Location: These caves are located as a series of rock-cut caves in the Sahyadri mountain range (Western Ghats) near the Waghora River near Aurangabad in Maharashtra.
The Maharashtra government has closed two tourist visitor centers established in Ajanta and Ellora caves due to non-payment of electricity and water bills (Rs 5 crore).
Number of caves: It has a total of 29 caves (all Buddhist), of which 25 were used as viharas or residential caves while 4 were used as chaityas or prayer halls.
development of caves
Caves were developed in 200 BC. It happened between 650 AD.
The Ajanta caves were excavated by Buddhist monks under the patronage of the Vakataka kings, of whom Harisena was a prominent one.
Information about the Ajanta Caves is found in the travelogues of Chinese Buddhist travelers Fa Hien (380 – 415 AD during the reign of Chandragupta II) and Hiuen Tsang (606 – 647 AD during the reign of Emperor Harshavardhana).
Paintings in Ajanta Caves:
The figures in these caves were depicted using fresco painting.
There is abundance of red color in the paintings of these caves but there is absence of blue color.
Buddha and Jataka stories are generally depicted in these paintings.
UNESCO Site: These caves were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in the year 1983.
Ellora Caves
Location: These caves are located in the Sahyadri mountain range of Maharashtra, about 100 kilometers away from the Ajanta caves.
The number of caves: There is a group of 34 caves here, of which 17 are Brahmin, 12 are Buddhist and 5 belong to Jainism.
Development of caves
This group of caves was developed between the 5th and 11th centuries by various artisan guilds from Vidarbha, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.
These were started by the rulers of the Rashtrakuta dynasty.
These caves reflect natural diversity in terms of theme and architectural style.
The most notable of the cave temples of Ellora is Kailashnath (Cave No. 16), named after Mount Kailash in the Himalayas (the abode of Lord Shiva according to Hindu beliefs).
The Buddhist, Brahmin, and Jain caves of Ellora were built on the trade route from Paithan to Ujjain in central India.
Sahyadri mountain range
The Western Ghats are locally known as Sahyadri in Maharashtra, Nilgiri Hills in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and Annamalai Hills or Cardamom Hills in Kerala.
The Western Ghats are a north-south range of hills that mark the western edge of the Deccan plateau region.
The Western Ghats are higher and more continuous in height than the Eastern Ghats. Its average altitude from north to south is about 1,500 meters.
Anaimudi (2,695 m), the highest peak of the peninsular plateau, is located on the Annamalai Hills of the Western Ghats, followed by Doddabetta (2,637 m) on the Nilgiri Hills.
Most of the peninsular rivers like Krishna, and Kaveri originate from the Western Ghats.