Ajanta Caves – ( World Heritage Site) – Closed on Mondays

AJANTA is world's greatest historical monument recognized by located just 40kms from Jalgaon city of Maharashtra, India. There are 30 caves in Ajanta of which 9, 10, 19, 26 and 29 are chaitya-grihas and the rest are monasteries. These caves were discovered in AD 1819 and were built up in the earlier 2nd century BC. The paintings are executed on a ground of mud-plaster in the tempera technique.

At Ajanta, the paintings on the walls, illustrate the events in the life of Prince Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. These monuments were constructed during two different periods of time separated by a long interval of four centuries. The older ones were the product of last two centuries before Christ and belong to Hinayana period of Buddhism in later part of 2nd century AD when Buddhism was divided into two sections.

Ellora Caves – ( World Heritage Site) – Closed on Tuesdays

Ellora is an archaeological site situated 30 kilometers from Aurangabad city. Ellora Caves, famous for its monumental caves, impressive in their own right are the rock cut temples and monasteries. There are 34 caves, actually structures excavated out of the vertical face of the hills, dedicated to Lord Shiva.

The central attraction at Ellora is Kailas Temple (cave16). It is believed to have taken 7000 laborers, working in continuous shifts and 150 years to build. Ever since the first European visitors in 18th Century, Ellora has attracted chroniclers, antiquarians, scholars and in more recent years, ever- increasing number of tourists. The caves are hewn out of the volcanic basaltic formation of Maharashtra, known as ‘Deccan Trap’. At Ellora, one can also have a glimpse of the channels (near Cave 32) through which the volcanic lava once flowed.