Saturday was an extra long day. We had off from work, and we decided to get in as much sightseeing as we could. Unfortunately, our driver kept getting lost, and we didn't get to see everything we wanted. But what we saw was absolutely incredible.
First, I took some pics during our ride from Pune on our way north to Aurangabad.
Finally, we got to the Ellora caves, which are outside of Aurangabad.
(With some help from Wiki:) Well known for its monumental caves, Ellora is a World Heritage Site. Ellora represents the epitome of Indian rock-cut architecture. These caves were built during the 5th-7th century. These structures consist mostly of viharas or monasteries: large, multi-storeyed buildings carved into the mountain face, including living quarters, sleeping quarters, kitchens, and other rooms.
There are 34 caves in total, but not all of them were available to us. There were a lot of renovations taking place. But what we saw was amazing -- and keep in mind, all of this was carved directly from the mountain. Like, nothing was constructed and then brought in; it's essentially one enormous sculpture. The details are absolutely amazing.
So, the first cave we saw was Cave 16. (From Wiki:) Cave 16, also known as the Kailasa or the Kailasanatha, is the unrivaled centerpiece of Ellora. This is designed to recall Mount Kailash, the abode of Lord Shiva – looks like a freestanding, multi-storeyed temple complex, but it was carved out of one single rock, and covers an area double the size of Parthenon in Athens.
I mean, it was absolutely incredible. There were a couple of temples inside the cave that we had to take our shoes off to enter. And, it didn't feel quite right to take pictures inside. But there was also pretty amazing.
We wandered through and visited most of the other caves that were available.
You saw that cow feeding on the ledge? There were a few cows, and other wildlife too. In fact we saw crabs in a pool of water outside one of the caves, but the pictures weren't coming out. But, after we finished our tour, we ran into some monkeys, and a goat.
First, I took some pics during our ride from Pune on our way north to Aurangabad.
Finally, we got to the Ellora caves, which are outside of Aurangabad.
(With some help from Wiki:) Well known for its monumental caves, Ellora is a World Heritage Site. Ellora represents the epitome of Indian rock-cut architecture. These caves were built during the 5th-7th century. These structures consist mostly of viharas or monasteries: large, multi-storeyed buildings carved into the mountain face, including living quarters, sleeping quarters, kitchens, and other rooms.
There are 34 caves in total, but not all of them were available to us. There were a lot of renovations taking place. But what we saw was amazing -- and keep in mind, all of this was carved directly from the mountain. Like, nothing was constructed and then brought in; it's essentially one enormous sculpture. The details are absolutely amazing.
So, the first cave we saw was Cave 16. (From Wiki:) Cave 16, also known as the Kailasa or the Kailasanatha, is the unrivaled centerpiece of Ellora. This is designed to recall Mount Kailash, the abode of Lord Shiva – looks like a freestanding, multi-storeyed temple complex, but it was carved out of one single rock, and covers an area double the size of Parthenon in Athens.
We wandered through and visited most of the other caves that were available.
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