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Ajanta is listed as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The Caves open Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 5.30pm. There are 30 Caves cut into the steep face of a horseshoe-shaped rock gorge on the Waghore River |
| The Buddhist Caves of Ajanta- 166 km north-east of Aurangabad, or about 60km south of Jalgaon-date from around 200 BC t0 650 AD, Predating those at Ellora. As Ellora developed and Buddhism gradually declined, the Ajanta Caves were abondoned and eventually forgotten. But in 1819a British hunting party stumbled upon them, and thier remote beauty was soon unveiled. Their isolation contributed to the fine state of preservation in which some of their remarkable painting remain to this day. |
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The World Heritage-listed cave temples of Ellora, about 30 km from Aurangabad, are the pinnacle of Deccan rock-cut architecture. over five centuries, generations of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain Monks carved monasteries, chapels and temples from a 2km long escarpment and decorated them with a profusion of sculptures of remarkable imagination and detail. |
The Caves run north-South and take on a golden radiance in the late-afternoon sun. In all there are 34 caves a Ellora: 12 Buddhist(600-800 AD), 17 Hindu (600-900 AD) and five jain (800-1000 AD). For three days in December the Kailash Temple is the venue of the annual Ellora Dance & music Festival.
NOTE: ENTRY TO ELLORA IS FREE. |
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