The document discusses two famous historical cave sites in India - the Ajanta Caves and the Ellora Caves. [1] The Ajanta Caves, located near Jalgoan, Maharashtra, contain 30 caves dating from the 2nd century BC to the 1st century AD that feature paintings illustrating Buddhist texts. [2] The Ellora Caves, located 30km from Aurangabad, contain 34 caves carved into the Charanandri hills from the 5th to 10th centuries that represent Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. [3] The caves at both sites demonstrate India's rich religious and architectural heritage through their paintings and structures.

1. Visiting The Ajanta And Ellora Caves Of India
India - the country of diverse religion and culture heritage is famous all over the world for its long-
established monuments and historic architecture. Tourists from all over the world visit India to get a
glimpse of some fine architectural grandeur, this country depicts. India is truly a galaxy of historical
monuments. Ajanta, which is one of the most renowned monument of India, has rightly been recognized
as world’s greatest historical monument by UNESCO. Located at a distance of 40 kms from Jalgoan, a
city in Maharashtra, Ajanta caves are 30 in number. Among all the 30 caves 9th, 10th, 19th, 26th, and 29th
are chaitya- grihas and the rest are monasteries. Discovered in 1819, these caves were built in middle 2nd
century BC-AD. All paintings of Ajanta, show profound religious influence, illustrating some important
incidents from the life of Jakata and Lord Buddha. The paintings emerge on the land of mud-plaster in the
tempera technique.
A group of Ajanta caves were discovered in 19th century. These Caves were scooped out into the heart of
the hill. The paintings at the Ajanta caves demonstrate the major incidents in the life of Lord Gautama.
They include the pictures of semi-mythological history, the royal court and the ancient times, as told in
romantic plays. Some pictures recollect the Roman and Greek symphony and composition as well.
Ellora Caves
Ellore – the famous archeological site in India, is about 30kms away from the city of Aurangabad. Elora
Caves were built by Kannada rulers. Very well known for its colossal caves, Ellore is a world heritage
historical site and symbolizes an embodiment of stone -cut architecture. Carved out of the facet of
Charanandri hills, theses caves are 34 in number. These caves were built between 5th century and 10th
century. They represent the alliance of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain religions. Ellore caves are classified as
the Buddhist caves, the Hindu Caves and the Jain caves.
The Buddhist caves
Cave 1 and the Vishvkarma are the major Buddhist Caves of the Ellore caves. These are one of the
earliest Indian architectures. These structures contain mostly of viharas or monasteries which are the
huge, multi-storied buildings engraved into the mountain facade. These multi- storied buildings contain
living quarters, kitchens, sleeping quarters and other rooms. 10th number cave is the most famous
Buddha cave. It is popularly known as “the carpenter’s cave”. Adjacent to its entry is a Stupa hall, it is also
known as Chaitya.
The Hindu Caves
The Kailasanathan and The Dashavatra are two major Hindu caves. These caves were constructed in the
middle of sixth century. These caves were constructed by Kalchari rulers. The caves 28, 27 and 19 were
constructed first. These were followed by two extremely astonishing cave constructions of 29th and 21st
caves.
The Jain Caves
The Indra sabha is most famous Jain cave. These caves belong to the period between 9th and 10th
century. These are located in the Digambara sect. These caves illustrate some important co-ordinates of
Jain philosophy. They are relatively small in size as compared to other caves. The most important of
these caves are Chhota Kailash, the jagannath sabha and the Indra sabha.

2. Ajanta and Ellora caves are the capital of Indian historical architecture and design.
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