Aurangabad Caves

4.4

Location: W886+VQR, Grishneswar Temple Road, Aurangabad, Maharashtra 431101, India

Estimated Visiting Time: 2-3 hours

These Aurangabad caves are twelve rock-cut Buddhist shrines located on a hill running roughly east to west, close to the city of Aurangabad, Maharashtra. The first reference to these Caves is in the great chaitya of Kanheri Caves. Thus caves were dug out of comparatively soft basalt rock during the 6th and 7th centuries.

Attraction

These Caves attract history buffs and art connoisseurs from across the world with their ancient sculptures. Holidaymakers often visit this site to soak in the spell-binding views.

When it comes to size and popularity, these caves might not hold a candle to the world-famous Ajanta and Ellora Caves. They give us useful insights into early Buddhist architecture. Thanks to the picturesque location, they also double as a spot for family outings and so, plan your itinerary, pack your bags, and head out to explore them.

History

Historically these Caves are limited since, unlike other caves, they don’t contain any inscriptions. According to historians, their origins can be traced to the 6th and 7th centuries. The first reference about this site is found at Kanheri Caves, another cluster of rock-cut caves and these are one of those few caves in India where you can see the 1st millennium CE Buddhist artwork, including sculptures of Durga and Ganesha.

Inside/Outside Views

These caves are rock-cut structures carved out of soft basalt rocks. They display early Buddhist architecture and residential cells and feature Buddhist shrines called viharas.

This site has 12 caves, which have been named numerically and divided into three groups. The first group includes Cave 1 to Cave 5, while the second group comprises Cave 6 to Cave 9. The third group includes the remaining three caves which are Cave 10, Cave 11, and Cave 12.