Yes, another early start! The caves were supposed to open at 6am when it was pitch black but when I arrived at the gate at 7, there were only a few people around, so I immediately headed for the showstopper of the site: Cave 16, Kailasa.

So Kailasa really is the centrepiece of the site, in stature and position as it really dominates the place. It’s not actually a cave as they have removed a huge chunk of the rock face: They say 200,000 tons of rock over a period of 100 years in the 8th to 9th centuries and it is this mammoth achievement which is so incredible.

Cave 16 is in the centre of the site so from here I turned right and then went from cave 15 to 1 and then retraced my steps to cover 17-33 before coming back to spend more time at Kailasa and that is the order of the rest of the photos.

It’s a bit odd that I don’t have photos of Cave 15 but this site has photos of all the caves so well worth checking out: Elloracaves.org. I went inside 14 but it was very dark and the statues defaced and/or eroded. Cave 13 was never properly excavated which leads us to Cave 12 and again I don’t have any photos of the interior but it is featured in this compilation video of Caves 12, 10 and 2. These are the Buddhist caves.

 

Cave 10

So after the first caves I retraced my steps past Cave 16 to Cave 17 and beyond. Caves 17 to 29 are Hindu:

After Cave 29 It is a bit of a hike, although a rather attractive one, to the remaining three, the Jain Caves. It was here where I spotted a group of hornbills, although too late to get a photo and was accompanied by the constant call of a Coppersmith Barbet. There were plenty around and their calls almost felt like the backing track of my trip to the caves.

Although it was now getting quite hot it was well worth it because these caves were some of the highlights for me, especially Cave 32 which features in this compilation video of Caves 21, 29 and 32:

So then I returned to do some more exploring of Kailasa Temple, Cave 16 by which time a lot more tourists had arrived.

A last look at Cave 16 and then I rejoin the hustle and bustle of modern day India:

And time for a spot of lunch. Just a snack, the Maharashtran staple of Wada Pav.

 

So that was the Ellora caves. No rest for the wicked however. I checked out of the Kailash Hotel and got the bus back to Aurangabad where the following day I was to discover some of its delights.

More photos of my trip to Ellora here.