha Vidyala, Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Marathwada University etc are the well-known educational institutes.
Ajanta: It is one of the major tourist places of India. It is a world heritage Buddhist cave site in Aurangabad district, Maharashtra. It has a credit of longest and well-preserved Buddhist heritages of India. It is spread across 2-3 kms in a horse shoe form and are carved into black basalt rock of Sahyadri mountain. It is well known for its beautiful paintings and sculptures. There are Buddha Viharas, Chaityas, meditation halls, monasteries and resting place for the monks. Each cave is unique in its design and structure. It has a wealth of ancient information about Buddhism, Buddhist philosophy, architecture, murals and color paintings. It is approx.., 90 kms from Aurangabad. There are good budget and luxury hotels within Aurangabad. However, many resorts & star hotels are situated in and around from the city centre. It is advisable to book the hotels on-line. The local transport is expensive. There are tuk-tuks and cabs available. Always bargain at least to 50% of the fares. Language may not be a problem as many understand English and Hindi. Food is not a problem even Gujarati restaurants are available.
What to see: Since it is a Buddhist heritage site situated in valleys
of Sahyadri mountain ranges with lush greenery (during monsoons/winter) one can enjoy the
nature beauty by merging with it (i.e. the nature). One can do meditation in the beautiful cave
Viharas. On the way to Ajanta, approx.., 20 kms from Aurangabad, at a small hill station called
Chauka, one can visit a Buddhist seminary, a training center for monks is worth visiting place.
Transport: Tuk-Tuks and cabs are the means of transport. However, there is one day
“Ajanta/Ellora site seeing” service operated by ST bus the
public transport system of Maharashtra costing Rs.500/- per
person. The starting point is from MTDC resorts/Hotels
opposite to Aurangabad railway station. They drop at nearest
point from the cave and special buses operate towards the
caves.
Ellora: It is also one of the major tourist destinations of India. It is a Buddhist, Hindu and Jain world heritage sites in Aurangabad district, Maharashtra. It has the history of well-preserved heritages of India. It is spread across 1 km and are carved into black basalt rocks of Sahyadri mountain ranges. There are Buddha Viharas, Chaityas, meditation halls, monasteries and resting place for the monks. Hindu temples such as the Kailas temple is one of the major attractions of Ellora. Compared to Ajanta caves, these caves are also unique in design, however there are no paintings. It is well known for its beautiful sculptures. It has a wealth of ancient heritage information about Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. It is approx.., 35 kms from Aurangabad.
Language may not be a problem as many understand English and Hindi. As south & north Indian food is available, it is not a problem. What to see: Since it is a heritage site of major philosophies of India like Buddhist, Hindu and Jain, they are cool and silent places for meditation in the beautiful cave Vihara. Very good place for photography: professional and hobbyist as well. The famous Daulatabad fort connected with the history of Mohammed-Bin-Tughalak who transferred his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad and vice versa falls on the way to Ellora, approx.., 20 kms from Aurangabad. One can visit the mausoleum of the last Mughal emperor Aurangazeb, at Khutdabad town which is approx.., 1 km away Daulatabad fort.
Transport: Tuk-Tuks and cabs are the means of transport.
However, one can also use the public transport. Similar to Ajanta,
there is one day “Ajanta/Ellora site seeing” service public
transport system costing Rs.500/- per person. The starting point is
from MTDC resorts/Hotels opposite to Aurangabad railway
station. They drop at nearest point to the cave. Aurangabad: Its ancient history dates back to the Buddhist era. The Buddhist caves in
Aurangabad and Ellora are the clear evidence of strong Buddhist influence and influx around
the city in earlier times.
A prime minister of the Muslim Kingdom of Ahmednagar,
Malik Ambar established a town at a village called Khirki.
Later, his son Fateh Khan named the town as Fatehpur. Since
it is strategically located at the center of India, and the region
was considered as the safest place from the marauding armies
of the Afghan and Central Asian raiders. Due to this reason,
Mohammad Bin Tughlaq tried to switch over the capital of
his Delhi sultanate to Fatehpur in 14th century.
The name of this city was derived from the Mughal emperor, Aurangazeb. Aurangazeb used
the town as the strategic point to suppress the rising power of Chchatrapati Shivaji. Later it was
taken over by Nizam of Hyderabad after the death of Aurangazeb and retained the control till
it was merged with India.
It is a district headquarters in Marathwada province of the state of Maharashtra, India. It is situated approx.., 350 kms from Mumbai and is well connected by rail, road and air network. Train service is an ideal transport for tourists travelling from Mumbai.
What to see: There are totally twelve caves called the Aurangabad caves, though not as spectacular as the ones in Ajanta and Ellora, they provide a good introduction to rockcut architecture, carved out of a steep spur of the Sahyadri Range just north of the city. These caves are the Buddhist Viharas, date back to Vakatatas and the succeeding Kalachuri dynasties (4th to 8th centuries CE). The location is tranquil and offers great city views. They are adjacent to the university campus. Bibi ka Maqabara, the mausoleum built by Azam Shah the son of Mughal emperor Aurangazeb in the memory of his mother Dilras Banu Begum. It is replica of Taj Mahal of Agra but smaller in size. Panchakki a grain grinder once used as flour mill powered by water drawn through earthen pipes from a river 5 kms away. It is 5 kms from the railway station. Aurangabad is well known for its Paithani silk sarees and Himaru silk shawls.
Transport: Aurangabad is connected by air, rail and road transport network. Aurangabad airport is about 15 kms from the city. Tuk-Tuks and cabs are the means of transport.
There is Ola ; Uber service in the city. One can also use the public transport. However, for convenience of saving time, it is advisable to hire tuk-tuks or cabs for point-to-point visit/coverage. There are government run restaurants and resorts at the cave sites. Traveller's Lodge at Ajanta, and Hotel Kailas have good restaurants with reasonable rates.
When to visit: Tourist season is almost throughout the year. However, as the summers are hot better to avoid April-July. November-March are the coolest winter months and ideal for traveling.
All the best for your Ajanta & Ellora tour.
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