Ellora Caves

Ellora Caves are a group of 34 rock-cut temples and monasteries in Maharashtra, India, carved into a basalt cliff between roughly the 6th and 10th centuries. The complex includes Buddhist, Hindu and Jain monuments and is recognised for its scale and technical achievement.

The standout feature is the monolithic Kailasa Temple (Cave 16), a freestanding rock-cut structure carved downward from the cliff that replicates an entire temple complex in stone. Visitors also explore multiple chaitya halls, monastic viharas and intricately carved Hindu and Jain shrines distributed along the cliff face.

Carvings, sculptural panels and architectural forms across the 34 caves display a wide chronological range of styles and religious patronage, making the site a compact overview of roughly four centuries of religious rock-cut architecture. Access paths allow sequential viewing of the northern Buddhist group, central Hindu works and the later Jain caves.

Construction occurred over several centuries under regional dynasties, with major Hindu work such as the Kailasa Temple attributed to the Rashtrakuta period in the 8th century and other caves dating roughly from the 6th to 10th centuries. The site functioned as active monasteries and temple complexes in antiquity and was later studied and conserved from the colonial period onward.

Ellora is in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, India, located northwest of the city of Aurangabad and accessible by road from the regional transport hub.

• Cave count and Kailasa: The site comprises 34 caves cut into a basalt escarpment and includes the Kailasa monolith, considered the largest single-rock excavation temple in the world.

What to See#

• Kailasa Temple (Cave 16): The Kailasa Temple (Cave 16) is a single monolithic rock excavation carved downward from the basalt cliff face and is the largest such structure in the complex.
• Buddhist caves (Caves 1-12): Buddhist caves are clustered primarily in the earlier northern sector and include chaitya halls and monastic viharas dating from the 6th century onward.
• Hindu caves (Caves 13-29): Hindu caves (Caves 13-29) contain temple shrines, carved relief panels and pilastered interiors executed across the 7th to 9th centuries.
• Jain caves (Caves 30-34): Jain caves (Caves 30-34) are later additions with finely carved interiors reflecting Jain patronage and iconography.

The Ellora Caves are near Aurangabad in Maharashtra, approximately 25-35 km from Aurangabad city by road (about a 40-50 minute drive) via the Aurangabad-Ellora route/State Highway (connects with NH52). Regular state buses, tourist coaches and taxis run from Aurangabad to Ellora; the caves have parking close to the site and require short on‑foot approaches (hundreds of metres to 1 km depending on which group of caves).

• Arrive at opening time to see the Kailasa (Cave 16) with far fewer coach-party crowds-the single largest rock-cut temple draws most visitors later in the morning.
• Start your visit at the ticket gate and pick up a licensed guide at the entrance: a short guided walk will point out iconographic details and the sequence of caves that most self-guided visitors miss.
• After the Kailasa, continue to the northern cluster of smaller caves; those quieter monuments reveal different styles and inscriptions that many groups don't have time to visit.