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This detailed travel guide provides you with everything you need to know to visit the incredible Ellora and Ajanta Caves in India.
While they remain relatively unknown to most people outside of India, the Ellora & Ajanta caves are among the best historical sites in the world, rivalling other famous historical places like Petra or Angkor Wat.
Located in the Indian state of Maharashtra, the Ellora & Ajanta Caves are a series of temples carved into the side of a hill as early as the 2nd century BCE. The sheer size and grandeur of some of these temples, such as Kailasa Temple, is unbelievable.
Whether you’re a history buff or not, the Ellora & Ajanta caves are an unmissable destination in India, but due to their location off the typical tourist route they can be tricky to reach.
Thankfully, I’ve spent days exploring both the Ellora and Ajanta Caves, and now I’ve created this guide that gives you everything you need to know to visit these amazing historical sites.
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Contents
Ellora & Ajanta Caves Map
A Brief History of Ellora and Ajanta Caves
To get the most out of your visit, it helps to know a little about the history of the Ellora & Ajanta Caves.
The Ellora & Ajanta Caves were built gradually over a period of about 1200 years, with the very first of these cave temples were built at Ajanta. The details are a little fuzzy, but the first temples are believed to have been carved around the 2nd century BCE and are dedicated to Buddhism.
During its heyday, the site was a thriving religious community, with temples, monasteries and living spaces, attracting Buddhist pilgrims from all over. One of the murals at Ajanta even depicts a visit from a Persian embassy.
The Ajanta caves began to decline around the 6th century CE, while at the same time the first caves at Ellora were being built. Likely due to the changing religious landscape, the temples at Ajanta were abandoned, while those at Ellora thrived.
Unlike Ajanta, the temples at Ellora weren’t just limited to Buddhism. Over the centuries Hindu and Jain temples would join them, leading to a co-existing religious community. A holy site for 3 different religions.
Ajanta was eventually uncovered from the jungle during British rule, and today both caves are UNESCO World Heritage Sites cared for by the Archeological Survey of India.
Best time to visit Ellora & Ajanta Caves
The caves are open at all times of the year, but choosing the right season makes the experience all the better.
Monsoon season runs from July to September. While this season adds to the scenic beauty of the caves, going at this time also means you risk your trip being spoiled by torrential rainfall.
March to June are the hottest months, with the daytime temperatures staying consistently around 35 to 40 degrees. While the caves themselves are a great escape from this heat, you’re still going to be spending a lot of time walking around outdoors so visiting during this time is not recommended.
The best time to visit the Ellora & Ajanta Caves is from October to February. These are the winter months, when the daytime temperatures are the most agreeable and rainfall the least likely.
Ellora & Ajanta Caves Opening Hours
Finding the Ellora & Ajanta Caves opening hours can be tricky because information online is inconsistent.
According to the Aurangabad Tourism website, the opening hours are:
Ellora – 6am to 6pm, closed Tuesdays.
Ajanta – 9am to 5pm, closed Mondays.
From my own experience visiting the caves in 2023, I can tell you that knowing the exact opening hours is not important. If you’re catching a bus to the caves, they’ll be open when you arrive. If you’re on a tour, your guide will have this all covered.
How to get to Aurangabad
The Ellora and Ajanta Caves are located in the Indian state of Maharashtra, near the city of Aurangabad (recently renamed to Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar).
The caves are 2 separate sites, with Ellora being closer to the city while Ajanta is further away.
Aurangabad will be your home base as you visit these historical sites, so first you need to get yourself there.
There are 3 main options for getting to Aurangabad:
Bus
Depending on where you’re coming from, a bus may be your most straightforward option. India has an extensive bus network that can take you just about anywhere you need to go.
You’ll most likely be headed to Aurangabad from Mumbai, which takes about 8 hours via bus. I recommend taking advantage of the overnight sleeper buses. This way you combine your transport with your accommodation for the night and save more time in your days.
You might also be reaching Aurangabad from Pune, which takes around 5 to 6 hours.
The best place to book your bus ticket to Aurangabad is on 12Go Asia.
Train
India has an extensive railway network, and that includes Aurangabad.
Just like the bus, you can catch a train to Aurangabad from both Mumbai and Pune.
A train from Mumbai to Aurangabad will take about 7 to 8 hours. A train from Pune will take about 8 hours, which is longer than the bus because the route is less direct.
Just like with a bus, you have the option of booking an overnight sleeper ticket to save time.
The best place to book your train ticket to Aurangabad is on 12Go Asia.
Fly
You also have the option of flying to Aurangabad.
The airport in Aurangabad is called Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Airport and is located on the eastern outskirts of the city.
While this is certainly the most expensive option, its still relatively cheap. A flight from Mumbai can cost as little as $60 and will get you to Aurangabad in about 1 hour.
The best place to find cheap flights to Aurangabad is on Skyscanner.
Where to stay in Aurangabad
Despite having the Ellora & Ajanta Caves right on the doorstep, Aurangabad is rather underdeveloped as a tourist destination, but there are still plenty of decent accommodation options for you to choose from.
Personally I stayed at Zostel Aurangabad. This is the only hostel in town, but thankfully Zostel is an established franchise and has all the basic luxuries you would expect from a quality hostel.
It’s also located in a convenient location in downtown Aurangabad.
If you’re looking for a private room, you could opt for FabHotel Prime Opulence. While its located on the outskirts of town, its a high-quality hotel for a very affordable price.
How to get to Ellora & Ajanta Caves
The Ellora & Ajanta Caves are 2 separate sites located in the region north of Aurangabad. The city will be your home base as you go on day trips to the caves.
The Ellora Caves are the closest, located about 30km from Aurangabad, while the Ajanta Caves are further away, about 100km out.
There are public buses that run multiple times a day to both caves.
The bus to Ellora costs about 40 INR and takes about 1 hour.
The Bus to Ajanta costs about 120 INR and takes about 2 hours.
Buses leave from Aurangabad Central Bus Station. There’s no need to book in advance, you can just turn up and pay the driver in cash.
It can be tricky to know which bus to catch, thanks to the lack of signs in English. If in doubt, ask the locals. When they see a foreigner looking lost at the bus station they’ll know where you’re trying to go.
➡️ Don’t feel like navigating India’s chaotic public transport system to reach the caves? You can remove all the hassle and be driven to the caves in a private AC car by booking a tour.
Visiting Ellora & Ajanta Caves with a tour
Because the caves are located so far out of the city, one of the most popular ways to visit them is with a tour.
One of the most convenient things about visiting the Ellora & Ajanta Caves on a tour is that you’re picked up in an AC car with an English-speaking private driver, avoiding all the hassle of trying to catch a bus.
There are tours that take you to both sites on the same day. While it’s still a big day, it’s much easier to do with a private driver.
Then there are tours that visit the Ellora & Ajanta Caves over 2 days, allowing you to take your time in exploring each site and also stopping by Bibi ba Maqbara (mini Taj Mahal) along the way.
Then there are comprehensive 3 day tours that take you to not only the Ellora & Ajanta Caves, but also many other incredible historical sites in the region, like Daulatabad Fort (once the capital of India), Daityasudan Temple and the aforementioned mini Taj Mahal.
Can you visit both sites in 1 day?
The Ellora & Ajanta Caves are 2 separate sites north of Aurangabad, requiring a day trip from the city. So naturally you might be wondering if visiting them requires 1 or 2 day trips.
So, can you visit both sites in 1 day?
The answer is yes it’s possible to visit both in one day, but its not recommended.
Why is it not recommended?
Both the Ellora & Ajanta Caves are massive sites, especially Ellora. Each takes a few hours and a lot of walking to see properly.
The Ellora Caves is a half-day trip in itself, requiring about 4 hours to visit properly. The Ajanta Caves are a little smaller but still require 2 to 3 hours.
But not only do you need time to explore both sites before they close, you also need to cover the distance between them. The drive from one site to the other takes almost 2 hours.
If you are short on time and only have 1 day to visit both sites, the most practical way to do this is by visiting them both on a 1-day guided tour. This way you’ll have your own private driver, and avoid relying on India’s chaotic bus system.
If you want to get the most value out of your visit to each site, I recommend visiting them separately over 2 days.
What to expect
Ajanta Caves
The bus to Ajanta will drop you off at the parking lot and it’s still a bit of a hike to the ticket office. However, you can grab a shuttle bus for 40 INR one way.
At the ticket booth locals will try to sell you guidebooks. It’s not necessary but having a guidebook with you definitely enhances the experience.
Once you’re through the ticket office there’s another short hike up some stairs before you reach the caves. Once you’re up you’ll find yourself at Cave 1, with the rest of the caves stretched along a cliff face in front of you.
The caves are not numbered in the order that they were built, but rather the oldest ones are mostly around the centre. Out of the 30, some of them are unfinished or are just degraded over time, while others have been significantly preserved & maintained by the Archeological Survey of India.
Once you’ve visited the caves, be sure to take the bridge across the gorge and hike up the hill for a panoramic view of the caves.
Ellora Caves
Unlike Ajanta, when you get dropped off at Ellora you’ll be right at the front entrance.
As soon as you pass the ticket office you’ll be greeted by the most impressive structure across the 2 sites: Kailasa Temple.
From here I’d recommend turning right and beelining straight for the southern end of the site. If you start here you’ll visit the caves roughly in the order they were built, starting from the 6th century CE all the way to the 10th when you finish with the Jain caves.
The caves come in 3 groups: Buddhist, Hindu & Jain. From the southern end you’ll start with the Buddhist caves (1 to 15), then the Hindu caves (16 to 28), and lastly you’ll follow the path a bit further to the Jain caves (29 to 34), which as mentioned about 500m away from the rest.
The early Buddhist caves are a little more simple in terms of architecture and size, while the later Hindu and Jain caves are without a doubt the most spectacular, demonstrating the growing sophistication of the tools & techniques over the centuries.
Ellora & Ajanta Caves - Things To See
Kailasa Temple
Without a doubt the most impressive structure across both sites, and arguably across India, is cave 16, also known as Kailasa Temple. The first thing you’ll see when arriving at the Ellora Caves, this glorious monolith looks like a work of fiction straight out of an Indiana Jones film, and will leave you baffled as to how humans could build such a thing with little more than a hammer & chisel.
Covering an area twice the size of the Parthenon in Athens, it is estimated that around 200,000 tonnes of stone were excavated out of the hillside in order to create the temple – a feat made even more impressive by supposedly being built in only 18 years (756-773 CE).
The Vishwakarma Cave
The most impressive of the Buddhist caves at Ellora is Cave 10, the Vishvakarma Cave.
This chaitya (prayer hall) was carved into the hillside sometime around 650CE and is also known as the ‘carpenter’s cave’ since the rock carvings, particularly on the ceiling, are supposedly designed to resemble wood.
This chaitya is massive, one of the biggest you’ll ever see and contains a 15 foot depiction of the Buddha on its stupa.
The Jain Caves
While the Hindu & Buddhist caves are grouped together, the Jain caves at Ellora are somewhat separate, nestled in their own part of the hillside about 500m away from the others.
Making up caves 30 to 34, the Jain Caves were excavated in the 9th & 10th centuries CE. The caves here are smaller than the others but are still some of the most impressive, with highly detailed sculptures & carvings. Cave 30 is like a miniature version of Kailasa Temple but with Jain depictions rather than Hindu.
These caves are more than just historical monuments, but rather are still holy places of worship even today. On your visit here you may see Jains using these halls for worship, which is almost like stepping back in time and witnessing these caves being used the way they were intended.
Cave 1
One of the best caves you’ll see at Ajanta is the first one you’ll come across, Cave 1. This vihar (living space) comprises a large central hall held up by massive pillars, and has some of the best murals of all the Ajanta caves.
Aside from religious depictions, the murals also depict a visit from foreigners all over Eurasia.
Cave 1, along with the first few numbered caves you’ll visit at Ajanta, is one of the youngest, being ‘only’ 1500 years old
Cave 26
While cave 1 contains some of the best paintings, cave 26 arguably has the best sculptures at Ajanta.
A chaitya (prayer hall), this cave’s remarkable architecture is apparent even from the outside, with the entrance covered in detailed Buddha carvings. The inside is even more impressive with seemingly every square inch of the interior covered in tiny sculptures.
Similar to Cave 1, this cave is one of the youngest at the site, being built somewhere around 500 CE, after more sophisticated stone-masonry techniques were developed.
Ellora vs Ajanta - which is better?
So, you’ve only got time to visit one of the sites and want to know which one is more worth it?
When I’ve asked other people who’ve been there I get mixed responses. Ellora is bigger but involves more walking. Ajanta is more scenic but is further away. Each has their merits.
However from my personal experience I can say without a doubt that the Ellora Caves are better. Not only is the site bigger with more to see, it also has the best structures, such as Kailasa Temple and the Jain Caves. Not to mention it’s also closer to Aurangabad and easier to reach.
If you can only visit one, choose the Ellora Caves.
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