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Ajanta and Ellora caves from Aurangabad 
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Ajanta and Ellora caves from Aurangabad
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Ajanta & Ellora Caves Travel Guide: The Caves, Opening Days and a Two-Day Plan 
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Ajanta & Ellora Caves Travel Guide: The Caves, Opening Days and a Two-Day Plan
The Ajanta & Ellora caves are two World Heritage rock-cut sites north of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, the former Aurangabad, in Maharashtra. Ellora, about 30 km out, sets Buddhist, Hindu and Jain caves around the Kailasa temple; Ajanta, about 107 km out, holds Buddhist halls with ancient wall paintings. Give each site its own day: Ajanta closes on Mondays, Ellora on Tuesdays.
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Frequently asked questions
Should you see Ellora or Ajanta first?
Ellora, where the closures allow. It is the shorter drive, and its mix of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain caves sets the scene for Ajanta, so our package starts there. If one of your days is a Monday, Ajanta is shut, and that decides it.
Is Ellora worth visiting in the monsoon?
Yes, if you can live with rain. The Archaeological Survey of India rates the monsoon as the best time to enjoy Ellora, when streams run full and the hills are green, but Maharashtra Tourism warns that the caves turn slippery, and heavy rain slows the road to Ajanta.
How much walking is there at Ajanta and Ellora?
A good deal. Each site is a day on foot over uneven stone, from cave to cave, and at Ajanta you first climb paths and steps to the entrances. Comfortable shoes with grip matter more than anything else you pack.
What else can you do near Ajanta and Ellora?
In the city, Bibi Ka Maqbara, the mausoleum of Aurangzeb's wife often compared with the Taj Mahal, and the Buddhist Aurangabad Caves; further out, Lonar Crater Lake, formed by a meteorite impact, for walking and birdwatching. Add Daulatabad and Grishneshwar, and allow a third day.
About Ajanta & Ellora Caves Tours & Experiences
The best things to do in Ajanta & Ellora take two days from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, the former Aurangabad: one at Ellora, where the Kailasa temple was cut downwards into the rock beside Buddhist and Jain caves, and one at Ajanta, whose Buddhist halls keep their ancient wall paintings. Our guided package gives each site its own day, around the weekly closures.
Reviewed by Experience My India Editorial Team · Updated 21 Oct 2026
Things to do in Ajanta & Ellora
Both sites lie north of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Ellora about 30 km out, Ajanta about 107 km, by the Archaeological Survey of India's figures. Almost everything here is done on foot, so take one site a day.
Spend a full day at Ellora
Begin with Cave 16, the Kailasa, which the Archaeological Survey of India calls the largest single monolithic excavation in the world, then work along the hill through the Buddhist caves (1 to 12), the Hindu (13 to 29) and the Jain (30 to 34). Our Ajanta and Ellora caves from Aurangabad package spends day one here with a private guide.
Give Ajanta's paintings the next day
Ajanta's 30 caves are cut into a horseshoe-shaped ravine above the Waghora river, and their murals of the Buddha's life and the Jataka tales are the reason to come. Paths and steps climb to the entrances; look for the name of John Smith, the British officer who came upon the caves in 1819, scratched into a wall. Our package comes here on day two.
Climb Daulatabad Fort
A short drive from Ellora, Daulatabad, first called Devagiri, is a 12th-century hilltop fortress built to defeat attackers, with mazes and secret passages. The climb to the top is steep, so go early on a cool day.
Visit Grishneshwar temple
In Verul village near the caves, Grishneshwar is one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. By custom men enter its inner sanctum bare-chested, and it is busiest on Maha Shivaratri, in February or March.
Choosing between our tours and experiences
Our package is a tour: two full days with a private guide, car and driver, Ellora first and Ajanta second, with monument tickets paid separately; it is also on our Ajanta and Ellora tour packages page. It suits travellers who can give the caves both days, since one day means dropping a site or rushing both.
When to go for these
Maharashtra Tourism recommends October to March for Ellora and November to March for Ajanta, where summer can pass 40°C. The Archaeological Survey of India finds Ellora at its finest in the monsoon, when every stream fills, though the caves get slippery then. Ajanta is quieter on weekdays.
Planning tips for the caves
If your two days fall on a Monday and a Tuesday, the order is fixed: Ellora, then Ajanta. Ask your guide about photography, as the rules differ from cave to cave, and book travel to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, the name the airport and station now carry. Our Ajanta and Ellora guide has the history.
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