Ellora Caves
UNESCO World Heritage Site: Ellora Caves (1983); Monument Of National Importance Under The Archaeological Survey Of India · Ellora, Maharashtra
Thirty-four temples and monasteries cut into a basalt escarpment in western India over roughly five centuries, from about the sixth to the tenth: Buddhist, Hindu and Jain caves side by side, which is unusual anywhere. The one everyone comes for is Cave 16, the Kailasa Temple, a full-size temple with courtyards, towers and life-size elephants, carved downwards out of a single piece of rock rather than built. Its builders removed an enormous volume of stone to leave it behind, and no one has fully explained how they planned it. The Buddhist caves at the south end include a vaulted prayer hall with a seated Buddha, and the Jain caves at the north end are smaller and finely detailed. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and sits about thirty kilometres from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, the city formerly called Aurangabad. Ellora is CLOSED ON TUESDAYS. Ajanta, with its painted caves, is a separate trip about a hundred kilometres away, closed on Mondays, and most people do them on two different days. The walk to the rim above Kailasa is the view most visitors miss.
Ellora Caves Road, Verul, Ellora, Maharashtra, 431102, India
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The typical pattern: open from around sunrise to sunset, roughly 6 or 7 am to about 6 pm, with ticket sales ending before closing. CLOSED ON TUESDAYS. Ajanta, a separate site about 100 km away, is closed on Mondays. The shuttle towards the Jain caves runs during opening hours only. Grishneshwar Temple keeps its own long hours for worship. Some ASI sites also close or restrict entry on specific public holidays or during events. The traps: arriving on a Tuesday, trying to do Ajanta and Ellora in one day, and starting at Kailasa at noon in the heat. Confirm the weekly closure and hours before planning a day, especially around public holidays.