Ajanta Ellora

Discovered by chance in the jungles of the Sahayadri range, the Ajanta Cave complex with its stunning murals has been mesmerising visitors from around the globe for decades. It is about 100 odd km from Aurangabad city. The Ajanta Caves murals date to the 2^nd and 5^th century AD and feature scenes from the life of the Buddha and stories regarding his reincarnations retold in the Jataka Tales. Visitors will discover Boddhisatvas, Buddha images, court scenes and everyday vignettes of life in the 5^th century. By the time the Chalukya and the Rashtrakuta dynasties had started coming into power between the 7^th and 8^th centuries they brought with them strong influences of Hinduism, which reflected in the art and architecture. Ellora hamlet located about 30km from Aurangabad is the site of the Ellora cave complex, now a World Heritage Site.