Ajanta & Ellora Caves
Ajanta and Ellora are two separate UNESCO World Heritage cave complexes near Aurangabad (officially Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar) in Maharashtra — Ajanta's 30 Buddhist caves hold India's finest surviving ancient murals (2nd century BCE–6th century CE); Ellora's 34 caves mix Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain temples, including the Kailasa Temple, carved top-down from a single rock face. Foreign-visitor entry runs about $7 per site; Ajanta closes Mondays, Ellora closes Tuesdays — plan two separate days.
These are two different sites, roughly 100km apart, and a shockingly large number of visitors don't realize that until they've already planned a single rushed day for both. Give each its own day: Ajanta for the paintings, Ellora for the sheer scale of what people carved out of a mountain with hand tools over centuries.
Ajanta or Ellora — what's actually the difference?
| Ajanta Caves | Ellora Caves | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | 30 Buddhist rock-cut caves, carved 2nd century BCE–6th century CE | 34 caves spanning Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain traditions, 6th–10th century CE |
| Headline feature | Ancient murals and frescoes — among the best-preserved ancient paintings anywhere in Asia | Kailasa Temple (Cave 16) — a full temple carved from a single rock, top-down, not built up |
| Distance from Aurangabad | ~100km (about 2 hours) | ~30km (about 45 minutes) |
| Closed on | Mondays | Tuesdays |
| Best for | Art and painting enthusiasts, quieter atmosphere | Anyone who wants the single most jaw-dropping rock-cut structure in India |
The Kailasa Temple at Ellora
Cave 16 at Ellora isn't built — it's excavated, carved directly out of a single basalt rock face from the top down, meaning the builders had to remove roughly 200,000 tonnes of rock without a single mistake ruining the whole structure below. It's dedicated to Shiva and modeled on Mount Kailash itself; historians still debate exactly how long it took to complete, with estimates ranging from a few decades to well over a century.
Ajanta's murals
Ajanta's caves were abandoned and reclaimed by jungle for over a thousand years after the 7th century, which is exactly why the paintings survived as well as they did — no later renovation painted over them. The murals depict Buddhist Jataka tales (stories of the Buddha's past lives) in remarkably preserved color and detail; Cave 1 and Cave 2 hold the most famous panels, including the well-known 'Bodhisattva Padmapani.'
Entry fees and timings (2026)
| Site | Foreign visitor entry | Timings | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ajanta Caves | ~₹600 ($7) | 9am–5pm, Tue–Sun | Mondays |
| Ellora Caves | ~₹600 ($7) | 6am–6pm, all week except Tue | Tuesdays |
Children under 15 enter both sites free. At Ajanta, a mandatory eco-shuttle bus (about ₹10/$0.10) runs from the parking area to the caves — private vehicles aren't allowed the final stretch, to limit pollution damage to the murals. Always check the current ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) rate before you go, since fees do get periodically revised.
How to see both in one trip
Most visitors base themselves in Aurangabad for 2 nights: one full day for Ellora (closer, and easily paired with the nearby Bibi Ka Maqbara, a 17th-century mausoleum modeled on the Taj Mahal and nicknamed the 'Mini Taj Mahal'), one full day for Ajanta (the longer drive, so start early). Doing both on the same rushed day is technically possible but not recommended — you'll shortchange whichever one you see second.
Getting there
Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (formerly Aurangabad) Airport has direct flights from Mumbai (about 1 hour) and Delhi; it's also reachable by an overnight train from Mumbai (roughly 6–7 hours). From the airport or train station, local taxis and organized day tours cover both cave complexes — a hired car with driver for the two days runs roughly $25–40/day, the same range as a Golden Triangle driver.
If you only have time for one, pick Ellora — the Kailasa Temple alone is worth the trip, and Ellora's mix of Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain caves gives a broader sense of India's religious history in a single site than Ajanta's more focused Buddhist murals.