Ajanta- Ellora

Ajanta-Ellora, located near Aurangabad in Maharashtra (India), is famous for caves. They are World Heritage Sites listed by UNESCO. Though they are two different tourist destinations, they are often mentioned together because of similar type of rock-cut cave monuments. The Ajanta Caves are located 107 km from Aurangabad city while Ellora cave complex is just 30 km from the city.

When to go: The best time to visit Ajanta and Ellora is from October to March.

How to go:  The nearest airport from Ajanta and Ellora is Aurangabad airport. This airport is well connected to Delhi, Udaipur, Jaipur, and Mumbai. Jalgaon, which is around 60 km from Ajanta, is also developing its airport and very soon will be ready to welcome the tourists.

Jalgaon railway station is the nearest railway station to reach Ajanta by train. For Ellora, Aurangabad railway station is the nearest. This station is well connected to Mumbai, Delhi and several other important cities of India.

Aurangabad is connected to other cities via road. If you want to go to Ajanta by road then you must go via Jalgaon. 

What to see: The Ajanta Cave complex comprises 29 cave monuments. The caves were constructed in two phases. The first group of caves were built in around 200 BC and the second group in 600 AD. These caves are famous for beautiful sculptures and paintings.

Ellora cave complex comprises of 34 caves which were constructed between 5th and 10th century. Out of 34, caves 1 to 12 are Buddhist monasteries, caves 13 to 29 are the Hindu temples and caves 30 to 34 are the Jain temples. 

Ajanta and Ellora caves are open from 9am until sunset. The Ajanta caves are closed on Mondays while Ellora caves are closed on Tuesdays.

Shopping:

You cannot do a lot of shopping in Ajanta and Ellora as you can find mostly government shops near the bus stop. However Aurangabad can be a perfect nearby place for shopping. Himroo shawls and Paithani sarees of Aurangabad are famous.

Where to stay:

Quality accommodations at Ellora are available while at Ajanta, it is not. The Maharastra Tourism Development Corporation's Holiday Resort in Fardapur can be a good option for you if you are planning to stay in Ajanta. Hotel Kailas, located right opposite the Ellora caves, is a very good option for staying in Ellora.