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Published: February 4th 2009
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The ruins of Ajanta and Ellora were on my mind since days…may be since I developed this inclination towards ruins/temples/forts and Mythology…
I had written to many of these tour operators in Aurangabad (the nearest city to these sites) for a customized travel plan. Did not want any fancy sites/markets/city tour attached. The focus was very clear.
It was an easy flight from Mumbai to Aurangabad…checked into the hotel, and started immediately. Couldn’t wait I guess. It took us around 2hrs and a little more to reach Ajantha - The horse shoe shaped series of Buddhist caves. Along the bottom of the ravine runs the river Waghur, a mountain stream. There are 29 caves (as officially numbered by the Archaeological Survey of India), excavated from the south side of the precipitous scarp made by the cutting of the ravine. They vary from 35 to 110 ft. in elevation above the bed of the stream.
The monastic complex of Ajanta consists of several viharas (monastic halls of residence) and chaitya-grihas (stupa monument halls meant for meditation and study) cut into the mountain scarp in two phases. At Ajanta, cave numbers 9, 10, 12, 13, and 15A (the last one was
re-discovered in 1956, and is still not officially numbered) were excavated during this phase. These excavations have enshrined the Buddha in the form of the stupa, or mound.
Since it was August and still raining, we expected some good sky / background to be seen…however it just rained and made us sit in one of the caves for quite some time…
The paintings inside the caves were astonishing. The use of vegetable/natural colours and preservatives in the 5th and the 6th century was sure a technology of its own kind. For some unknown reason, Ajanta was abandoned around the 7th century and the people making the caves moved to Ellora, 100km south.
We spent the entire day at the site, listening to theories raised by our learned guide, Mr.Patil. (To our surprise, he was a post graduate in Archeology, understood temple architecture and had spent over 30 years at Ajanta Caves. I would rather see him teaching students at a college than earn pennies as a guide)
The next day,..
Woke up at 5am ..and rushed off to catch the sunrise over the Ellora caves…driving 30km northwest of Aurangabad, it took us around an hour to reach
this magnificient site.
There are basically 34 elaborately carved caves at Ellora, the twelve southern caves are Buddhist, the seventeen caves in the center are Hindu, and the five northern caves are Jain. They were built in that order (Buddhist, Hindu, Jain) between the 7th and 13th centuries AD. They extend for about 2km. The caves were dug out of a slope in the hill in a north-south direction. They face west, so they receive light from the setting sun. All the caves were carved from the top to the bottom from a single rock, so workers did not require scaffolding.
Some learning from our Guide -
** Caves 1 to 12 are Buddhist caves. Only cave 10 is a chaitya (temple). All the other Buddhists caves are viharas (monasteries). These caves are not as architecturally interesting as the Hindu caves.
**The Hindu caves were constructed in the c.7th century - 8th century and represent a different style of creative vision and execution skills. Some were of such complexity that they required several generations of planning and coordination to complete. The early caves (caves 17-29) were constructed during the Kalachuri period, while the caves 15 and 16 were constructed
during Rashtrakuta period.
** Caves 30-34 are Jain caves. They are located 1km north of the last Hindu temple (cave 29). The Jain caves are not as dynamic as the Hindu caves. Cave 31, the Chota Kailash (Little Kailash) was never finished.Cave 32, the Assembly Hall of Indra, is the most impressive of the Jain temples. It is dedicated to Mahavir, the 24th tirthankara. The ground floor is plain, but the upstairs has intricate carvings. Cave 33 and Cave 34 are also interesting.
The Kailasa Temple (cave 16) and the Mini-Kailasa temple (cave 31) were my personal favorite. The geometry, symmetry, human shapes, intricate carvings, proportions and architecture are beyond words. It too me some time to accept the beauty.
Archaeologists estimate it took thousands of skilled stone cutters seven to eight generations to construct the Kailasa temple. It is comparable to the Pyramids. It is twice the size of the Parthenon of Athens and 1½ times as high. It is 81m long, 47m wide, and 33m high. It was carved out of the side of a hill from the top down. There are carvings telling the pastimes of the Ramayana and Mahabharata on the temple walls. On the
south side of the mandapa (hall) is a remarkable sculpture depicting Siva crushing Ravana underfoot when Ravana desired to lift Siva’s Kailash Mountain and shake it. Other impressive carvings are the Ravana-ki-Khai, or Abode of Ravana, and the Dasa Avatara, or ten incarnations of Vishnu.
I still wonder at the proficiency and the talent of the sculptors. (after all there wasn’t any 3D engineering design software available then..!)
Came back to our hotel late evening, had some hot dinner and slept off…with aching feet.
Some facts that may help you..
1.Carry water to bother these sites, there is nothing around for miles.
2.If going in summers, wear a cap/glares, the heat is scorching.
3.You will need entry tickets to go in.
4.If you are keen on seeing/studying the carvings/paintings inside, carry a white-light torch. (yellow light harms the paintings)
5.At Ajantha - some caves are highly protected and photography is not allowed (the Flash hurts the paintings). (I did not see such restrictions at Ellora).
6.The sites open at 9am and close at 5:30pm.
7.Having a guide to tell you stories always helps.
8.Beware of the monkeys stealing your stuff.
9.I exhausted around 9-12 GB of memory cards
and used all 3 lenses extensively across all locations (Sigma 10-20 wide angle, Tamron 200mm tele and Tamron 18-70).
10.Take an auto to see the Jain Caves (would cost you around Rs.100/- for pick-up and drop at all cave sites)
What annoyed me the lost was seeing a lot of young couples scribbling/carving their names on the walls of the ruins or cluttering the area with food items. I am personally requesting you to maintain some self-discipline and help preserve these treasures.
Thanx for reading my note..
Byee!
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Amruta H
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Hotel Address
Hi, Anu, Can you please give a good hotel at Aurangabad??