Ajanta and Ellora Caves

Located near the city of Aurangabad in Maharasthra, both World Heritage Sites, the famous Ajanta and Ellora caves are cave shrines cut out of rock, by hand, and rank amongst some of the most outstanding specimens of ancient Indian architectural heritage. The 34 Ellora caves and the 29 Ajanta caves were remained shrouded in obscurity for over a millennium, till John Smith, a British Army Officer, accidentally stumbled upon them while on a hunting expedition in 1819. The masterpiece of Ellora caves is the the astonishing Kailasa Temple, dedicated to Shiva is the world's largest monolithic sculpture, hewn from the rock by 7000 labourers over a 150 year period. The glorious Ajanta caves depict the story of Buddhism, spanning a period from 200 BC to 650 AD. The Ajanta Ellora Tour is an overnight tour from Mumbai and can be accessed by both flights and trains.