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Drink water, take your time, and enjoy!
Liatris1 Says: There are 29 caves, so you can easily spend most of the day here. Bring water (or by it in the kiosks at the parking lot) with you when you walk. It can get really hot in the valley on the way to the caves. The caves are often cooler.
smirnofforiginal Says: The Ajanta Caves, also an UNESCO World Heritage Site, are older than their twin (Ellora Caves), dating from the 2nd century BC to the 6th century AD. The fall of the caves of Ajanta are actually due to Ellora and were actually forgotten about until a British hunter literally...
MM212 Says: The dramatic setting of the Ajanta Caves, carved in a cliff within the deep horseshoe-shaped gorge of the Waghora River, adds to their intrigue. The thirty caves line the outer bank of the gorge and are numbered sequentially with number 1 being the cave closest to the...
MM212 Says: At the top of the hill on the opposite (inner) bank of the Waghora River is a strategic viewpoint over the entire 30 caves of Ajanta. To get there, one must cross one of the two concrete bridges (near Caves 8 and 27) and walk uphill for another 20 minutes. Undoubtedly, the...
MM212 Says: Carved around 500 AD, Cave 4 is one of the newer in Ajanta and its largest vihara. Although never completed, the monastery still contains some impressive sculptures and traces of faded paintings. Its portal is intricately carved with a bodhisattva (enlightened being) as the...
MM212 Says: The last cave one typically enters in Ajanta, Cave 27 is partially ruined. It is a vihara (monastery) from the early 7th century that was carved on two levels, but the upper level is partially collapsed. The only interesting features are the carvings on the walls of its...
MM212 Says: Caves 22 and 23 are both unfinished viharas (monasteries) that date to the early 7th century. The small Cave 22 is of lesser interest. It was carved a little higher up and is reach via a few steps. The larger Cave 23, on the other hand, contains a noteworthy portal and...
MM212 Says: Considered one of the most beautifully decorated among Ajanta's viharas, Cave 17 has the best preserved and the largest number of murals. It dates from the late 5th century and is similar in design to Cave 16, with 17 monk cells surrounding the main hall and an inner shrine...
MM212 Says: One of the last caves in the sequence, Cave 26 is well worth the effort of getting here. It is a chaitya griha (congregational temple/chapel) carved around 500 AD and is one of the grandest in Ajanta. Its façade, though not well preserved, is carved with beautiful figures...
MM212 Says: Cave 21 is a beautiful vihara (monastery) carved in the early 6th century AD. Its front porch with ornate columns leads into spacious square hypostyle hall surrounded by 12 residential cells. Intricate bas-reliefs are sculpted on the pillars and the friezes in the interior,...
MM212 Says: Skip Cave 18, which is of lesser interest, and head to the magnificent Cave 19. It is a chaitya griha (congregational hall/chapel) carved in the 5th century AD with one of the most splendidly decorated façades in all of Ajanta. The interior is typical of chaityas, with its...
MM212 Says: Carved in the late 5th century AD, Cave 16 is another vihara (monastery). Its front porch contains a portal flanked by carved maidens and a colourfully painted ceiling. The interior walls are covered with numerous fine paintings of scenes from the Buddhist tradition, while...
MM212 Says: Cave 10 was the first discovered by the British soldiers who stumbled across forgotten Ajanta by chance in 1819. It is also the oldest cave, carved in 200 BC, and Ajanta's largest chaitya griha (congregational temple). Its design is quite similar to the adjacent Cave 9, with...
MM212 Says: Cave 9 is the first chaitya griha (congregational temple, or chapel) one encounters in Ajanta. It is also one of the oldest, carved in the 2nd century BC during the Hinayana period in which Buddha was never depicted in a human form. The cave is thus devoid of statues, but...
From Aurangabad to Ajanta and back
MalenaN Says: In the morning, after breakfast, I took an auto rickshaw from Hotel Shree Maya to the bus stand. It was 20 rupees (June 2010). At the bus stand I bought a bottle of water and then went to the bus. It was leaving 9.40 and I didn’t have to wait very long. In the bus I got a...
smirnofforiginal Says: It is both easy and cheap to take a local bus from Ellora to Ajanta. The journey takes 3 hours and was described as "hot but ok".I paid for a car and driver. Had I arranged when I got to Ellora I could have got the car and driver cheaper. I stupidly arranged it through my...
MM212 Says: Although the Ajanta caves were abandoned centuries ago, many Buddhist pilgrims make the journey here and worship at these temples and monasteries. The attached photo I took in the portico of Cave 21 of a group of a friendly Buddhist pilgrims. Seeing them really helped me...
deepfern Says: At the entrance to the caves, you are told that you need to remove your shoes and leave them there. You may get confused (and I certainly did), believing that you need to leave your shoes there for the entire trip.This is not true.You do not need to remove your shoes for all...
deepfern Says: To get to Ajanta, you take your car up to the taxi stand and then catch a local bus up. Beware of the hawkers lined up at the taxi stand at the bottom of the hill. These are over-priced and will cheat foreign tourists. It's better to buy what you want from the Government...
MM212 Says: Very comfortable walking shoes... touring the caves will feel like walking a hiking trail.A hat to shield you from the sun.Light clothing as it gets quite hot in Ajanta. Tissues and disinfecting wipes in case you have to use the toilets.Sun block for those sensitive to...
Plan a Ajanta vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Ajanta locals
This cave is remarkable for the painted ceiling with large medallions, delicate bands of lotus flowers, scroll work and abstract geometric patterns. Episodes...
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U will find Human chest skeleton designed on the roof of the caves carved 900 years back by the great Humans...! It is really a World Heritage.
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The Buddhists Caves of Ajanta were one of the country's earliest monastic institutions and are the only reason, really, to come to Ajanta! Ajanta lies 105km NE of Aurangabad and makes for a good day...
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The world famous Buddhist caves at Ajanta, also a World Heritage site, lie around 100km (60 miles) to the northeast of Aurangabad. The splendid caves of Ajanta feature 30 rock cut caves that date back...
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I've got some interesting experiences in Ajanta. I'd love to share with you the 1 tip I've written, the 3 photos uploaded, and 0 travelogues I've created.
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I've got some interesting experiences in Ajanta. I'd love to share with you the 5 tips I've written, the 22 photos uploaded, and 1 travelogue I've created.
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