Treasure of Handcrafted Caves - Ajanta and Ellora Caves
Considered as a famous World Heritage Sites , Ajanta and Ellora caves are discovered by John Smith , a British Officer in 1819. The 34 caves at Ellora and 29 caves at Ajanta are the most outstanding specimens of rich ancient architectural heritage of India.
The Ajanta caves dated back in 200 BC to 650 AD cut into deep curved mountain side by the industrious Buddhist monks . Among the 29 caves of Ajanta, 5 served as Chastiyas (temples) and rest as Viharas (monasteries). These treasure troves of ancient era have numerous Buddha sculpture , rare ancient paintings and the panels depicting the stories from Jatakas, a tale of different incarnations of Lord Budha.
Unlike the Ajanta caves , Ellora was never ‘rediscovered’. They are designated as World Heritage site to preserved and restore its artistic legacy. The Ellora caves which are carved into the sides of a basaltic hill during 350AD to 750AD period. These structures are the perfect example of religious harmony. Ellora caves has the world’s best cave- temple architecture and represents the three faith Hinduism , Buddhism and Jainism under one roof.
The 12 caves situated in south are dedicated to Buddhism , 17 in the center are dedicated to Hinduism and 5 caves in north are dedicated to Jainism. The cave number 6 have images from the both Buddhist and Hindu faith and cave number 10 is dedicated to Lord Vishwakarma. This cave is both a temple and monastery with a seated Buddha placed in the Stupa. Along with the Buddha in this stupa , it also have images of dwarfs dancing and making music.
The cave number 16 is the Kailash temple which is the largest single monolithic structure in the world. This temple is carved out of one single block of stone and required to remove 200,000 tonnes of rock and almost a century to get completed. From the bygone era to till date it has always attracted pilgrims from various parts of world.
In the backdrop of Ellora caves during winter, Maharashtra government organizes the classical music and dance festival. So it is the best time to visit these rich specimens of architectural wonders . These handcrafted caves are well connected from Aurangabad . Maharashtra government daily runs air conditioned buses from Aurangabad to these caves so that the tourists have a hassle free journey.
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