Know About Places in India: September 2012

ELLORA

About:

Ellora is situated 29km away from Aurangabad, Maharashtra. It is very famous for its caves which were built between the 5th and 7th century.

How to get there:

There are taxis available in Aurangabad which are meant for tourists. There are travel agencies which can arrange your travel.

There's an office in the Aurangabad station which arranges vehicles for tourists. You can get a taxi from there. Charges are reasonable.

When to visit:

Monsoon season is the best time to go there (that is from June to September). You will get to see the beautiful waterfall near that cave during this season. The environment is fresh and there is greenery everywhere.

Entrance fee:

For Indians it is Rs.10 per head

For foreign tourists it is Rs.250 per head (US $5)

Opening Hours:

From 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Closed on Tuesdays

Clicks taken by me:

Sorry for the bad image quality as I used mobile camera.

These caves were carved out of one single piece of rock!! The architecture is brilliant. There are carvings of Gods in these caves. The gods of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain can be seen here. There are 12 Buddhist caves, 17 Hindu caves and 5 Jain caves.

This waterfall is not perennial. You can get a sight of this waterfall only during the monsoon. There is a path from behind the waterfall to go to the other side (see image). They do not allow anyone to use that path as it is too dangerous.

Here is a carving of Hindu god Shiva with his wife Parvati.

This is one of the caves present in Ellora. Always carry a torch as there is no light in some of the caves.

Here's a closer look at one of the pillars present in the cave. This is carving of a lion. The detailing is awesome.

Here's a closer look at the walls of the caves. They makers of this caves have worked very hard on detailing. It is astonishing that they have created it with just one single rock!! Its a masterpiece.