Bibi Ka Maqbara

After the fort, we made our way to Aurangabad.  There, Tara really wanted to see this site alled Bibi Ka Maqbara.  I'm so thankful that she did her research before this trip, because this is probably the most amazing thing I've seen in my life.

(From Wiki:) Bibi Ka Maqbara is a maqbara (grave) built by the Mughal Prince Azam Shah, in the late 17th century as a loving tribute to his mother, Rabia Durrani (the first wife of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb).  It has earned the nickname 'poor man’s Taj' because it was originally planned to rival the Taj Mahal (but was prevented from doing so due to budgetary constraints...)

Most of the day had been overcast, but the sun suddenly came out like the minute we stepped into Bibi Ka Maqbara.  It was absolutely incredible.  And thank god my work Blackberry takes such good pictures, because my camera battery was totally dead at this point, and I would have been crushed if I hadn't gotten pictures of this.

Fort of Devagiri

Since our driver got so lost on the way to Ellora, we weren't able to visit the sister caves, Ajanta.  Instead, we headed towards Aurangabad.  On the way, I took a few more photos from the car.

Yes, she is holding a child.  In fact, we've seen even bigger families on scooters like this.

On our way to Aurangabad, we stopped in Daulatabad, at the Fort of Devagiri.  (From Wiki:) The Daulatabad fort was one of the most powerful forts during the medieval period. Built on a 200 meter high conical hill, the fort was defended by moat and glacis running around the hill at its foot besides the most complex and intricate defense system.

As part of the defense system, there are pitch-black caves that were meant to confuse and disorientate the enemy.  We got a tip not to miss the "bat cave" -- which, we totally found.  A non-authorized tour guide wanted to take us inside, but we were good with just looking.  I don't think I've ever seen that many bats before in one place -- it was pretty cool.  Unfortunately, my battery was dying at this point, so I don't have a ton of pictures.

Ellora Caves

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.