I love Hapus mango, the king of fruits. I was determined that I would eat the first Hapus of the season at Mumbai, where I lived before shifting to Ahmedabad for pursuing higher studies.  I am an ardent lover of the fruit so when I got the weekend free without lectures, I reached Mumbai. Dad had kept a full box ready for me and I binged into it. As I ate it, I saw a pamphlet lying on the table. A full MTDC tour guide on how to go to Ajanta Caves. I asked Dad if we could make it. Dad always gets surprised at the sudden plans I make. He asked me, “What about lectures?” I said I had a week off as it was submission time. I had finished my submissions. Everything got into a flurry of activity as my dad too is an adventure lover and loves to explore places. He said he had been to Ajanta Caves but that was long time ago.

After contacting his travel agent, Deepak Bhai and getting a last minute ticket booked we soon found ourselves embarking on an instantly planned Ajanta Caves tour. We got a ticket reserved for the Janshatabdi Express for the next afternoon. As the examinations were on, it was easy for us to get tickets. When we finally sat in the train, all the hustle and bustle of the previous day, had let us exhausted but excited to go for the journey ahead. We just ate and slept through the seven hour journey and soon found ourselves at Aurangabad station at 9 in the evening. At the station, we were met by Deepak Bhai’s brother,Ketan who was a tour guide.

As we went to the hotel he had booked for us, I looked around the city of Aurangabad which was slowly getting ready to rest for the night. I referred to the pamphlet and it said that Aurangabad is a hustling bustling city during the day, it is home to the finest kind of silk textiles and the Himroo brocade which is world famous. It is typically known as the Gateway to Ajanta and Ellora Caves. It is around 110kms from the Ajanta Caves. We got down and shopped for some lovely Mashru and Kimkhab fabric as also some semi precious stone jewellery. I got a Himroo shawl for my grandmother.

The next day, early morning, we had our breakfast and carried some snacks with us, as Ketan told us that it would be a waste of time to eat something in the small cafeterias at Ajanta. We settled in the sedan Ketan had hired and I just began to enjoy the journey to Ajanta. The surroundings started settling in, as we left Aurangabad, and soon I was beginning to feel the freshness in the air. My dad had brought along his song collection and we listened to the choicest old Hindi movie songs. It was fun and even more enjoyable when Mom took out the packet of laddoos that she had fondly made for me. Biting into the chaklis and laddoos I glanced at the pamphlet in my hand and read through “ The Ajanta Caves have been carved out of a rock in the middle of no man’s land. These caves have been constructed in the 2nd and the 6th century AD. Within the Sahayadri Ranges of Maharashtra, it is around 100km from Aurangabad.”

I was very intrigued and excited and longed to see the horse shoe shape of the Ajanta Caves as was written in the pamphlet. My mom took the pamphlet and started reading out like a news reader. We laughed at the way she kept my dad’s spectacles on the bridge of her nose and started reading out “ Ajanta caves took a good hundred years to be created. Mala Marathi version payjey.” She said in Marathi meaning she wanted the Marathi version. She continued, “ The caves were carved with several paintings were found in the year 1819 by a British Army Officer. “

“Bravo!” applauded my dad after her sudden burst of information. We continued our journey and soon enough found ourselves in Ajanta. We had equipped ourselves with all that we might need for the visit to the caves. We had our caps, water bottles, binoculars, cameras. I had my SLR camera so no hassles. Flashlights are not allowed in the caves.

Soon we reached the Ajanta Caves and travelling to these historical caves is like going back in time history. We paid for the entry tickets all arranged by Ketan. Entry for children below 15 years is free and a special entry fee for foreigners. The 2000 year old history of this country, is completely preserved here in these caves of Ajanta.

Ketan guided us along and he was telling us that today it is a World Heritage site. WE walked a long way to the caves and were in time for the cave opens everyday at 9.30 in the morning and closes at 5.30 in the evening. We were glad it wasn’t a Monday for the Ajanta Caves is not open on Mondays.

The entry to the caves was getting us all excited and soon enough we saw the 30 Ajanta caves scrutinizing the lovely figures carved with hammer and chisel by the Buddhist monks centuries back. The murals showing the entire Buddhist religion story and the frescoes complimenting them, took us back to the 200BC to 650 AD era.

The stupendous manner in which the monks had crafted these frescoes out of the volcanic Deccan lava by hand is seen to believe at Ajanta. There was a hill which we climbed and we got a nice view of the temple of Kailasa. My mother took out the torch inside the caves as they were very dark. It wasn’t very uncomfortable as it was the month of November and so it was cool inside.

Ajanta basically has a prayer hall called Chaitya and a monastery called the Vihara. Amongst the 30 Ajanta Caves there are 5 prayer halls, and the rest of the 25 caves are monasteries. Ketan added that two of the prayer halls were built in the Hinayana form and 3 in the Mahayana form. Again the monasteries were 4 of them in the Hinayana phase and 11 in the Mahayana phase.

After traversing the first few caves we reached Cave No 9 and Cave No 10. Out of these two, Cave 10 was older. This had the finest brilliance of Buddhist architecture with paintings showing scenes from The Chhadanta Jataka and Sama Jataka.

Then we reached Cave 12. It was in total ruins so we could see an erstwhile hall there. Cave 14 was one which never got completed. Cave No. 15A was alright in certain portions with the front façade still visible. Then we reached Cave No 14, 15 and Cave 16. These were monasteries and were built in the Mahayana Phase. The finest Ajanta monastery is Cave No. 16 where the walls have a lot of paintings of how Nanda got converted, the Sarvastic miracle, how Gautam Buddha meditated here the first time. This cave also has beautiful scenes from the Maha Ummagga Jataka and the Hasti Jataka.

We were quite exhausted with the journey to the past and were going through an excitement indescribable. With visions of the past and the historical depictions, one would certainly not to want to leave this place. But the sun was setting and it was getting to be closing time so we had to take a nostalgic beating retreat.

We reached Aurangabad in time to see the Ajanta festival. Believe it or not! We were actually able to see the Ajanta festival which is conducted at the Golden Palace or the Soneri Mahal. Many singers and dancers from India come and perform in this festival. Fortunately for all our last minute plans we reached on the fourth day of this four day festival.

With dreams of the sculptures dancing and the frescoes talking, we were a tired, but excited lot who went to sleep that night. We had plans of going to the Ellora Caves the next morning, and then a small tour of the Aurangabad caves and perhaps Elephanta Caves.


But we had gone back in history, lived it and sensed the ambience of the past.

Parting thought: If you want to relive the past, go to Ajanta Caves.

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