Ellora Caves

Aurangabad district, Aurangabad · Open now

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AddressEllora Caves, Verul

Managed byArchaeological Survey of India (ASI)

Today's hoursOpen today 6 AM – 6 PM

Tickets fromFrom ₹35

TypeArchaeological Site

Time needed4-5 hrs

Location

About

A complex of 34 rock-cut monasteries and temples, carved between roughly the 6th and 10th centuries CE, uniquely representing Buddhist, Hindu and Jain traditions side by side within the same cliff face. Its centrepiece is the Kailasa Temple (Cave 16), an entire temple carved downward out of a single rock face, estimated to have required the removal of over 200,000 tonnes of rock — one of the most ambitious rock-cut architectural projects ever undertaken. Unlike Ajanta, Ellora was never abandoned and remained a site of continuous religious activity and pilgrimage. The coexistence of three faiths' monuments at one site reflects the religious plurality of the Deccan region during this period.

Did you know? Ellora's Kailasa Temple wasn't built up from the ground — it was carved downward out of a single basalt cliff face, with an estimated 200,000 tonnes of rock removed entirely by hand over generations, making it one of the largest monolithic structures on Earth.