Maharashtra is home to a number of Buddhist caves that not only illustrate the quintessence of cave architecture but also reveal a captivating history. Their finest examples are Ajanta and Ellora caves which are found in Aurangabad city of the state. Ajanta caves offer a set of 32 caves to explore and Ellora trigger curiosity with its cluster of 34 caves. Both are closely located and are a testament to Buddhist perfection in architecture. Adorned with aesthetic artistry such as immaculate incised painting, inscriptions, sculptures and numerous in-house temples, these are proof of the craftsmanship in the period with no technological advancement. Although present in a dilapidated condition, their intact perfection standing strong against the power of nature and time is worth a visit.
Ajanta caves are a group of 32 Buddhist caves listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The caves are located on the rocky cliff lying on the U-shaped gorge on the small river Waghur, in the Deccan plateau. These encapsulate 'chaityas', Buddhist shrine housing stupa and 'viharas', a Sanskrit and Pali term for a Buddhist monastery.
Notice that the caves are numbered according to the time period when they were excavated. Their division is done in two phases - the early Buddhist Caves belonging to 2nd century BCE to 1st century CE and the Mahayana caves dating to 5th century CE. A walk through dim-lit caves beckons to representations of Jataka tales and the life incidences of Lord Buddha. Admire the astonishingly big rock-cut sculptures especially the 29 feet tall Buddha sculpture in Mahaparinirvana cave. Some parts of the monuments are well-preserved while some seem to lose the battle to time being covered with carbon or wearing out.
Ellora Cave is one of the largest rock-cut monastery-temple cave complexes of the World. It features a set of 34 caves with 12 – Buddhist, 17 – Hindu and 5 – Jain caves dating between 600-1000 CE period. These 1,500 year-old temples are built on the basalt rocks of the Western Ghats in Aurangabad. The Hindu and Buddhist caves were built by Hindu dynasties (like Rashtrakuta dynasty) and Jain Caves by Yadava dynasty. Of all 34 caves, Cave no. 16 will draw your attention with its huge ‘Kailasa Temple’, dedicated to Lord Shiva. Situated in front of the main entrance, Kailasa temple reveals traces of Pallava and Chalukya styles. The finely carved cave temples are counted among the unmatchable architectural creations from the ancient period.
MarcoFrance1965
UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE !
I just came back from a 12 days Rajasthan tour. It was just myself and my 14 year olde daughter. I found Caper surfing the web and had non suggestion from friends and had never read comments or reviews about it. Totally "blind-choice". I was very lucky. The organization was really excellent. The agent that followed us, Mr. Praveen Juyal did a great job. I decided our itinerary and he punctually gave me suggestions on the best management of my choices. The hotel choice was fine and confirmed expectations. We had tour guides in every site seeing location and they were all extremely professional, very punctual and really kind and polite.
But I must say that what made the trip even better was our driver; Mr. Deshraj.
One of those persons that you really wish you could meet once in your life. Not only an excellent driver but always helpful, respectful and friendly. He explained us many things about Indian life along the journey and sometimes stopped for short breaks in beautiful places on the road that were not even mentioned in the guide books. My only regret is that at the end of the trip I didn't have much money left and I left a tip probably not adeguate for the kind of service but I will definitely send him try to sort this maybe in a next trip. Thank you very much Caper and Deshraj.
Dreamer802943
A Memorable Trip
We recently concluded a 12 day driving tour of New Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan with Caper Travel. It was most enjoyable !! The logistics arrangements were excellent - from tour planning , hotel selection , vehicle condition to driver. Mr Alok handled the planning, and Mr Vikram was our Tempo driver throughout the journey. Mr Vikram was very helpful , accommodating and patient throughout the tour, despite long hours of driving on the roads ( not to mention India traffic}. We would not hesitate to recommend Caper to our fellow travellers who are thinking of visiting India. Thank You Caper !
goochie33, London, United Kingdom
Golden triangle goa and mumbia
Just come back from an amazing 2 week trip to India. First we done the golden triangle which we chose to do the train trip from Delhi to Agra a must you have to do if not just for the experience. All the cities were wonderful but be prepared to see lots of temple one seems to run into another but wow the taj was my highlight along with the Hindu temple in Delhi. The driving the cows the dogs are everywhere are all an experience. Goa was beautiful we stayed at the taj exotica. In mumbia we done a city tour and ended our trip in the taj for afternoon tea another must. It is a exhilarating trip but one I will never forget. From booking with Manika to all the drivers and guides they were always there to meet us from the airport and hotels on time. They really looked after us thank you all.
Aileen M
Wonderful trip
We have just returned from our first trip to India and we must say it was absolutely fascinating. The itinerary was first class and covered everything we could have wished for. On arrival we were met by a very nice rep and driver who took us to our hotel and sorted out the necessary paperwork with us. We had our driver Vishan for our time in the north and he was terrific, kept the vehicle spotless and kept us supplied with water. We then flew to the south of India and met up with our driver Suhdeer who again was very nice and very informative about things as we drove along. The guides we had on all our trips were excellent and again very informative.
The only down side to it all was that in our package we paid for the drivers accommodation, food and allowance only to find out that the drivers don’t receive this money and if they want accommodation they have to pay for it themselves. We ended up paying one of our drivers an amount for the nights that we had him for him to get somewhere to sleep and food as we were concerned that if he slept in his car he wouldn’t be rested enough to take on the next day driving for 4-5 hours.
All in all Caper Travel are excellent in their planning and can’t fault them for that.
Urquiola, New York City, New York
Caper travel
Recently traveled to India on a private guided tour with Caper Travel. Ms. Mumtaz Khan worked with me on arranging my itinerary.
She was always available to answer all my concerns immediately. On my arrival in Delhi I was welcome with warm smile at the airport by a young gentleman name Kapol Joshi . My experience with the company was amazing and I would highly recommend to anyone traveling to India.
I would also like to mention the personal attention I received at Amritsar by Aman Shara and his lovely wife who welcomed me and my son to their home
and soon to open their beautiful hotel.
Any Query? Please write us at info@india-travel-packages.in
