A Jaw Dropper? ... The Ajanta Caves

(Apologies for the long awaited post on Aurangabad! I am excited to share it with you now and hope that you enjoy it!) (Thanks for stopping by!!!)

On the Sleeper Bus

Aurangabad Adventures

Sleeper Bus from Mumbai to Aurangabad

Inside the Sleeper Bus

The best way to get to Aurangabad from Mumbai is on the sleeper bus. The bus picks you up at an average bus stop off a busy road in the center of Mumbai. When booking your tickets for the bus, it requires you to select your bunk. One side of the bus has singles and the other side has doubles so if you are travelling on your own and get a double it is highly likely that you will end up sleeping next to a stranger. There were three of us travelling so I shared a double with my bestie and our other friend managed to get a single near us. The bunk we had chosen was a top bunk, so we hopped up in our bunk, logged on to the free wifi and laid down to enjoy the ride. It is very strange lying down on a bus, when you add this to the fact that most of the roads the bus was taking were incredibly bumpy it made for an interesting night. Each and every bump would jolt you out of your sleep as your body flopped up and down like a dead fish. Another challenge is that you have to get off at the right stop. Now this might sound ridiculous, but you are getting restless sleep when you feel the bus stop and you have about 45 seconds to realize it is your stop, gather your things and depart the bus before it continues on its route. When the bus arrived at our stop I was putting on my shoes as I threw my backpack over my shoulders while hobbling off the bus and trying to put my hair back up. Don't even think about getting back on if you forget something because as soon as you are off the bus the doors shut and it is gone in a cloud of dust.

We found ourselves in a dusty town, trying to wake up and orient ourselves. Cars were flying by and once we had our wits about us we hailed a taxi to take us to our hotel. (The taxi driver was a lifesaver and ended up taking care of us for the entire trip, giving us fantastic rates for the two days we would be there which were less than half what the hotel could offer.)

The Ajanta caves are about two and a half hours from Aurangabad so we hired a driver for the day to take us there, wait for us, and then bring us back. Our driver did not waste any time getting us there and driving as though we were being chased by a gang with machine guns we flew down the dusty roads. There were definite moments I thought I would die in a head on collision or fly off the side of a sheer cliff face but thankfully we survived. (The driver broke up the journey with two stops, the first was a fantastic local place for breakfast and the second was a lonely shack in the middle of nowhere for drinks.)

Taxi Taking a Break

Once having finally arrived in the parking lot for the caves it was time to journey through a shopping market which was filled with overly aggressive salesmen one of which (Erik from store 73) gave me a crystal as a "gift" after I had refused it several times by placing it on my camera bag and walking away. Every shop keeper had a store number which they would repeat to you incessantly along with their name in the hope that you would remember them and stop in their shop on your way out. The idea of course is one of reciprocity, many people feel that they must go back to the shop because you were given a gift so it is the least you can do. Feeling like celebrities being swarmed by paparazzi we made it through. Surviving the markets, we found ourselves at a bus stop with at least 30 locals and waited to board the bus for the 15 minute journey to the caves.

Paying at the welcome desk, we ventured in towards a grassy field disguised as a tourist trap where we quickly bought more water and made our way towards the daunting steps. There were loads of men at the bottom trying to make money by carrying people up on sedan chairs, but we rushed past them and finally began the 2 mile trek. It was yet another scalding day and each step was matched by a bead of sweat on your forehead. We had made it through a full liter of water each by the top but the hike felt shorter than anticipated allowing us to find ourselves before we knew it, just above the caves, gawking at a panoramic view of 26 magnificent caves carved into the cliff face before us.

Looking down on the Ajanta Caves

Entrance to Cave #1

Upon approaching the caves there is little doubt as to whether or not you have to remove your trainers because of the scattered shoes around the entrance. Once you have navigated the various forms of footwear you enter the refreshingly cool cave. You walk into the first cave and as you begin to catch your breathe and take pleasure in the break from the heat your eyes slowly begin to adjust to the change in light and the breathe you had just regained is stolen by the exquisite site before you. There are 26 caves and each one has its own unique charm, and as you walk in and out of each one your breathe is stolen over and over again. The caves are tucked away into a sheer cliff face, looking like a stone cavity from afar but up close you are exposed to the most stunning elaborately carved Buddhist temple. The caves, most of which boast an intricately carved massive Buddha as the focal point, are embellished with fabulous carvings and paintings on the walls. The Buddha in each cave holds its own individual significance and displays the symbol specific to that place of worship. As the caves are too beautiful and intricate to sufficiently put into words, I felt it best to show you a few of my favorites for you to enjoy on your own. (See below)

It took us about 3 hours to get from the first cave to the 26th and with the heat beating down on us the horrendous sense of dehydration was beginning to settle in. The last place to buy clean water is at the tourist shop at the bottom of the hike, and choosing between carrying masses of water or making our water last, we had made the wrong decision. Having enjoyed each of Ajanta's hidden gems it was time to make our way back to re-hydrate and begin our journey back to Aurangabad.

After the bus journey from the cave site to the shops we followed some tourists around the back of the shopping market to a hole in the fence which opened into the parking lot where we met our driver. Having dodged the market shops, we were feeling rather accomplished and found our driver quickly. Two shop keepers spotted us on our escape and were notably outraged at our successful evasion. Luckily for us they were quickly distracted approaching tourists posing as the night's meal. On the drive back I wrapped my head with my dupatta and shut my eyes, only opening them upon our arrival at our drink stop for lunch and a liter of water each and a small can of coca cola.  We finished our dinner and exhaustion took me out again until we had arrived back at our hotel. It was now very late and time for showers and bed to get ready for Ellora.