Explore Ellora Caves of Aurangabad: Photo Essay

Ellora Caves is located 28 km north of Aurangabad in Maharashtra India. After the visit to Ajanta Caves, we were eager for more! We dedicated the whole of morning to see the Ellora caves. We found the difference between the Ajanta Caves and the Ellora Caves is that while the former had only Buddhists caves, the latter has cave temples dedicated to three different religions!

Yet another heritage site in India that is secular in nature and has religious icons of different religions is in Badami in Karnataka. It shows how different religions have developed and existed in harmony for centuries in India. Salutations to the spirit of tolerance of our great country – India!

Ellora Caves Aurangabad

Ellora Caves Aurangabad: History

Ellora (also known as Elura and, in ancient times, as Elapura) is a heritage site in Maharashtra, India. It was a wonderful experience exploring the sequence of monuments dating from A.D. 600 to 1000.

There are 34 monasteries and temples, extending over more than 2 km. These caves were dug side by side in the wall of a high basalt cliff near Aurangabad.

All of the Ellora monuments were built during rule of Hindu dynasties. Rashtrakuta dynasty is credited to have constructed part of the Hindu and Buddhist caves in Ellora. Yadava dynasty, which constructed a number of the Jain Ellora caves. Funding for the construction of the monuments was provided by royals, traders and the wealthy of the region.

Tour of Aurangabad Ellora Caves

There are 100 caves in the cliffs of Charanandri Hills hills but only 34 are open to tourists. They are all numbered: 12 Buddhist (caves 1–12), 17 Hindu (caves 13–29) and 5 Jain (caves 30–34) caves. You can choose to tour the caves in any order you wish. A good 4 hours may just be sufficient to tour all the caves of Ellora. I have given brief description about Ellora caves in the following paras of the blog.

It is best to start sequentially when you are there, i.e. walk right up to the first cave and keep exploring and walking towards cave 16. If you don’t have enough time it would be wise to spend the time at Kailasa Temple .

Entrance from Cave 1 is closed and tickets are issued only in the parking lot in front of Kailash temple. The taxi dropped us right in front of Kailash Temple the (cave 16).

The Ellora caves is a UNESCO world Heritage site.

Aurangabad Ellora Caves 1 to 12 Buddhist Monasteries

Cave 1 doesn’t have any sculptures or carvings, but just eight cells. They must have been used by the monks staying there.

Cave 2 is small but attractive and lavishly decorated with sculptures of Buddha…huge standing Boddhisattvas at entrance to sanctums. Ellora caves are scooped out in the sloping hillsides, and unlike Ajanta caves, are spread over a distance of two kilometers.

Facade of Cave 4…delicately carved columns…

Facade of Ellora Cave 4

We accessed the Cave 9 through Cave 6.  Lord Buddha inside the sanctum with Bodhisattva Avalokiteshwar and Padmapani on right and left of entrance.

Image of Buddha radiating calm and peace.

Ellora Cave 10…This cave is called the Vishwakarma cave, named after the legendary architect of Universe.

Caves 11 and 12 the Do Taal and Teen Taal caves are huge and look like three storey apartments of today, the facades are plain and don’t have any sculptures.

Cave 11 was known as Do Taal as the ground floor was not discovered for a long time.

The interiors are again elaborately decorated and spacious and feature two sculpture panels with images of Buddha in teaching and meditative postures. Buddha in Pralambapad Asan, just one look at Buddha’s face and you will be forced to pause there totally mesmerized.

Ellora Caves 13 to 29: Hindu group of Caves

All the 17 caves are dedicated to Lord Shiva. In most of the caves the idols have been so skillfully carved that you get to see the details of ornaments, their hair dressings…just amazing!

Cave 13 was empty… probably a resting place. Most of the other caves have Shiv Ling installed and some of them are still worshiped, we found fresh flowers around.

Ellora Cave 14 is also known by the name Ravan Ki Khai.

All the walls have sculpted images but it was sad to see many damaged. All attention by the authorities seem to be focused on Cave 16, nobody to stop anyone from damaging these sculpted treasures.

Varah Avtaar, reincarnation of Lord Vishnu in the form of a boar

The facade of cave 14.

The long flight of steps to cave 15. It has two storeyed temple and a large courtyard. School children had come there on picnic and Ishani commented, “How lucky they are to come to such an interesting place on a picnic.”

Ellora Cave 16 – Kailasa Temple

Ellora Cave 16 is the most well known cave temple of Ellora. It is the symbol of archaeological mystery  of Ellora caves. Some suspect Kailasa Temple to be made by aliens. Try and dedicate at least two hours for this magnificent temple.

After visiting Cave number 16, the famous Kailash Temple we left for Caves 17 to 27, which was half a km away. (You will do well to)Replenish your water bottles here and stuff yourself with some energy boosters as well.

Mahishasura mardhini and Ganesha on either side of entrance to cave 20. Shiv Ling inside.

Caves 17,18,19 each had Shiv Lings. The caves had incomplete sculpted work with traces of several colors on some of them.

Cave 20. The set of caves had no care taker. Ellora caves do not seem to have any elaborate protective measures when compared with Ajanta caves. There were no guides around too.

Cave21…Nandi outside the cave placed on a high pedestal. This is the only cave where Nandi is placed outside. The facade to this cave is also very beautiful…the carvings very intricate compared to the caves of 17, 18, 19

Ravana shaking mount Kailaash…this sculpture was found in a few other caves too. Here I took the closeup of Ravana..many hands sculpted depict the vigorously shaking action I guess…

Caves 17 to 28 stretch across a climbing path.

Cave 28 is situated under the waterfalls… Tourists climbing up the way to cave 28. As there is no proper hold along the way, and with our taxi waiting we gave the adventure a miss…

Ellora Sita ki Nahani or Dhumar Cave

We then walked back all the way to cave 17 to the waiting taxi and drove to cave 29.

Cave 29 also called as Sita ki Nahani or Dhumar cave. At the entrance is a pair of majestically seated lions. This cave is a massive structure with huge columns and a number of halls.

There are many large scale reliefs on the walls of this cave. Ravana shaking Mount Kailash.

View from Cave 29

Beside this cave 29 is the waterfall of River Yelganga. It is dry in winter. Many tourists climbed down and took the adventurous route to cave 28. Visit in rainy seasons to view the water falls there.

Ellora Caves 30 to 34: Jain group of caves

The last of the five caves 30 to 34 are just under one kilometer from the last Hindu cave – Sita ki Nahani. We got dropped here by Taxi.

These Digambara Jain excavations date back to the period between 9th and 11th centuries. Here you can see some Ellora Caves Paintings.

Cave 30A was on a nearby hill, it was sort of abandoned and not very well maintained. The work around looked incomplete too.

The other caves were at the foothill. You will need to leave footwear outside Indra Sabha. Cave 30 resembles the Kailash temple and is rightly called the ‘Chota Kailash’.

A life-sized sculpture of an elephant at the entrance of cave 32. This is a double storey cave. One can find the best examples of Jain sculpture here.

The lower floor is incomplete. The upper floor had pillars and columns richly sculpted. The delicate ornamental work quite resembles ivory carvings. (see picture in gallery) besides this were carvings of Mahavir flanked by Tirthankaras.

Cave 32 is known as Indra Sabha. The walls had carvings of elephants, lions and Tirthankaras like in the image. There was a beautiful shrine beside this… ceilings carved with lotus… large figure of Mahavira…
Cave 33 – Jaganatha Sabha, there was Lord Indra seated on an elephant, under a banyan tree and in the opposite side Indrani Devi under a mango tree. If you observe carefully you can see a monkey plucking mangoes.

Tithankaras and Indrani Devi under mango tree in centre.

We accessed the cave 34 from the Indra Sabha (Cave 32) crossing the Jagannatha sabha (Cave 33) and came out through its main entrance, peeping into the small rooms and dark passages on the way. At the end of it all was a mixed feeling, “Mama it is over …”

We returned with memories, definitely tired but reverently proud of all that we had seen.

Location, Timings and Tickets of Ellora caves

The Ellora caves are located 29km northwest of the city of Aurangabad, 300km east-northeast of Mumbai, and about 100km west of the Ajanta Caves, 2.3km from Grishneshwar Temple .

Entrance Fee: Indians – 10INR, Foreigners – 250INR, Children below 15 – free, Camera – 25INR.

Open throughout the year even on National Holidays. Weekly off is on Tuesdays.

Open timings: 6am to 6pm.

FAQs about Ellora Caves Aurangabad Tourist Places:

How long does it take to tour Ellora Caves?

A full day is typically required to see Ellora Caves’ top attractions. Many visitors prefer to visit Ellora Caves along with Aurangabad or Ajanta Caves, each of which requires an additional day.  By adding a few extra days to your trip, you can combine Ellora Caves with nearby wonderful destinations like Aurangabad, Shirdi, and Nashik.

Can I visit both Ellora and Ajanta Caves in a single day?

Yes, you can visit Ajanta and Ellora Caves in a single day, but you will have to hurry. Each cave group can be toured in two to three hours. Additionally, the distance between them is 3 hours.

In the area of Aurangabad, how many Ellora caves are there?

These 34 monasteries and temples, extending over more than 2 km, were dug side by side in the wall of a high basalt cliff, not far from Aurangabad, in Maharashtra.

How much time do the Ellora caves require?

To see all the caves, it will take about 4 to 5 hours. You can visit Daulatabad Fort on the way back; it will take two hours to see. Both can be included in an 8 hours day tour.

When does Ellora Caves close?

On Tuesdays, Ellora Caves are closed. The rest of the week is open for cave visits. The months of November through March are the ideal times to visit Ellora Caves.

What does it cost to enter Ellora Caves?

The entrance fee to Ellora Caves is Rs 40 for Indian citizens, and it is also Rs 40 for SAARC and BIMSTEC nationals. Foreign visitors must pay Rs 600 to enter the caves. For kids under the age of 15, there is no entrance fee to Ellora Caves.

What is the best way to reach Ellora Caves from Aurangabad?

Aurangabad is 30 to 32 km away from the Ellora caves. There is a central bus stand where you can catch MSRTC buses. To reach the destination, those buses will take around 1:30 to 2 hours. The cost of traveling by bus will be very low, but I suggest you book a cab so that you can visit nearby shrines as well. If you need a taxi, you can ask your hotel desk for one.

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If you have found this article on Ellora Caves informative please let your friends know. Use share buttons. I appreciate each and every share. Thanks! (I visited Ellora Caves, Aurangabad Itinerary  Day 2, Dec 26th 2007. This article is an updated article that was first published in Jan 14th 2008.)