How To Reach Ellora Caves

Ellora caves is one of the best example of rock-cut architectural structure in the World. This astounding structure is formed by carving on the whole mountain. Ellora caves are located at a distance of 25 km away from Aurangabad district in the state of Maharashtra.

The city formerly known as Khadki is now known as Aurangabad.  Aurangabad is a city of great historic and cultural significance. The city has a rich historical heritage and is a famous tourist destination in Maharashtra.

This magnificent cave is carved in a continuous rock and it is carved down from the plateau of the mountain. To built this structure, about 50,000 tons of stone was extracted from the rock. Here you will get to see sculptures such as giant elephant carved on stone, fine craftsmanship with attractive columns and attractive arches, beautiful painting, excellent architectural structure and statues of the God.

There are about 100 caves in this place, all of which were created by shaping a continuous basalt rock and carving on it. But only 34 of these caves are open to tourists. Out of these 34 caves, 1 to 12 caves belongs to Buddhism,13 to 29 caves belong to hinduism and remaining 30 to 34 caves belong to Jainism.

Ellora caves was built by the descendants of Rashtrakuta in the 5th century AD. The statues of the gods carved on the rock, beautiful painting are wonder here. Hindu and Buddhist caves were built during the Rashtrakuta dynasty and the caves of jainism were built during the Yadava dynasty.

This ancient architectural structure has been declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, attracting not only Indians but also foreign tourists. (UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).

Buddhist Caves:

The Buddhisht caves were built during the Rashtrakuta dynasty, between the 5th to 8th century. This group of caves looks like a structure of prayer halls, Buddhist monk’s residences, monasteries and kitchens. The cave no.4 has fine carvings depicting Buddhists sitting in a meditation posture under a bo tree or (pipal tree). The cave no.5 is the largest cave among the Buddhist caves. Its structure suggests that it must have been used as a dining room.

Cave no.10 is a prayer room. This prayer room is names as Vishvakarma. Caves 11 & 12 is consists of three storey building. This caves was used for monks and pilgrims to stay. In the cave no.12,there are seven Buddha statues sitting in a row. This structure proves that Buddhists appear once in five thousand years and have appeared seven times so far.

Hindu caves:

The caves from 13 to 29 was excavated between the 6th to 8th centuries. The kailasha Temple in this cave is one of the major attraction here. The incredible carvings of these caves suggest that it may have taken many years to perform this type of fine workmanship. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Carved out from single basalt cliff, it is considered to be the largest rock-cut temple in the World. An amazing sculpture is carved in this cave which shows that Shiva-Parvati is sitting on Kailasha mountain and Ravana tries to lift the kailasha mountain. Cave no. 15 is also known as Dashavatara temple. There are ten incarnations of lord Vishnu are present in this temple. 

Jain Caves: 

These caves were last built during the Yadava’s dynasty, between the 8th and 10th centuries. Cave no.30 in this was planned to be similar to the replica of Kailasha Mandir(Temple) but could not be completed. Cave no.32 is known as indrasabha and is considered to be very noble.

How To Reach Ellora caves:

By Road:

Ellora caves are located at a distance of 25 km from Aurangabad. From Aurangabad you can easily get buses or cab to Ellora caves. As many buses are runs daily from Aurangabad to Ellora. If you are coming by your own vehicle then you can simply refer NH 52 National Highway to reach Ellora caves.

By Train:

Aurangabad railway station is nearest railway station to Ellora caves. From station you can take cab or bus to Ellora. As many buses are plying to Ellora from Aurangabad.

By Air:

Aurangabad airport is the nearest airport to Ellora caves. From airport you can take cab to Verul (Ellora).Another option is to take a rickshaw to  the bus stand. And then from bus stand you will get a bus to Ellora.

Advice:

It would be great if you booked a cab before you came here. This will give you two benefits, one is that it will save your valuable time and you will not have to wait for the bus and also your journey will be better too. Why am I telling you this because you are less likely to get a bus at the time you want. So don’t rely entirely on the bus.

Distance From:

•  Aurangabad Bus Stand: 27 Km
•  Daultabad Fort: 14 km
• Aurangabad Railway Station: 30km

Best Time To Visit:

If you want to make the journey even better, you can come here in the rainy or winter season. Situated in the beauty of nature, this place takes a unique look during monsoon.

Opening Time: 9am To 5pm

Entry Fee:

For Indian Tourist: Rs.35

For Foreigner Tourist:Rs.600

Must Visit Places Near Ellora Caves:

1.Daulatabad Fort:

Formerly known as Devgiri, the fort is now known as Daulatabad. It is said that Lord Mahadev stayed on a hill in this area, that is why this fort was named Devgiri. The word Devgiri originally meant the mountain of gods.

Situated just 18 Km away from Aurangabad, this fort is one of the most famous fort in Maharashtra. It is about 200 m above sea level, this fort is a famous historical site in Aurangabad. At that time Aurangabad was known as Khadki.

Distance From:

•  Ellora Caves: 14 Km
• Aurangabad:30 Km

Read Daulatabad Fort

2.Ajanta Caves:

Like Ellora Cave, Ajanta Cave is one of the major tourist destinations in Maharashtra. It is located at a distance of 102 Km(via  Aurangabad-Ajanta-Jalgaon Rd) from Aurangabad.

Distance From:

• Daulatabad Fort: 115 Km (via Aurangabad-Ajanta-Jalgaon Rd)
•  Ellora caves: 105 Km ( via Khuldabad  Rd)
•  Aurangabad: 102 Km (via Aurangabad-Ajanta-Jalgaon Rd)

3.Grishneshwar Temple:

Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga temple is located at a distance of 30 km from Aurangabad, 13Km from Daulatabad Fort and 1 Km from Ellora caves. It is one of the most important pilgrimage place in Aurangabad, as it is considered as one of the twelve Jyotirlingas in India.

Distance From:

• Daulatabad Fort: 14.6 Km
• Ellora caves: 1 Km
•  Aurangabad: 31 Km