The "Ajanta-Ellora" circuit, at last.
"Ajanta-Ellora" . That's the common parlance . Like Ellora is Ajanta's surname. Like they are conjoined twins who can only exist together ! So enmeshed are the names that in an Art Mela ,a set of prints, showing the famous Padmapani, was labeled "Ajanta Ellora Prints" ! When the two World Heritage Sites are a good 100kms apart and Ellora has nothing to do with the painted Padmapani . Anyway , the 100 kms divide notwithstanding, no visitor ( other than a researcher perhaps) really visits just one of them . That would almost be a sacrilege or cause for great regret. Their historical "togetherness" can be explained away by the fact that both are rock cut wonders of great antiquity , cut into cliffs faces , preserving the best of ancient Indian art and aesthetics. And both are in Aurangabad District of Maharashtra. While Ajanta Caves are Buddhist in theme, Ellora has Buddhist, Jain and Hindu relics. The older caves are in Ajanta. 30 of them