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After being in oblivion for centuries, the caves were incidentally discovered by a British hunting party in 1819. Visit these beautiful caves on your Ajanta Tours. We assure that your tours to Ajanta would be a fascinating and unforgettable experience.
Ajanta was once one of the most favorite retreats of Buddhist monastic orders and so the place features several 'chaityas' (chapels) and 'viharas' (monasteries). The Ajanta Caves are world famous for their exquisite wall and ceiling paintings, panels and sculptures depicting various incidents from Buddha's life and other important Buddhist divinities.
The Ajanta Caves comprises of both sects of Buddhism- Hinayana and Mahayana- belonging to two different periods. While the Chaitya Caves Nos. 9 and 10 and Vihara Caves No. 8, 12, 13 and 15 are Hinayana Caves, the Vihara Caves Nos. 1, 2, 16 and 17 and Chaitya Caves No. 19 and 26 are Mahayana Caves. The Caves of Hinayana Buddhism have paintings in which Buddha is represented by his symbols while the Mahayana Buddhism caves depict Buddha in his human form. All these beautiful caves are hewed out of granite cliffs on the inner side of a 20 m long ravine along the Waghora River. The themes of the Ajanta paintings are generally from the incidents in Buddha's life and the most interesting among them is the one depicting the Jataka tales. A tour to Ajanta caves promises to be a lifetime experience for you.
How to Reach
Aurangabad (107 km) is the nearest major city from Ajanta, which is well connected by air, rail and road network with the major Indian cities. There are regular and frequent bus and taxi services from Aurangabad to the Ajanta Caves and back.
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