Ellora, a historic village in
Maharashtra, is 29 km from
Aurangabad and 3 km north of
Khuldabad. The village was named in memory of the great Jain saint, Acharya Ellaacharaya.
With its charm and architectural beauty, Ellora has become one of the main heritage sites in India. Many Buddhist, Hindu and Jain architectural items were excavated from here. Ellora is also known as a tantric center, where one can get complete information about Hindu mystical writings and rituals.
Ellora caves, a UNESCO certified heritage center, of the Chalukya dynasty is admirable. It has about 34 caves with many splendid carvings that depict the Hindu mythological characters. The views of the monolithic Kailasa Temple and the Parshwanath Temple are breathtaking.
At a distance of 3 km, you can find a holy shrine of Deccan Muslims. It was here that
Aurangzeb, the sixth Mughal Emperor, was buried. Bibi-ka-Maqbara, Siddharth Garden in Aurangabad and Dnyaneshwar Udyan in Paithan are other nearby attractions.
Aurangabad Railway Station is the main railhead. Aurangabad Chikalthan Airport (domestic) and Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (Mumbai) are the nearest aerodromes. Buses, taxis and rickshaws are available for local transport.
