Our day three at Aurangabad, saw us visit another, one of the largest set of rock-cut Ellora caves. Ellora too, has large temple-monastery setups and, like Ajanta, it has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site, located in Maharashtra, India.
Ellora has more than 100 caves out of which about 34 caves are made available to public for visits and study. These caves are mainly classified based on their type, as follows:
- 12 Buddhists caves
- 17 Hindi caves
- 5 Jain caves.
Ellora, now an archaeological site is mentioned as a historic commercial center of deccan region, being located on an ancient trade route. The role of these caves is said to be that of Monasteries for monks, temples for prayers.
At Ellora, we initially tried to look for a guide. While Mukta and Devansh, waited for me near the entrance, I parked the car and was walking towards the entrance when I met a person who was a coordinator for guides. I asked him if he could provide us with a guide. That person said yes but asked us to wait for 15-20 minutes. In the meantime, near the entrance Mukta had also asked another guide if he would go with us. He said yes and we begun to walk. Â However very shortly, the way the guide was talking, and walking ahead of us, we felt a bit suspicious. It seemed as if the guy was drunk. I asked him sternly about this and he confessed about having taken a small drink. That was strange, and unacceptable. We left him there and went ahead on our own. Wherever we felt the need, we read the details about the caves on the boards outside each cave. These boards had clear information about the caves and we realized we didn’t really need a guide. However if you do get a good guide, it will save you a lot of time as you won’t have to read a lot.
At both places i.e. Ajanta and Ellora, we noticed quite a few Rose-ringed Parakeets & Squirrels. Especially at one of the caves at Ellora, there was a whole colony of squirrels playing around jumping and accepting food from the visitors. Most of them were really noisy.
Despite the heat, our interest in exploring each cave was intact because at Ellora, you are allowed to take your car inside. Thus you can reach out to the caves by your car. Also, since the caves are located at some distance from each other, it is advisable to take your car inside. The roads are good and finding the caves is easy as the directions are clearly marked on the road as well on sides.
You can read more details about Ellora caves Here.
Entry Fee at Ellora Caves
- ₹ 10 per person for Indian citizens.
- ₹ 250 per person for Foreign citizens.
- ₹ 25 per camera for photo/video.
Timings at Ellora Caves
- Wednesday to Monday: 6AM to 6PM
- Tuesday: closed.
cool details 🙂
Thank you!! Again, sorry but I guess the photo gallery wasn’t in place for a while. Although it’s up and running now.
I love the photos you took. India is on my list of travel destinations this year so I’ll definitely consider this cave. Is this place touristy and crowded or is it often regarded as off-the-beaten-track?
It’s not very crowded if you go on a weekday. Visiting early in the day may also help avoid too much crowd. On a public holiday or long weekends, there may be many locals also visiting.
Looks like an amazing place. I love how many photo’s you have of it. Really gives you a good impression of the caves. So weird though that your guide was drunk. Luckily I’ve never encountered a problem like that.
That guide may be was a one-off case or may be he had a bad time the other day. I believe he should have taken a day off.
Thanks for your comment.
Wow these caves look amazing! The photos are wonderful, and I love how you added a map, really great read thanks!
Thank you 🙂
Geez, I just noticed the price difference for foreigners versus Indian citizens. EEEK! Hehe. I’m so intrigued to go to India now, they have so many amazing things to offer and I’m learning about new places to go every day. Great photos!
Thank you.
If you compare to historic monuments across the world, you’ll realize India’s charging must lesser to the foreign tourists. A lot many Indian historical attractions are under-priced compared to places of equal historic importance across the globe 🙂
Beautiful photos. Next time we visit India for our annual visit will definitely have to make some time out for Ellora Caves. Although the entrance fees between Indians and foreigners is worth noting 🙂
Hi Roshni, a lot of people complain about the difference but if you try and compare the fees charged at any international places of historic importance, you will notice that the fees here in India are much lesser.
Wow. Awesome pics! I haven’t heard of this place. I guess it’s not one of those mainstream to-go places while India. Thanks for sharing your visit to this Unesco site.