Should I visit the Ajanta or Ellora Caves? – A Guide to Both Caves [2024]
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Kailash Temple, Ellora Caves
The famous Ajanta Caves and Ellora Caves are a set of ancient rock cave monuments located in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra state in India. These caves are some of the most mind-blowing things I have ever seen, but in some ways, are quite similar to each other – so if you could only visit one, should you visit the Ajanta or Ellora Caves? Read this short guide to find out.
Best Ajanta and Ellora Caves Tours
Cave No. 26, Ajanta Caves
There are a lot of tour choices out there and it can be overwhelming narrowing them down, so we’ve handpicked some experiences to make your trip to the caves as seamless and hassle-free as possible:
Day Tour of Ajanta Caves – This tour is most suitable for travellers who only want to visit the Ajanta caves on a private tour.
Ellora Caves, Bibi Ka Maqbara and Daulatabad Fort – As the Ellora Caves are closer to Aurangabad than Ajanta, on this private tour, you’ll be able to visit other attractions in Aurangabad as well. Great value for money.
Private Tour of Ajanta and Ellora Caves in One Day – This tour is best for those who are short on time, and want to see both caves in one day. It will be a long day, but it’s definitely doable and enjoyable (this is the tour we went on, and loved every second of it). You won’t be able to do this tour on a Monday or a Tuesday, as at least one of the caves will be closed for maintenance.
Where to stay to visit the Ajanta and Ellora Caves?
The easiest and most convenient city to stay in to visit the Ajanta and Ellora Caves would be Aurangabad. This is the closest major area, and is a sprawling city with big buildings, shopping malls and local hospitality.
Choose Wisely!
I’ll be honest, Aurangabad does not have great accomodation. The international tourism industry is still developing and the city doesn’t really have a good selection of highly reviewed properties in good locations. It’s really easy to go wrong when choosing a hotel, as there safety issues and even special rules involved. For example, unmarried couples aren’t usually allowed to stay in the same hotel room without a marriage certificate, but to be honest, international chains usually overlook this rule with foreign tourists)
Where We Stayed: Grand Kaliash Hotel
During my time in Aurangabad, I stayed at the Grand Kailash Hotel. After doing extensive research across multiple hotel aggregators, I found that this hotel was the best choice for me when taking into account the relatively affordable price, positive reviews, location (right across a big shopping mall, and super close to the airport), and cleanliness. There are a lot of hotels in the area, but not all are of high quality. The rooms here were huge and comfortable, and the breakfast was pretty good too. Reception seemed pretty chill, and even though I can’t confirm if this is actually the case, I feel like they wouldn’t pester foreign tourists with the marriage certificate rule. If you are unmarried couple looking to stay in Aurangabad, I would suggest just saying you’re relatives or something (I know - not super ideal, but I don’t make the rules).
You can take a closer look and book a stay at the Grand Kailash Hotel by clicking here.
Budget: Click Hotel Aurangabad
This is a relatively new hotel in Aurangabad that has pretty good reviews and comes in at about half the price as Grand Kailash Hotel. The Click Hotel Aurangabad is known for its clean interior design, friendly staff and affordable cost. However, reviewers sometimes complain that although the hotel is close to the caves, it’s quite far away from amenities such as shopping malls, places to eat and the airport.
You can take a closer look and book a stay at Click Hotel Aurangabad by clicking here.
Upmarket: Vivanta Aurangabad, Maharashtra
The Vivanta Hotel brand is well-known in India for its classic, elegant 5-star hotels. The Vivanta Aurangabad is no different, as it features gorgeous decorations, luxurious rooms and a tempting pool. Although this is a 5-star hotel, the price tag for this one is still way cheaper than what you would find in almost any other country - with some rooms on sale for just under 140USD a night.
You can take a closer look and book a stay at the Vivanta Aurangabad, Maharashtra by clicking here.
Where are the Ajanta and Ellora Caves located?
Sculptures at Cave No. 26, Ajanta Caves
Although the Ajanta and Ellora caves are in the same district of Aurangabad, and in the same state of Maharashtra, they are actually quite far away from each other.
Cave No. 16, Ellora Caves
The Ellora Caves are closer to the city of Aurangabad, as they are only about a 50-minute drive (32.2km) away.
The Ajanta Caves, on the other hand, are located over 100kms away from Aurangabad, and will take a 2.5-hour drive to reach.
Overlooking the Ajanta Caves
This is something you should keep in mind if you’re only visiting one cave, as the Ellora Caves are much more accessible and easy to reach from Aurangabad.
Entry to Ellora Caves
Getting from one cave to the other will take some time, so you should keep this in mind if you’re planning on visiting both in one day. On a good day with minimal traffic, it should take just under 2.5 hours to get from the Ajanta Caves to the Ellora Caves.
How do I get to the Ajanta and Ellora Caves?
Caves at Ellora
Your most logical starting point would be to land in the Indian city of Aurangabad. You can check Skyscanner for flights to and from Aurangabad, as they often have last-minute special deals going on.
Ralph at Ajanta Caves
Although you’ll mostly use Aurangabad as a base for visiting the caves, the city has a few attractions worth checking out itself - such as the Bibi Ka Maqbara and Daulatabad Fort. You can visit these if you have any spare time outside of checking out the caves. During our time in Aurangabad, we also chilled out at the Prozone Mall, which surprisingly had an excellent range of food options in the food court.
If you’re interested in visiting Aurangabad City’s sights, I would recommend you check out this tour, which ticks off all the major highlights.
Buddhist sculptures at Ajanta
While there are public transport options to get from Aurangabad to the caves, these don’t run very often and are sometimes unreliable. I’m not exactly sure what the comfort levels will be either, as they vary wildly in India (and often end up on the lower end) – so I would not recommend taking public transport to get to Ajanta or Ellora.
Surrounding greenery at Ajanta
Luckily, hiring a private driver and/or a private guide is not expensive. Despite the long drives, you’ll get a lot of value for money and be able to visit the caves for an inexpensive cost.
Brief History of the Ajanta and Ellora Caves
Ajanta Caves
Exterior of Ajanta Caves
The beautiful Ajanta Caves are a collection of about 30 rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments, dating all the way back from the 2nd century BCE to about 480 CE. These caves are cited as some of the finest surviving examples of ancient Indian art, and have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Cave No. 19 of Ajanta
Asher at Cave No. 1 of Ajanta
As you tour the caves in Ajanta, you’ll witness ancient monasteries, worship halls, intricate paintings and more. In fact, Caves 1, 2, 16 and 17 form the largest corpus of surviving ancient Indian wall-painting. Despite having existed for millenniums (literally), they were only “discovered” and brought to the Western mainstream in 1819, by a colonial British officer by the name of Captain John Smith.
Ellora Caves
Cave No. 29, Ellora Caves
Also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Ellora Caves is one of the largest rock-cut Hindu temple cave complexes in the world. Its artwork and caves date all the way back to 600-1000 CE, making it slightly less ancient than the Ajanta Caves.
Bird’s eye view of Kalish Temple
Its crown jewel is the Kailash Temple (Cave 16), a jaw-dropping cave dedicated to the Hindu God of Shiva. Structurally a little different than Ajanta, the Ellora Caves are split up into three sections, that being:
The 12 Buddhist Caves (caves 1-12)
The 17 Hindu Caves (caves 13-29)
The 5 Jain Caves (caves 30-34)
Hindu cave of Cave 29
Jain cave of Cave 32
The Ellora Caves are a prime example of the religious harmony and melting pot of beliefs in India, as it’s extremely rare to find a complex of ancient caves dedicated to three separate religions anywhere else in the world.
Why You Should and Shouldn’t Visit the Ajanta Caves
Why You Should Visit the Ajanta Caves
Cave No. 26, Ajanta Caves
I visited the Ajanta Caves first, and I have to say, the Ajanta Caves made a stronger first impression on me.
Another look at Cave No. 26
The caves in Ajanta are absolutely stunning. I was in disbelief while walking around the complex, and 3.5 hours went by so fast – it was hard to leave! I checked out every single cave, and found something interesting or different in almost every one of them.
Intricate sculptures at Ajanta
Gorgeous paintings at Ajanta Caves
Without a doubt, my favourite cave in the Ajanta complex is Cave 26, an impressively decorated ‘chaitya hall’. Other highlights included Cave 19, 1, 2 and 4, although the whole complex was simply amazing.
How awesome are these rock carvings?
Ceiling of Cave No. 1
Something that I found more impressive about Ajanta over Ellora was also the natural surroundings of the caves. The Caves are encompassed in gorgeous, elevated green scenery – providing sweeping views of the valley as you walk around the caves complex. The surrounding nature around Ellora is slightly less impactful.
The scenery surrounding Ajanta
Walking around the Ajanta Caves is easier than Ellora, as it’s only the one set of caves that are up for exploration, and this can be done solely on foot. The sights in the Ellora complex are more spread out, and involve more walking.
Asher at Ajanta Caves
The Ajanta Caves are slightly older than the Ellora caves, so you might feel a stronger sense of ancient history here, as the caves date all the way to the BCE era – something that can’t be said about the Ellora Caves.
Cave No. 2 at Ajanta
There might be aggressive touts trying to sell you souvenirs in both sights, but once you actually get into the Ajanta Caves complex, they don’t follow you. When you first arrive at the Ajanta Caves complex, you’ll have to pass through a ‘shopping village’ before you actually see the caves. During this time, there will be store owners trying to aggressively sell you things – simply tell them no in a firm manner, and keep walking if you’re not interested.
Having Cave No. 4 all to myself at Ajanta
Once you actually get to the caves, they can’t follow you in and will leave you in peace (at least until you return back to the shopping village at the end of your visit). This isn’t the case with Ellora, as the touts can actually follow you throughout the complex. Don’t let these experiences deter you from visiting though! It’s still more extremely worth it to visit, despite these minor inconveniences.
Playing with the lighting at Ajanta
One final reason to visit the Ajanta Caves over the Ellora Caves, is that, to me, it’s easier to ‘complete’ exploring the Ajanta complex in a shorter amount of time than Ellora. There are more caves in Ellora, and they are spread out. This can take a bit more time and effort if you want to explore the cave complex thoroughly and completely, and you may end up having to skip some caves (as I did) in Ellora.
Why You Shouldn’t Visit the Ajanta Caves
Ralph at Cave No. 4
The most obvious reason why you might not want to visit the Ajanta Caves is the long distance from Aurangabad to the caves. The Ellora caves are much closer, so if you’re on limited time, that would be a much more suitable option. Visiting the Ajanta Caves can be an all-day thing (if you want to explore deeply), so a 2.5-hour car ride on either side of your day can be time consuming and tiring. It’s a full-on day trip, so you have to prepare for that.
Entrance to Ajanta Caves
Also, if you choose to visit Ellora instead, you could even have time to explore other attractions in the Aurangabad area. This is unlikely to be the case if you visit the Ajanta caves.
Raw rock carvings at Ajanta
To get to the Ajanta Caves, you’ll first have to reach the Ajanta ‘shopping village’, then walk through it, before boarding a run-down bus to the caves. When we visited, this bus cost us an extra 30 INR each, one way. So although fractional, there’s extra costs and time associated with visiting the Ajanta Caves.
Ralph enjoying the Ajanta Caves
Compared to the Ellora Caves, there is less variation in the Ajanta Caves. The Ajanta Caves are more suited to the serious, history-buff or archeologically interested traveller, while the Ellora Caves can be seen as a more family-friendly, all-encompassing experience. The Ajanta Caves are primarily Buddhist caves, while the Ellora Caves feature three different religions, providing more of a point of differentiation.
Why You Should and Shouldn’t Visit the Ellora Caves
Why You Should Visit the Ellora Caves
One of the most intricate caves I’ve ever seen! - Ellora Caves
Although I did mention that the Ajanta Caves had a bigger impact on me, make no mistake – the Ellora Caves are downright gorgeous as well. It is highly likely that you will still get that jaw-dropping, ‘can’t believe this is even real’ moment when visiting the Ellora Caves. In particular, Ellora Cave 16 (Kailash Temple) is absolutely one of the best things I have seen in all my years of traveling, and something you can’t find at the Ajanta Caves.
Posing at Kailash Temple
There’s more of an ‘overall experience’ at Ellora Caves over Ajanta. At Ellora, you can visit three types of caves (Buddhist, Hindu and Jain), all at three different locations. You’ll get to experience different religions and types of caves, and there’s even a nice waterfall near the alluring Cave 29.
More details of Kailash Temple
Waterfall at Cave No. 29
Apart from Cave 16 and 29, the other caves I would recommend visiting are Caves 10-12, and 30-32, which are the Jain caves. To get to Caves 29 and 30+, you’ll need to pay for a buggy vehicle ride which will take you to the caves. You can walk there, but on a hot day this would be unpleasant. The return ride cost 60 INR for one person when we visited. Remember to retain your ticket as you’ll have to show the driver at various points!
You can take a buggy ride to Caves 29 and 30 onwards at Ellora Caves to save you from walking
Sculpture at Cave No. 29
Of course, the biggest advantage of visiting the Ellora Caves over the Ajanta Caves is its close location to Aurangabad. From Aurangabad, it takes approximately 2 hours less time to visit Ellora rather than Ajanta – making it far more accessible.
More sculptures at Ellora
Ellora is full of these fascinating sculptures
The detail in these caves is just insane!
Why You Shouldn’t Visit the Ellora Caves
Inside look at the Ellora Caves
The Ellora Caves are a lot busier than the Ajanta Caves. We visited on a weekday, and even then, there were long entrance lines, and it was more difficult to find a cave you could have all to yourself. Although beautiful, it was a little harder to soak in the beauty of the caves with the people around. Still, the crowds are nothing compared to the crowds in places like the Taj Mahal and are overall ‘moderate’ at best.
A look at the rock face at Ellora Caves
If you have limited mobility and want to explore a more compact place, then perhaps Ajanta is a better choice than Ellora. The Ellora complex is very big (in my opinion), and involves a lot of traveling between the three different areas of caves.
Ellora Caves
Locals at Kailash Temple
Furthermore, if you’re limited on exploration time and you want to see every cave available, I would visit Ajanta. There are more caves at Ellora, which means you need more time explore everything in detail.
Ancient sculptures at Ellora
I also found that the touts were slightly more aggressive at Ellora than Ajanta, as they were located within the caves complex, and some even followed us around the complex after we entered.
Cave No. 11 at Ellora Caves (interior)
Cave No. 11 at Ellora (Exterior)
Which One Should I Visit – Ajanta or Ellora Caves?
Which one should you visit? Ajanta or Ellora? (Pictured here – Ellora Caves)
Both are beautiful, but what if you can only choose one? (Pictured here – Ajanta Caves)
Believe me when I say, you can’t go wrong with either choice. Both cave complexes are majestic, epic, magnetic, and every other superlative you can find.
Cave No. 19 – Ajanta Caves
If you’re short on time, I would visit the Ellora Caves. The shorter travel time will allow you to explore for longer. I also feel that the Ellora Caves gives you a better ‘sampler’ of what these ancient caves look like, as the caves are all varied from one another.
Ralph at Cave No. 19 – Ajanta Caves
Paintings at Ajanta Caves
If you have at least one whole day to explore, I would choose the Ajanta Caves, which are my personal favourite. I felt that the caves were slightly more striking, mysterious and felt more authentic (as it has less visitors than Ellora).
Views overlooking the Ellora Caves complex
However, I would highly recommend visiting both if you have the time. Regardless of which one you visit, there is no doubt that you will be visiting one of the best places in India.
Should I visit the Caves in One Day or Two Days?
Kalish Temple, Ellora
Both the Ajanta and Ellora Caves deserve your full time and attention, and as much as visiting the caves over 2 days is ideal, we know that this isn’t feasible for all travellers. So, the question is – do you actually need two separate days to visit the caves?
Buddha sculpture at Ellora
Our answer is no - we don’t think you actually need two separate days. If you start early enough (at around 6:30am - 7am), you’ll have enough time to explore both caves quite thoroughly and not feel too rushed. The Caves are similar enough that you probably wouldn’t feel the need to spend more than a few minutes in each cave, especially towards the end of your day. To visit the caves in one day, check out the Private Tour of Ajanta and Ellora Caves in One Day tour.
However, if you prefer to take it slow and allow yourself more exploration time, then yes, I would take one day each to explore each cave. To explore the caves over 2 days, check out the Guided Ajanta and Ellora Caves Over 2 Days (Private Tour) experience.
How long should I stay to visit the Ajanta and Ellora Caves?
I’d say you’ll need at least 2.5 or 3 hours to visit each cave to go at a leisurely pace. Obviously, you’ll have more time if you visit them on separate days.
Stunning rock face of Ellora
If you’re visiting over one day, I would recommend visiting Ajanta first, and then Ellora. Ellora is a lot closer to Aurangabad, so you can always visit on the way back to the city – this avoids you potentially being caught up in midday traffic on the way to Ajanta from Aurangabad.
How to Buy Tickets to the Ajanta and Ellora Caves
Should I Buy Tickets Online?
Another look at Kailash Temple, Ellora Caves
You can buy your tickets online, or you can buy your tickets at the ticket booth when you reach the caves.
There can be a long line (especially at Ellora), so I would recommend buying your tickets in advance here if you’re not going on a guided tour. This will save you the hassle of frequent ticket checks and keeping a physical copy on you. The issue with buying tickets online is that they separate entries from pre-noon, and post-noon (before 12pm and after 12pm). So if you haven’t quite worked out your schedule and you’re afraid you might miss the entry cut-off time, it’s best to buy tickets on the day, or get your guide to get them for you.
Asher at the Ajanta Caves
If you’re visiting on a tour, choose an option where entrance fees are included, as this takes away the hassle of working all of the above out.
Ticket Prices
Ellora Caves
Both caves have a foreigner ticket price of 550 INR each (about 7USD). Although entry isn’t the cheapest, it’s completely worth it.
If you’re a local, the entry fee is 35 INR for each cave.
Opening Hours
The caves are closed on some days, so consider this carefully.
Please consider the opening hours and days carefully, as the caves are closed for maintenance one day of the week.
Asher at Ajanta
The Ajanta Caves are open every day except Mondays. They are open from 9am – 5pm.
The Ellora Caves are open every day except Tuesdays. They are open from 6am – 6pm.
If you’re planning on visiting both in one day, the only days when you can do this are between Wednesday to Sunday. However, weekends get quite busy with locals visiting, so I would recommend visiting between Wednesday to Friday.
Things To Remember at Ajanta and Ellora Caves
Taking videos is not allowed at the Ajanta Caves.
At Ajanta, taking videos was strictly prohibited, and we actually got told off for taking some videos (we didn’t know this rule beforehand)!
Inside look at the Jain Temples at Ellora
We weren’t totally sure what the rules were at Ellora, but they seemed to be more relaxed, as we were able to take videos without anyone telling us otherwise.
We hope you enjoy visiting the Ajanta and Ellora Caves! Let us know if you found our guide helpful in the comments below!
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