Chennai (Madras) Trip Overview
Ajanta and Ellora caves are a testimony to the rich culture of India. In this trip, INDIA Trotter has arranged for a guided tour around the place.
The Ajanta Caves are approximately 30 rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments which date from the 2nd century BCE to about 480 CE in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra state of India. The caves include paintings and rock-cut sculptures described as among the finest surviving examples of ancient Indian art, particularly expressive paintings that present emotions through gesture, pose and form. They are universally regarded as masterpieces of Buddhist religious art
Ellora is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the largest rock-cut monastery-temple cave complexes in the world, featuring Hindu, Buddhist and Jain monuments, and artwork, dating from the 600–1000 CE period. Cave 16, in particular, features the largest single monolithic rock excavation in the world, the Kailash temple, a chariot shaped monument dedicated to Lord Shiva.
Additional Info
Duration: 3 days
Starts: Chennai (Madras), India
Trip Category: Private & Custom Tours >> Private Sightseeing Tours
Explore Chennai (Madras) Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India
Ajanta and Ellora caves are a testimony to the rich culture of India. In this trip, INDIA Trotter has arranged for a guided tour around the place.
The Ajanta Caves are approximately 30 rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments which date from the 2nd century BCE to about 480 CE in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra state of India. The caves include paintings and rock-cut sculptures described as among the finest surviving examples of ancient Indian art, particularly expressive paintings that present emotions through gesture, pose and form. They are universally regarded as masterpieces of Buddhist religious art
Ellora is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the largest rock-cut monastery-temple cave complexes in the world, featuring Hindu, Buddhist and Jain monuments, and artwork, dating from the 600–1000 CE period. Cave 16, in particular, features the largest single monolithic rock excavation in the world, the Kailash temple, a chariot shaped monument dedicated to Lord Shiva.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Aurangabad: Check in to your hotel
Stop At: Aurangabad, Aurangabad, Aurangabad District, Maharashtra
Once you arrive in Aurangabad airport, our driver will come to pick you up. Then you can check-in at the hotel.
Duration: 2 hours
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Luxury accommodation in Aurangabad in 3 Star/ 4 Star/ 5 Star hotels in single/double occupancy
Day 2: Ajanta Caves Day Trip: Exploring the Unique 30 rock-cut Buddhist Cave Monuments
Stop At: Ajanta Caves Road, Ajanta 431001 India
The Ajanta Caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is approximately 30 rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments, which date from the 2nd century to about 480 CE. The caves include numerous paintings and rock-cut sculptures. These are undoubtedly some of the finest surviving examples of ancient World art.
The caves were built in two phases. While the first phase started around the 2nd century BCE, the second phase was built around 400–650 CE. However, there are some contradictions on the exact dates.
The Ajanta Caves constitute ancient monasteries. Among the many cave paintings, the ones that stand out are those which involve the Buddha. There are also worship-halls of different Buddhist traditions, which are carved into a 75-metre (246 ft) wall of rock. So, you can see the past lives and rebirths and rock-cut sculptures of Buddhist deities. The Ajanta Caves 16, 17, 1 and 2 form the largest corpus of surviving ancient Indian wall-painting.
Duration: 8 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Luxury accommodation in Aurangabad in 3 Star/ 4 Star/ 5 Star hotels in single/double occupancy
Day 3: Ellora Caves: Exploring the Hindu, Jain and Buddhists caves
Stop At: Ellora Caves, Ellora India
Ellora Caves is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the largest rock-cut monastery-temple cave complexes in the world. The caves features Hindu, Buddhist and Jain monuments artwork, which dates from the 600–1000 CE period.
The most famous of all is the Kailasha temple, which is in Cave 16. It is the largest single monolithic rock excavation in the world. The Kailasha temple excavation also features sculptures depicting the gods, goddesses and mythologies found in Vaishnavism, Shaktism.
Out of the total 100 caves there are 12 Buddhist (caves 1–12), 17 Hindu (caves 13–29) and 5 Jain (caves 30–34) caves. All of the Ellora monuments were built during Hindu dynasties. For example, the Rashtrakuta dynasty constructed part of the Hindu and Buddhist caves.
Duration: 40 minutes
Stop At: Hindu Temples at Ellora Caves, Ellora Cave Rd, Aurangabad India
The Hindu caves were constructed during the Kalachuris period, from the mid-6th century to the end of the 8th century in two phases. Nine cave temples were excavated early in the 6th century, followed by a further four caves (caves 17–29). Work first commenced, in order, on Caves 28, 27 and 19 then Caves 29 and 21, which were excavated concurrently with Caves 20 and 26. Caves 17 and 28 were the last ones to be started.
The later caves, 14, 15 and 16, were constructed during the Rashtrakuta period, some being dated to between the 8th to 10th centuries. Work first began in Caves 14 and 15 with Cave 16, the world’s largest monolith, being the last of the three to be constructed. These caves were completed in the 8th century with the support of king Krishna I.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Buddhist Temples at Ellora Caves, Ellora Cave Rd, Aurangabad India
These caves are located on the southern side and were built either between 630–700 CE or 600–730 CE. It was initially thought that the Buddhist caves were the earliest structures that were created between the fifth and eighth centuries, with caves 1–5 in the first phase (400–600) and 6–12 in the later phase (650–750), but modern scholarship now considers the construction of Hindu caves to have been before the Buddhist caves. The earliest Buddhist cave is Cave 6, then 5, 2, 3, 5 (right wing), 4, 7, 8, 10 and 9, with caves 11 and 12, also known as Do Thal and Tin Thal respectively, being the last.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Jain Temple in Ellora caves, Daulatabad, Aurangabad India
At the north end of Ellora are the five Jain caves belonging to the Digambara sect, which were excavated in the ninth and early tenth centuries. These caves are smaller than the Buddhist and Hindu caves but nonetheless feature highly detailed carvings. They, and the later-era Hindu caves, were built at a similar time and both share architectural and devotional ideas such as a pillared veranda, symmetric mandapa and puja (worship).
However, unlike the Hindu temples, emphasis is placed on the depiction of the twenty-four Jinas (spiritual conquerors who have gained liberation from the endless cycle of rebirths). In addition to these Jinas, the works at the Jain temples include carvings of gods and goddesses, yaksa (male nature deity), yaksi (female nature deity) and human devotees prevalent in Jaina mythology of 1st millennium CE
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.
