Ajanta Caves
The Painted Buddhist Cliff
Overview
The Ajanta Caves are a group of about thirty rock-cut Buddhist caves in a horseshoe gorge above the Waghur river in Maharashtra, India, excavated in two phases between roughly the 2nd century BCE and about 480 CE. Prayer halls and monasteries cut into the basalt cliff, they are celebrated above all for their murals, among the finest surviving ancient paintings anywhere, depicting the life of the Buddha and the Jataka tales. A UNESCO World Heritage Site rediscovered in 1819, Ajanta is closed on Mondays. MyTripMyTravel arranges an escorted visit from an Aurangabad base.
Ajanta is one of the great survivals of the ancient world: a curved cliff of some thirty Buddhist caves, abandoned and forgotten for over a thousand years, and so preserving murals that almost nowhere else has kept. A British hunting party stumbled on them in 1819, and the paintings inside had barely been touched since late antiquity.
The caves were cut in two phases, a Satavahana-era group around the 2nd century BCE, and a spectacular Vakataka-era flowering around the late 5th century CE. The chaitya prayer halls and vihara monasteries are impressive as architecture, but it is the painting, the Bodhisattvas, the Jataka narratives, the colour and expression, that makes Ajanta unique.
MyTripMyTravel runs Ajanta from an Aurangabad base with an expert guide, timed for the light and the museum-quality caves, and always around the Monday closure.
At a glance
Ajanta Caves in brief
What to see
Highlights
The murals
Among the finest surviving ancient paintings on earth, Bodhisattvas, court scenes and Jataka tales across the cave walls and ceilings.
Cave 1
A Vakataka-era vihara famous for the Padmapani and Vajrapani Bodhisattva paintings flanking the shrine.
Cave 26
A great chaitya hall with a carved stupa and a monumental reclining Parinirvana Buddha.
The chaitya halls
Apsidal prayer halls with rock-cut stupas and ribbed ceilings imitating timber.
The gorge setting
The horseshoe cliff above the Waghur river, best seen from the viewpoint across the ravine.
Visitor information
Our tips
Plan around the Monday closure, Ajanta shuts Mondays, while nearby Ellora shuts Tuesdays.
Let the guide light the murals; the caves are deliberately kept dim to preserve the pigments.
Allow for the transfer from Aurangabad and the shuttle-plus-walk to the caves; it is a full day.
No flash photography inside, it damages the pigments and is enforced.
Good to know
Ajanta Caves, your questions
What are the Ajanta Caves famous for?
Their murals, among the best-preserved ancient paintings in the world, depicting the Buddha's lives and the Jataka tales, alongside rock-cut prayer halls and monasteries.
How old are they?
They were carved in two phases, roughly the 2nd century BCE and again around the late 5th century CE, then abandoned and rediscovered in 1819.
What day is Ajanta closed?
Mondays. Nearby Ellora closes on Tuesdays instead, so we sequence the two carefully.
Can I photograph the paintings?
Yes, but flash is prohibited to protect the pigments, and the caves are kept dim; a guide with a light is the way to see them.
How far is it from Aurangabad?
About 100 km, it is a full-day excursion, which we run with a chauffeur and expert guide.
More in Aurangabad
Visit with us
See Ajanta Caves, properly.
A private, chauffeured visit with a licensed expert guide, timed for the best light and the smallest crowds. We fold Ajanta Caves into a wider Aurangabad and West India itinerary, built entirely around you.
- Skip the queue where possible, at the right hour
- Licensed local guide who brings the story to life
- Private car and chauffeur, door to door
Plan your trip
Plan a visit to Ajanta Caves
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