128 Days

Created just after Ajanta, these caves came as the popularity of Hinduism took off and that of Buddhism began to fall.  Being older, the craftsmen who created these caves had more experience to build off of everything is on a more grandiose scale.  The very first cave you come to is a gigantic temple carved out of a single monstrous piece of basalt (how a geologist would build a temple, if any of them were religious).  The entire thing was carved out from the top down.  The weight of stone removed was equal to about 300,000 tonnes!  To the right and to the left are about fifteen more caves totaling about 33.  To see them all takes a whole day and make sure to bring lots of water and sunglasses.  It’s very hot even in winter.  Here it is the caves themselves and the structures and carvings that are the showcase, not paintings.  Since stone survives much better over a couple thousand years than paint, today these caves attract a greater number of tourists and are regarded as more “interesting”.  If you can only see one or the other, see Ellora. 

It is literally unbelievable that people made these without electricity.  You feel proud to be human when you see them.  Also, any picture you take cannot do justice to this place.  It’s all three dimensional and its the spacial relationships that are the most interesting.  Also, the sheer scale of the caves is just beyond the scope of any lens.  Though there is no harm in trying…. Enjoy: