Ajanta Ellora: a photo essay of one of most beautiful places in India

Last updated: October 20, 2026

In 2014, I visited the astonishing sites of Ajanta Ellore in India. Though often clubbed together for travel purposes, these are actually two sites and have a distance of around 100 km between them. It is funny, how in retrospect, I completely forgot about this small but major detail and the magnificent beauty of these caves merged in my mind. I remember that it was summer and Aurangabad, the closest city to these sites was scorching hot. The area around these sites was very rural and we had to pass through acres of cotton and fig plantations to reach there. Old fat banyan trees bordered this road and their gnarly aerial roots drooped like curtains. They shaded this road by creating a dim tunnel and it was comfortable, traveling through them. Because of the afternoon heat, there were few other commuters on that road and these were local men going about their business on motorcycles. They were dressed in pristine white with wonderful regional white cloth caps on their heads and these, they had fastened securely with Babushka-style white scarves.

The reality of visiting Ajanta Ellora

Apart from them, huge tourist buses rolled down that road. These were filled with day trippers who were doing Ajanta Ellora caves in one day. The buses carted in people from surrounding Maharashtrian cities and they spoke languages from all over the world. The result was a loud, multilingual crowd at the cave sites with guttural German and Dutch clashing with cacophonic Marathi, harsh Tamil, and sensual French. There was also a hefty sprinkling of Thai, Chinese, Burmese, and other SE Asian languages. It was crowded and their chatter bounced like cricket balls off the stony interiors of the caves. It was a bit unpleasant because these sites are the kinds of places where you quietly contemplate and absorb the beauty. I remember spending entire days at each site just to avoid the crowd and walk around experiencing the magical silence that envelopes these places once the people are fewer.

The magic of the quiet moments

It was at those moments that I truly enjoyed Ajanta Ellora caves; understood their spectacular importance and kind of experienced the wonder of the colonial tiger hunters upon coming across them for the first time. The year 1819 and the month was April, when John Smith, an officer of the 28th Cavalry of the East India Company, spied upon the facade of Cave 10 of Ajanta. It was believed that until then only the local tribespeople knew about this remote spot; the shadowy entrances of the abandoned stone chambers that lay buried deep under a thick blanket of creepers and jungle. The discovery of John Smith, however, changed all that and the astonishing Ajanta and Ellora caves shot into prominence. Immediate in-depth explorations revealed a set of 28 colonnaded caves chiselled out of the chocolate-brown and grey basalt cliffs lining the River Waghora. These caves held beautifully preserved paintings, stunning sculptures, and immaculate paintings within their dark interiors. There were rows of stone Buddhas and other sculptures; a profusion of murals, depicting everything from battlefields to sailing ships, city streets, and teeming animal-filled forests to snow-capped mountains. It was an archaeological treasure trove and even today, Ajanta cave paintings are considered the finest surviving gallery of art from any of the world’s ancient civilizations.

Ellora complex, an architectural marvel

The Ellora caves were different. They were more sedate, less spectacularly located, and served a different purpose than their Ajanta counterparts. Yet, they were Maharashtra’s most visited ancient monument and were famous for their wealth of stunning sculptures. A heritage site, Ellora has 34 Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain caves lining the foot of the 2km-long Chamadiri escarpment as it juts out of the open plains. The site’s most important attraction is the massive Kailash temple, a monolithic complex that has been literally carved out of a basalt hillock. It looks as if someone had started carving the vast lump of solid basalt from the top and worked all the way down, creating a spectacular complex of colonnaded halls, galleries, and shrines in the process. To say that Ellora is magnificent is an understatement and this photo essay is dedicated to the exquisite Ajanta Ellora combo. Only 400km away from Mumbai, Ajanta Ellora caves are one of India’s most beautiful sites.

How to Reach Ajanta and Ellora Caves

By air: Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) airport has flights from Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. By train: Aurangabad station is well connected to Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad; Jalgaon station is closer to Ajanta (about 60 km). By road: hire a taxi from Aurangabad – Ellora is about 45 minutes away and Ajanta about 2.5–3 hours. At Ajanta, cars stop at the T-junction visitor centre and an eco-friendly shuttle bus takes you to the caves.

Ajanta Caves: What to See

Ajanta has 30 Buddhist rock-cut caves carved into a horseshoe-shaped gorge above the Waghur river, with paintings from roughly the 2nd century BCE to the 6th century CE. Don’t miss:

• Cave 1 – the famous Padmapani and Vajrapani Bodhisattva paintings.
• Cave 2 – painted ceilings and scenes from the Jataka tales.
• Cave 17 – the richest collection of murals, including the “flying apsara”.
• Cave 26 – a chaitya hall with the giant reclining Buddha (Mahaparinirvana).

Flash photography is not allowed inside the painted caves, and some caves limit the number of visitors at a time.

Ellora Caves: What to See

Ellora has 34 caves from three faiths side by side – Buddhist (Caves 1–12), Hindu (Caves 13–29) and Jain (Caves 30–34). The highlight is Cave 16, the Kailasa temple, a full temple carved from top to bottom out of a single rock. Also see Cave 10 (the Vishwakarma “carpenter’s cave”), the three-storeyed Cave 12, Cave 29 (Dhumar Lena) and the Jain Indra Sabha (Cave 32).

One-Day vs Two-Day Ajanta Ellora Plan

One day: possible but rushed – start at Ellora at opening time, then drive to Ajanta in the afternoon (not on a Monday or Tuesday). Two days (recommended): Day 1 – Ellora, Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga temple and Daulatabad Fort; Day 2 – a full day at Ajanta. Add Bibi Ka Maqbara in Aurangabad if you have an evening free.

Where to Stay

Aurangabad has the widest choice of hotels and is the best base for both sites. If you want to be at Ajanta when it opens, MTDC’s resort at Fardapur near Ajanta is a convenient option.

FAQs

Which day are Ajanta and Ellora caves closed?
Ajanta Caves are closed on Mondays and Ellora Caves are closed on Tuesdays, so plan your visit around these days.

Can I visit Ajanta and Ellora in one day?
It is possible but rushed, because the two sites are about 100 km apart. Two days is ideal – one for Ellora and nearby sights, one for Ajanta.

What is the entry fee for Ajanta and Ellora caves?
ASI tickets are about Rs 40 for Indian and SAARC visitors and Rs 600 for foreigners, with a small discount for online booking. Children under 15 enter free.

Which is the most famous cave at Ellora?
Cave 16, the Kailasa temple, is the most famous – a huge Hindu temple carved out of a single rock from the top down.

What is the nearest city to Ajanta and Ellora?
Aurangabad, now officially Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, is the nearest city and the usual base for visiting both cave sites.

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