Ajanta and Ellora Caves
阿旃陀与埃洛拉石窟 · Aurangabad area, Maharashtra, India
One cliff face hides all the Buddha's former lives; a whole mountain is carved into an entire temple
Know before you go
- No flash photography of the Ajanta murals, and no touching the wall surfaces inside the caves
- no climbing the caves' sculptures, and no loud noise or eating and drinking inside the Ellora caves
- no shoes in worship areas, and no face-on photographs of devotees
This article is Not yet verified. Please check official announcements for prices, opening hours and dates.
Stories & people
Stories & people
History
Stories of Ajanta and Ellora Caves
Each of the two cave sites has an emblematic story. In 1819 the British army officer John Smith, hunting on the opposite side of the gorge, glimpsed the cave niches in the cliff face, crossed the river and explored Cave 10, carving his name and the date on a pillar — the murals asleep for a thousand years thus saw daylight again (the event is attested by his surviving inscription). The Kailasa Temple's manner of construction borders on legend: the craftsmen laid not a single brick or tile, but cut the rock away layer by layer from the mountaintop down, fixing the skyline first and then carving out the entire temple, so folk tradition tells of a divine craftsman building the temple in a single night (a legendary embellishment); what archaeology confirms as fact is the top-down, whole-rock excavation technique, with an astonishing volume of rock removed and a construction period measured in decades. One tale is evidenced by a physical trace, the other is the people's astonishment — exactly the right way to open both sites. The two sites divide into concealment and display: see Ajanta's paintings first, then Ellora's mountain, and the complete arc of Indian rock-cut art is walked through.
Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Ajanta Caves; UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Ellora Caves; Wikipedia: Ajanta Caves; Wikipedia: Ellora Caves
History
History of Ajanta and Ellora Caves
29 caves in total (plus a numbered Cave 15A), excavated in two phases: the early phase, around the 2nd–1st centuries BCE, belongs to the Theravada system, and the middle phase, in the second half of the 5th century CE, was built intensively with the support of the Vakataka dynasty; Cave 1's Padmapani (the lotus-bearing Avalokiteshvara), Cave 17's mural groups and Cave 26's reclining Buddha are the most famous, with subjects mostly drawn from the Jatakas and the Buddha's life, and the mineral-pigment murals survive to this day. 34 caves in total, excavated successively from about the 5th to the 10th centuries: Caves 1–12 belong to Buddhism, Caves 13–29 to Hinduism and Caves 30–34 to Jainism — three religions side by side are rare physical evidence of India's religious coexistence; Cave 16, the Kailasa Temple, was carved in the Rashtrakuta period (about the 8th century) from a single rock mass from the top down into a complete temple, one of the world's largest monolithic structures. Both sites were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1983.
Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Ajanta Caves; UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Ellora Caves; Wikipedia: Ajanta Caves; Wikipedia: Ellora Caves
Culture
Culture & customs
Background
Both sites lie in the basalt belt of the Deccan Plateau, about a hundred kilometres apart: Ajanta hides in the horseshoe-shaped gorge of the Waghora River, and Ellora spreads across the open slopes of the Charanandri hills — one concealed, one displayed, together forming the two temperaments of Indian rock-cut art.
Local customs
- Around the Buddha Purnima and Shiva festivals, devotees around Ellora increase, and the nearby Grishneshwar Shiva temple (one of the twelve Jyotirlinga temples) is especially busy with incense
- villages around Ajanta live by tourism services, and the gorge's waterfalls in the rainy season are the locals' seasonal landscape.
Religion & beliefs
Both are living religious heritage: monks and devotees still worship in the Buddhist caves, and Ellora's Hindu and Jain caves are likewise regarded as holy places — when visiting, pass quietly behind worshippers and don't crowd around photographing the ritual activities.
Etiquette & taboos
Etiquette & taboos
Don’t DON'T
- No flash photography of the Ajanta murals, and no touching the wall surfaces inside the caves
- no climbing the caves' sculptures, and no loud noise or eating and drinking inside the Ellora caves
- no shoes in worship areas, and no face-on photographs of devotees
Locals appreciate DO
- Tour the two sites on two separate days, entering with the first batch in the early morning to avoid tour groups and the midday heat
- at Ajanta bring a small torch of your own (without flash) to study the mineral-pigment details of the murals closely
- at the Kailasa Temple, first circle the courtyard once, then climb to the upper gallery and look down over the whole carved-mountain layout
Plan your visit
Practical info
Travel tips
- The two sites close on different days: Ajanta closes on Mondays and Ellora on Tuesdays — be sure to stagger them when planning your itinerary, and don't try to rush through both in one day
- Ajanta has many steps and the gorge is hot and stuffy
- those with limited mobility should assess their stamina first
- the Kailasa Temple area at Ellora is relatively flat
- Tickets at both sites are priced in separate tiers for foreign visitors and Indian citizens, and cameras are separately regulated — check the ASI website for the latest price table before setting out
- Ajanta usually opens 9:00–17:00/17:30 and closes on Mondays
- Ellora usually opens from sunrise to sunset (about 6:00–18:00) and closes on Tuesdays
- the foreign-visitor ticket at each site is on the order of 600 rupees (about CNY 52), with Indian citizens at about 40 rupees
- shuttle buses and camera fees are extra — the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) website prevails in all cases. The base town is Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad): Ellora is about 30 kilometres away, a 45-minute drive
- Ajanta is about 100 kilometres, a 2.5–3-hour drive, and from the car park you must transfer to a shuttle bus into the gorge. Allow a large half-day to a full day for each site
- the best season is October to March.
Eat nearby
What to eat nearby
Must-try
- Naan Khaliya
- Maharashtrian thali
- Biryani
- Kebabs and tandoori
- Masala chai
Naan Khaliya (an Aurangabad signature dish — mutton curry with a special naan); Maharashtrian thali (a combined platter that covers the local home cooking in one go); Biryani (spiced braised rice in the Muslim old-town style); Kebabs and tandoori (grilled fresh over charcoal); Masala chai (spiced milk tea, the standard companion between sights)
| Where to eat | Restaurants in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) city are the main base (the old town and the railway-station area have the widest choice); the Ajanta and Ellora visitor centres have simple meals and tea rooms, enough only for basic needs |
|---|---|
| Dining etiquette | Indian meals are often eaten with the right hand or scooped with naan — just follow local custom; vegetarian and non-vegetarian kitchens are strictly separated, so state your preference clearly when ordering; at street stalls, look at the hygiene conditions before ordering |
| Typical price per person | 400–800 rupees per person, about CNY 34–69 (market reference); simple meals around the scenic areas run 250–500 rupees per person |
| Tips | Dining choices inside both sites are limited, so eat your fill in Sambhajinagar city before setting out; the Deccan summer is fiercely hot — carry plenty of drinking water, as water points in the cave zones are far apart |
Prices are typical rates as of October 2026, not exact quotes; CNY equivalents are approximate where exchange rates fluctuate.
Photos
Photos
Michael Gunther · CC BY-SA 4.0
_vrvbajel0924_(455).jpg?width=640)
Vinayaraj · CC BY-SA 4.0
More in South Asia
Also nearby
Agra petha
A translucent sweet at the foot of the Taj Mahal, with a widely told but doubtful legend.
Indian thali
One round platter holding all six tastes: sweet, salty, bitter, sour, astringent and spicy.
Kerala Backwaters
Slow life in a palm-fringed water world, living witness to a thousand years of spice trade.