Amazingly beautiful and packed. It takes forever if you want to see all the caves. The worst is that they don't all look the same so it's not like you can look at three and skip the others. Some are better of course but they all have something different to offer. The whole thing took me about 4h by foot (there's some sort of big golf cart that takes you back to the beginning from the left end around cave 30). I spent quite a lot of time at the main temple though. They only sell water around the main temple but I remember a bathroom on the left side, around cave 25 ish.

I’d been to Ajanta the day before but these are much bigger. I was unaware that for 30rupees I could have hopped on and off the e transport all day so I ended up walking round the whole site and back to the entrance in the heat. Think they need more drinking water stations. Definitely worth a visit.

What an incredible experience standing at the base of Kailash temple (Cave 16) and seeing that the whole thing , 33 meters tall, in front of you is a monolith, i.e. carved out of a single rock hill! This is definitely the highlight of Ellora caves! We added Aurangabad on our Bangalore - Himachal driving trip to be able to see Ajanta & Ellora caves and these were far ahead of our expectations. Each of these caves tell a story which you can learn if you take an ASI approved guide with you. The guides here are expensive, paid Rs.2050/- plus tips, but this was the best thing that we did. Our guide, Hasan, was very knowledgeable and brought the history to life with his incredible knowledge and story telling. Few tips for first time visitors: 1. Grishneshwar Jyotirling temple is just a kilometre away from Ellora caves, in case if you want you can go there first thing in the morning and then come here. Plan to reach here in the morning, both to avoid crowds as well heat from the afternoon sun. We reached at 9:30am and that was about a good time to be there. Even in Feb the place was already quite warm & the afternoon sun very bright. Remember that these caves are closed on Tuesday, so plan accordingly. 2. Wear comfortable shoes and light clothes as you'll be walking a lot here. 3. There is ample parking available. 4. After you park, buy the tickets and walk to the starting point you'll be almost in front of Kailash temple. 5. You can visit the Buddhist caves after this and then come back to this point. For going to the Jain caves (Cave 32 was good) take the battery operated Golf cart as these are quite far. 6. Guides are available at the place where you buy the tickets. We didn't see many, so best is to reach in the morning before the crowds. 7. Do carry water bottle, you'll need it.

The Kailasa Cave Temple of Ellora(cave 16) is marvelous ingenuity of the artists. There are 32 caves which are divided into 3 religions. Buddhist caves, Hindu caves, Jain caves. you need around 5-6 hours to view all the caves in brief detail and to do photography ( may be more if you are interested in art and history). best time to visit is just after Monsoons(Sep-Dec), where you can enjoy water falls at cave 29 my suggestion is to read about Ellora caves before visiting. Guides are very expensive when compared to other Archaeological sites. so if you plan for a guide then go in group it will save a bit. none of these guides come inside the main shrine to explain the interiors of the core temple. there is another guide inside who charges extra. so be aware before hiring a Guide.

These are adjectives that can only very peripherally characterize this structure carved into the rock. Rather, you need to visit here in order to adequately understand this place. Here's a tip: come as soon as possible in the morning and take a look at the objects behind the entrance gate straight away. Reason: When the coaches arrive around 10 a.m. and deliver their loads of people here, it is no longer nice in this area. The first and most unmissable temple is the Kailashanatha Temple. This is the largest temple in the entire area and there is a lot to see in and around it. It will take you a while to get your bearings. It is often mentioned that the height of the Kailashanatha Temple corresponds to the Parthenon in Athens. However, it is rarely mentioned that the Kailashanatha was built from above. They drilled into the rocky ground and created all the rooms that can be found here today. The figures of gods and other creatures are the remains of the rock here. But the Greeks went up with their columns. If you look at these construction methods from a philosophical point of view, you will see that two completely different conceptions of the divine are revealed here. In order to get closer to him - and to pay homage to him - the Hindus went into the depths while the Greeks still strived to the top. It becomes clear: There are two completely contradictory concepts of existence here and these are the foundations of two different cultures. You should think about it.

Beautiful caves. Especially one must visit Cave no. 16. A knowledgeable Govt. Guide is preferred. However, the charges seem to be somewhat high. It is a delightful experience. If possible it is better to avoid the visit during summer months.

After going to the amazing caves I went shopping for incredible healing stones at Nisar khan’s store! He gave our group great service and great prices for all the beautiful stones we bought. He is honest and shipped them right away to our homes in the USA. I highly recommend buying healing stones from Nisar Khan!

Ellora is about 30 kms from Aurangabad. The 34 caves involve walking and climbing stairs so comfortable shoes are required. Shoes are not permitted in some caves. One should start early to avoid heat and crowds. The most spectacular is cave 16- Kailash temple - the largest monolithic rock cut temple in the world. It is shaped like a chariot and dedicated to Shiva. There are panels depicting Ramayana and Mahabharat on the side walls. There is a huge shivling in the garbh griha on first floor. There are 12 Buddhist caves and 5 Jain caves, besides 17 Hindu caves. All other caves fade before the spectacular cave 16. Many people see cave 16 and thereafter bypass several other caves. There are some incomplete caves which help in understanding how these caves were made. It takes about 2-3 hours to see these caves. The visit is usually combined with a visit to Shri Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga temple which is close by. Also one can visit Daulatabad fort on the way back to Aurangabad

We visited several Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain caves. My tour guide explained the architecture, art, and spiritual meanings of these caves in a storytelling manner, which made it very interesting. Ellora is most famous for its ancient architecture and beautiful sculptures. On the way back to Aurangabad, we also visited the Bibi Ka Maqbara, and it was a lovely visit.

Must visit. Kailash temple is something you have never experienced. Please do visit in the morning, it will take almost a day. If possible hire a guide they will share so many things and with guide experience will be something else.