Pitalkhora, Caves As Old As Ajanta
It wasn’t sadly that good the last time I visited the Ajanta and Ellora caves. There were far too many tourists there. Everybody was happy taking up snaps. The kids were running all around. It was complete chaos. To make matters worse there was a movie party with all their crew and equipment. As an ardent lover of architecture and Indian history, I was flabbergasted. I wanted to be alone with the sculptures because I wanted to observe them closely. But no such luck.
So I decided to choose a different place this time. It would be the Pitalkhora caves, and yes, these caves are close to Aurangabad as well. But thankfully, Pitalkhora isn’t that well known. And so, there are hardly any visitors, even though, some of the carvings and sculptures are as good as the ones at Ajanta. It was time to check them out.
Pitalkhora is just about 48 kilometers from the caves at Ellora. There are in total 14 caves here that have been dated to sometime in 2nd Century BC. The caves are set high up on the hill overlooking scenic ravines. The caves have been divided into two groups. Caves 1 to 9 face either east or north, and the others are south facing. I was really keen to see the sculptures and paintings, because some of them, I was told, go back to the 1st Century BC. That’s certainly a long time back.
My Trip to Pitalkhora
I found a wide balcony on reaching the place. There were statues of snakes (naga) everywhere, row of elephants and guards. I found that the first cave was quite damaged. It was a vihara or monastery once. However I was extremely impressed with what I saw in cave 3. The paintings were stunning. There are 37 pillars here that separate its aisle from the hall. I noticed inscriptions on each pillar. The guide informed me that these inscriptions were added over time by different rulers.
In some caves I noticed small windows for miniature chaityas, animal designs, Yaksha statues, and guards. Steps were leading down to the basement in one cave. There was a stupa here that housed rare crystals. There were many carvings too.
Maintenance sadly wasn’t top quality. Some of the pillars were dilapidated. Concrete pillars have replaced the original ones. But of course, they are nowhere near as beautiful. The work looked quite shoddy honestly.
I saw signs of vandalism too. Though many murals and sculptures are damaged, but what is intact at Pitalkhora is still a treasure. I was thrilled with the heritage and history of our country.
