Ajanta Caves

Ajanta Caves are located a little more than 100 kilometers north of Aurangabad in Maharashtra. These caved were built in the pre-Christian times, and are now considered as a UNESCO World Heritage site. They were accidentally discovered by an Army Officer in the Madras Regiment of the British Army in 1819. Because of the remoteness of the caves, and more due to the beauty within, these caves attracted worldwide attention. These days of course, they are not remote at all. You can easily reach the caves and see the sculptures within. People come from all corners of the world to see the fabulous paintings and sculpture depicting the life of Lord Buddha within the confines of these mystifying caves.

The cave shrines of Ajanta, hewn out of sheer rock face are perhaps the most outstanding historical tourist attractions in India. In years gone by, these grottos originally might have provided Buddhist monks shelter during the monsoon months. They used to spend their lazy hours painting the stone walls with tales from the life of Lord Buddha. However, in later years, when Buddhism reigned supreme in the country, Chaityas (temples) Viharas (hostel rooms) and other forms of accommodation were added into the caves, as also large frescos drawn by ingenious Buddhist artists started appearing on the walls.

Ajanta Caves are a must visit. You should spend an entire day here and see the many caves here. Historians and artists from all over the world come here, and rightly so. There are a lot of other tourists too. This is such an important place that you needn’t combine the caves with some other destination. Ajanta is a tourist destination of importance in itself.

How to reach: Those who are coming from faraway places would do well to take a flight or train. There is a big station and also an airport close to the Ajanta Caves. From there, you can hire a taxi for the day trip. State transport as well as private buses too plies to Aurangabad and Jalgaon too.