Ellora Caves

Dautalabad Fort and a mosque on the ascent
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It was a 30-minute bus trip from Aurangabad to the site of the Ellora Caves. After the heat and chaos of the previous day at Ajanta Caves we decided to arrive as early as possibly.

Ellora, known as Verul, has been a place of pilgrimage from ancient times. It is made up of 34 caves, excavated over a period of 600 years, from the 5^th to the 11^th century AD.

Ellora Caves and Dautalabad Fort

The caves extend in a linear arrangement with three different religions – Buddhist, Hindu and Jain, each with their distinct style.

And still climbing
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At the southern end of the site are caves 1 to 12, comprising Buddhist shrines and monasteries. The Hindu caves are in the centre, numbered 13 to 29 and the Jain are to the north, numbered 30 to 34.

The most remarkable of the caves is number 16, the Kailasa Temple, said to be the largest monolithic structure in the world.

We left this until after lunch only to be in awe of its size, carved into the rock-face and highly decorated. It is sculpted with figures of Buddha, Bodhisattvas and pantheon of Buddhist divinities embellished with medallions, ornamental scrolls and floral motifs.

and more climbing
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Cave number 12 was impressive, Buddhist and three-storeys. But my favourite were the Jain Temples, highly decorated and double-storey, alive with bats.

Once again we were mobbed by people wanting to have their picture taken with us, remarking on how I resemble Diana, not the first time and a humbling experience.

On the way back to town we stopped at Daulatabad Fort, a magnificent hilltop fortress surrounded by 5-kilometres of sturdy walls in an area of 62.70hectares. It was the central bastion and originally known as Devagiri – the hill of the gods.

Near the top, a canon cast from 5 different metals and engraved with Aurangabad's name, the town named after him in the distance
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Entering through studded doors – to prevent elephants from entering – it’s a very impressive place. As we climbed ever higher we were rewarded with fantastic views of the surrounding area. On the ascent we passed though a narrow, black, spiralling tunnel, named Andheri and the home of many bats.

There’s an interesting story that the fort’s defenders hurled burning coals, arrows and boiling water at invaders. But it was allegedly conquered, despite all these elaborate precautions, by simply bribing the guards at the gate.

The village and fortifications below
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After many steps and much huffing and puffing we eventually reached the summit. As we climbed there were fewer people.

After the tunnel the climb is steep before reaching the Chand Minar, Tower of the Moon. Built in 1435 it soars 70m with a 21m circumference at its base.

At the top of the hill is a canon made from five metals and engraved with Aurangzeb’s name, against a backdrop of the town named after him in the distance.

In the 14^th century Devagiri was renamed Daulatabad – City of Fortune, by Sultan Mohammed Tughlaq who had the crazy idea of building himself a new capital here. He marched all of Delhi 1100km south to populate it. Those who didn’t die on the way returned to Delhi a couple of years later when Daulatabad proved untenable as a capital.

Ellora Caves are made up of three religions - Buddhist, Hindu and Jain
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From the summit it’s easy to see the defence moats and three encircling fortification walls with lofty gates and bastions at regular intervals.

As we descended we stopped to watch a magnificent sunset and arrived to find that there was no transport to Aurangzeb. Craig got chatting to a man who was waiting for his family to return and they kindly gave us a lift. It is uncommon for people to own vehicles in India because only the wealthy can afford one.