Ajanta Caves Information

Where Is Ajanta Caves? Ajanta Caves Location

Ajanta Caves are located near Ajanta village, at a distance of 80 kilometers from Aurangabad, in the state of Maharashtra and take about 2.5 hours to go.

Why is Ajanta Caves famous? What To See In Ajanta Caves?

Ajanta caves are famous for the Buddhist cave paintings and statues. These caves were covered with beautiful paintings with the use of a lot of colours from the life of Buddha. It's hard to believe but the paintings were done by the monks who had nothing else to do during the rainy season. 

Ajanta Caves History

When Was Ajanta Caves Built?

These caves date back to 2nd century BC and 6th century AD. The caves were made more beautiful with carvings during the 5th and 6th century during the Gupta period. 

Who discovered Ajanta caves and When?

British officer John Smith in search of tigers discovered the entrance of the caves in 1819. After that, it became world famous.

Who used the Ajanta caves and for what?

The Ajanta caves were used by the buddist monks as a palace of their residence. The Chaitya halls were used for group prayers. These monks used the caved for about 9 centuries and then it was abandoned for some reason.

Main features of Ajanta paintings

The cave paintings are from the life and events from the Jataka tales. I personally love the vibrant colours used in the paintings. What amazes me is that the colours are still quite intact despite centuries.

Ajanta Caves - The Nizam of Hyderabad Connection

It it worth mentioning that Ajanta was under the rule of the Nizam of Hyderabad. He spent Rs.30 lakh hiring consultants from outside India to restore the paintings and for developing the infrastructure around Ajanta, including a rest house way back in the early 1920s.

Ajanta Caves Timings

Ajanta Caves are open from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M and closed on Monday

Entrance Fee

For Indians and SAARC countries, the fee is Rs.30/- per person. For all others country citizens, it's Rs.500/- per person. 

How To Reach Ajanta Caves

Nearest Airport is Aurangabad and nearest railhead is Jalgaon. It is very well connected by train or by air.

Aurangabad To Ajanta Caves

Ajanta Caves are located at a distance of 80 kilometers from Aurangabad, in the state of Maharashtra and take about 2.5 hours to go. You can take a bus or a taxi to go there. 

Ajanta Caves From Mumbai

Ajanta caves are located at a distance of 500 kilometers from Mumbai. The best way to reach here is to take a flight or an overnight train.

 

Hotels Near Ajanta Caves

The nearest hotel Ajanta caves is the MTDC Guest House at Ajanta T Junction which is just 350 meters and takes one minute to reach.

Nearest Railway Station to Ajanta Caves

Jalgaon Junction which is at a distance of 60 kilometers from the caves is the nearest Railway Station to Ajanta Caves. The second nearest is Aurangabad which is 100 kilometers from the caves.

 

Ajanta Caves is not only the pride of  Maharashtra but also of India. Its a must visit place for every tourist or art enthusiast or history lover.

Ajanta Caves - UNESCO World Heritage site
Ajanta Caves have been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and is under protection from the Archaeological Survey of India.

Ellora Caves

The Ellora Caves are at a distance of 100 kms from Ajanta Caves.  These two caves are closely associated as the most puzzling thing is that they were crafted by hand with only a hammer and chisel. They serve as an example of India’s exclusive artistic traditions known as rock cut temples.

The caves are now protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). They are one of the oldest UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India.  Ajanta Caves are considered to be one of the top tourist places in the state of Maharashtra and an important tourist destination in India. 

 

Enjoy my Ajanta Caves HD Images

 

Ajanta Caves Paintings

Waterfall at Ajanta Caves

Ajanta Caves Paintings

Painting of Bodhisattva Padmapani, Cave 1

Ajanta Cave 17 – Mahayana Vihara

Cave 26 Chaitya Hall

Cave Number 19

Statue of Reclining Buddha, Cave 26

 

Panoramic view of the caves from across the river. This is a stitch of many pictures.

Tips for photographers

Go early the moment it opens to avoid the crowd.
Please note that Tripod is not allowed. Having knowledge of how to shoot hand-held in low light will be very useful.
Camera with great ISO performance will be very helpful and the caves are poorly lit.
Flash is not allowed to preserve the paintings.

Thanksgiving

Thanks to my wife Smita for joining me for this tour. Thanks to all of you for reading this blog.

Should you need any help in planning your tour to India, feel free to reach out to me. I can take you to the best places at the right time anywhere in India.

 

 

 

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