Ellora Caves One Of The Most Beautiful Caves In India

Ellora caves are UNESCO world heritage site and are located in Maharashtra near Aurangabad.

They are very old caves that comprise of Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain caves. They are also known as verul leni. The incredible Kailasa Temple (also known as the Kailash Temple), which forms Cave 16 at Ellora, is undoubtedly the most famous attraction. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and his sacred abode at Mount Kailash. It has a very big shiva shivling in the center of the temple and is also surrounded by displays of mythologies, goddesses and god from Hindu epic.

There are a total of 100 caves but only 3 are available to the public and from those, most of them are from Hindu culture. Reaching Ellora caves is easy as you can travel by car from Nasik to Aurangabad and reach Ellora caves.

The most incomprehensible thing about the Ellora caves is that they were crafted by hand, with only a hammer and chisel. There are various cave complexes in India, but these are definitely the most spectacular.

Location

Located in Northern Maharashtra, around 500 kilometers (250 miles) from Mumbai and its located near Aurangabad. People can travel from Nasik to Aurangabad as it is 300 km from there.

Getting There

The closest railway stations are in Aurangabad for the Ellora caves (45 minutes away).Travel time from Mumbai to Aurangabad by Indian Railways train is 6-7 hours. Here are the options.
There’s also an airport in Aurangabad, so it's possible to fly from many cities in India.Using Aurangabad as a base, it’s most convenient to hire a taxi and drive to Ellora caves.There are many Tours and Travels agencies That provides car hire to Ellora caves Depending on the type of car, rates start from 1,250 rupees for Ellora caves.

The Ellora bus tour departs from the Central Bus Stand at 8.30 a.m and arrives back at 5.30 p.m. It includes Daultabad Fort, Bibi Ka Maqbara and Panchakki. The cost is 215 rupees per person.The places is totally worth it and you can go to places like the hindu cave jain cave as well as to buddist cave etc.

Or, if you'd prefer to travel independently, you can easily take a public Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation bus from the Central Bus Stand in Aurangabad to Ellora (D0825).It's worth considering, as you'll be able to get there before the tour buses do. The buses run frequently but they're not air-conditioned.

When to Visit

The best time to visit the caves is from November to February when it's cooler and dry as you can visit first nasik and then you can also visit the place like shirdi and as well as go to the taj mahal of the south which was build by aurangzeb .

Entry Fee

The entry fee tickets are Rs.10 (per person) for citizens of India, BIMSTEC, and SAARC countries and it is Rs.250 (per person) for the foreigners.It is worth the time and effort when traveling to places as special to ellora caves.

Opening Hours The Ellora caves are open from sunrise until sunset (around 5.30 p.m.), daily except Tuesdays. The caves are open on national holidays. However, try to avoid visiting them then (as well as on weekends) as the crowds can be overwhelming and you won't have a peaceful experience. Travel Tips You can get an excellent view and perspective of inside the Kailasa Temple at Ellora by climbing up the hill around it.

When visiting Ellora, ask your driver to drop you at the viewpoint and meet you at the car park. Walk downhill from the viewpoint and enter at cave 8. From there, walk right to the end and start at cave 28. This will enable you to see nearly half the caves without the crowds.

Bring a torch with you to the caves as many of them are quite dark and lighting is poor.Try to reach the caves before 10 a.m. to beat the crowds and tour buses.

Things To Do Around

Enroute to the Ellora Caves are the popular attractions as follows:

1.Daulatabad Fort: It is a beautiful rock fortress that is situated at a distance of 30 km from Aurangabad. It has innumerable secret, meandering passages.

2.Khuldabad: A serene hill station, 10 kms from the Dhaulatabad fort, flaunts a few meticulously carved Sufi’s tomb.

3.Bhadra maruti Mandir- A beautiful temple located a few kms to the east of the Sufi’s tomb.