Travel North India

Ajanta & Ellora Cave Tour
Travel Duration: 5 nights / 6 days
Destinations Covered: Mumbai - Aurangabad - Mumbai


Day 1: Arrive Mumbai
Arrive at Mumbai airport or station. Transfer to hotel.
Check in and relax for the evening.
Overnight will be at Mumbai.

Day 2: Mumbai - Aurangabad
Breakfast will be at hotel or onboard the aircraft.
Relax in the morning or visit the local market. Transfer to airport for flight to Aurangabad.
Reach and check in at hotel.
Overnight will be at Aurangabad.

Day 3: Aurangabad
Breakfast will be served at the hotel.
Proceed for a full day sightseeing with excursion to Ajanta Caves.

Ajanta caves: Nestling in an inner fold of the Sahyardi hills, 100 km from Aurangabad in the shape of a mammoth horse- shoe, are the 30 rock-hewn caves of Ajanta. The Caves date from the 2nd century BC. Discovered in 1819 by a group of British army officers, these startling achievements took around 600 years to create. Carved with little more than a hammer and chisel, Ajanta, once the retreat of Buddhist monastic orders features several 'chaityas' (chapels) and 'viharas' (monasteries). The exquisite wall and ceiling paintings, panels and sculptures of Buddha's life are famous throughout the world as the earliest and finest examples of Buddhist pictorial art.

Return to Aurangabad and overnight will be at Aurangabad.

Day 4: Aurangabad
Breakfast will be at the hotel.
Proceed for a visit to the Ellora Caves, Daulatabad Fort and Aurangabad Caves.

Ellora Caves: Impressive in their own right is the rock-hewn temples and monasteries of Ellora that lie just 30 km away from Aurangabad city. In all, there are 34 cave temples, 12 Mahayana Buddhist caves (550-750 AD), 17 Hindu caves (600-875 AD) and 5 caves of the Jain faith (800-1000 AD) 22 more caves, dedicated to Lord Shiva, were recently discovered. Kailas Temple (cave16), the central attraction at Ellora, is the most remarkable. Chiseled by hand from a single massive rock, it includes a gateway, pavilion, courtyard, vestibule, sanctum, sanctorum and tower which bear testimony to the excellence of Dravidian art. It is believed to have taken 7000 laborers, working in continuous shifts and 150 years to build. Ever since the first European visitors in 18th Century, Ellora has attracted chroniclers, antiquarians, scholars and in more recent years, ever- increasing number of tourists.

Aurangabad Caves: The almost forgotten caves of Aurangabad lie just outside the city. Excavated between the 2nd and 6th century AD, they reflect TANTRIC influences in their iconography and architectural designs. In all there are nine caves which are mainly viharas (monasteries).

Overnight will be at Aurangabad.

Day 5: Aurangabad - Mumbai
Breakfast will be at hotel or onboard the aircraft.
Reach Mumbai and transfer to hotel. Proceed for an excursion to the ELEPHANTA CAVES.
On your way back, proceed to see the interesting sites of Mumbai.
Overnight will be in Mumbai.

Day 6: Mumbai - Home
Breakfast will be at hotel.
Transfer in time to International Airport for flight home.

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