The Ajanta Ellora Caves

The Ajanta and Ellora Caves

The paintings and sculptures of Ajanta and Ellora caves are UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1983 and are considered masterpieces of Buddhist religious art that have had a great influence in the development of art in India.

The Ajanta Caves:

Ajanta caves are located in the Sahyadri ranges (Western Ghats). These are a series of rock-cut caves on Waghora river near Aurangabad in Maharashtra.

There are a total of 29 buddhist caves in Ajanta.

The Ajanta caves were inscribed by the Buddhist monks, under the patronage of the Vakataka kings.

The Ellora Caves:

It is located nearly 100 Kms away from Ajanta caves in the Sahyadri range of Maharashtra.

Ellora caves are a group of 100 caves at the site of which 34 caves are open to the public. 17 caves out of these 34 are themed around Hinduism, 12 caves depict Buddhist themes and 5 caves are of Jain faith.

The most remarkable of the Ellora cave temples is Kailasa Temple (Kailasanatha; cave 16), which was built by the 8th century Rashtrakuta King Krishna I.

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