Ellora Caves

Ellora Caves (the UNESCO World Heritage rock cut sanctuary spanning 34 monumental caverns excavated from basalt cliffs, housing the world famous Cave 16 monolithic Kailash Temple) in the Charanandri hills near Aurangabad in Maharashtra, stands as India's supreme ancient rock cut architectural and artistic achievement.

Extending along a 2 kilometer basalt cliff face 29 km northwest of Aurangabad, this monument was excavated between the 6th and 10th centuries CE under Rashtrakuta and Yadava patronages, demonstrating ancient India's religious harmony across 12 Buddhist, 17 Hindu, and 5 Jain temples.

It's the home of the world famous monolithic Kailash Temple carved top down from a single basalt cliff, the cathedral vaulted Vishvakarma Buddhist cave with its seated Buddha, the two storeyed Indra Sabha Jain sanctuary decorated with lotus ceilings, and an intensely inspiring, deeply spiritual ancient monument ambiance filled with cool cavern shadows, echoing chants, and golden sunlight illuminating centuries of stone sculptures.

It represents a rich Maharashtra Rashtrakuta dynasty sculptural heritage apex, world renowned monolithic engineering, and international cultural tourism where rock cut spires, Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga shrines, Ajanta cave murals, and Devgiri fortress citadels unite in Ellora Caves.

Located in Verul village along the highway, it sits 29 km northwest of Aurangabad Central Railway Station, 34 km from Aurangabad Airport (IXU), 1 km from Grishneshwar Temple, and 330 km from Pune via NH 52, easily reached by state transport bus, private taxi, or tour coach.

The Colossal Monolithic Cave 16 Kailash Temple

Commissioned in the 8th century by Rashtrakuta King Krishna I, the Kailash Temple (Cave 16) is the largest single monolithic rock excavation in human history, sculpted top down out of 200,000 tonnes of solid basalt rock.

Standing 107 feet high, this multi level temple complex features free standing victory pillars, life size monolithic elephants, and the relief of Ravana shaking Mount Kailash, carved entirely without joints or cement.

Truth is, standing in the open courtyard of the Kailash Temple while looking up at the sheer hand chiselled cliff walls rising above the stone temple spire will leave you in complete astonishment.

Buddhist & Jain Caves, Grishneshwar & Ajanta

Buddhist & Jain Caverns: Explore Cave 10 (Vishvakarma) with its ribbed wooden style roof and Cave 32 (Indra Sabha) featuring fine Jain Tirthankara carvings.

Grishneshwar & Ajanta Caves: Located next door is the 12th Jyotirlinga at Grishneshwar Temple, while the painted Buddhist caves of Ajanta sit 100 km northeast.

Ellora Caves & Heritage Explorer Day Plan

The World Heritage Rock Cut Trail: Early morning drive from Aurangabad along NH 52 to Verul village (7:00 AM to 7:45 AM) -> begin exploration at the southern Buddhist Caves 1 to 12, focusing on the vaulted Vishvakarma chaitya (8:00 AM to 10:00 AM) -> enter the grand Cave 16 Kailash Temple to examine the monolithic courtyards, stone elephants, and Ravana relief (10:15 AM to 12:45 PM) -> traditional Maharashtrian thali lunch at a garden restaurant near the gate (1:00 PM to 2:00 PM) -> hop onto the internal shuttle to explore the northern Jain Caves 30 to 34 (2:15 PM to 3:45 PM) -> visit Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga Temple for core darshan (4:00 PM to 5:00 PM) -> sunset stop at Devgiri Fort (5:30 PM to 6:45 PM) -> return to Aurangabad for dinner.

Visiting Code & Conduct: Ellora Caves are closed on Tuesdays; electric shuttle buses operate between the central Kailash cave and northern Jain caves; wear comfortable walking shoes and carry sunscreen and water bottles as walking the full 2 km cliffline takes 4 to 5 hours.

After exploring the monolithic wonders of Ellora Caves, visit Grishneshwar Temple, tour Devgiri Fort, or explore Ajanta Caves.