Must See Caves in Ajanta and Ellora

I built out this Must See caves in Ajanta and Ellora list, as I know from experience we always don’t have all the time. This post will surely help you to prioritize the ones you want to see. This Ajanta Ellora caves tour plan talks about other details like how to get there and how best to enjoy the caves.

We did this trip on one of our long weekend trips to Aurangabad to see Ajanta and Ellora caves. If you are interested in architecture and history, this is an absolute must do. Living in Mumbai made it easier for us to just pick up our car and go for the drive which is 7hrs drive Mumbai.

For more about the drive, how to reach, where to stay and planning the trip, check out our Ajanta Ellora caves tour plan.

Since there are a total of 30 caves in Ajanta spread over a distance of about 2kms, it can take over 6-7hrs just for Ajanta and everyone prefers to cover Ajanta and Ellora in the same day trip. If you are there for a long weekend, you could split it over 2 days.  So here goes the list of most noteworthy and must see cave frescos/paintings and murals in Ajanta caves:

• Cave 1 contains 3 eminent frescos of Bodhisattvas (These are considered to be the masterpieces of Ajanta) –
  1. Padmapani (Boddhisattva of Compassion)
  2. Vajrapani (a richly bejewelled Bodhisattava)
  3. Avlokishwar – bodhisattva who is considered to be able to calm down the most disturbed of people
• Cave 2 has a ceiling adorned with frescos with intricate scrollwork and geometrical patterns and the legend of Buddha’s birth on the walls

• While cave 4 is the largest vihara at Ajanta, Cave 6 is the only 2 storied vihara in Ajanta
• Cave 9 has a beautiful façade in the shape and style of a jewellery box
• Cave 10 is the oldest of the Chaityas and the earliest of Ajanta excavations belonging to the 2^nd century BC. This was the cave that was spotted by Captain John Smith behind the dense forest cover which led to the discovery of these caves
• Cave 16 has paintings from the life of Buddha
• Cave17 has the largest number of well preserved frescos in a single cave
• Cave 26 has the colossal reclining Buddha sculpture representing Parinirvana.

Similar to Ajanta, Ellora caves are spread over a large area and going from one set of caves (Hindu, Jain and Buddhist) to the other takes substantial time and energy. In fact Cave 16 (the most elaborate of all caves in Ellora) itself could take about 1.5 – 2hrs. That’s why I have collated this list of must see caves in Elloray, so you can pick and choose to see the best caves in a limited amount of time.

So here are the must see caves in Ellora and what you will find there–
Make sure to include these in your Ajanta Ellora caves tour plan.

• Cave 1 which is the earliest excavation at Ellora (besides the historical information, there’s nothing to see in the cave)
• Cave 5 – largest of the Buddhist caves, is a Vihar with a huge Buddha sculpture in the chapel
• Cave 10 – the only proper Chaitya hall in Ellora and quite a big one at that, has a richly decorated façade. The cave temple is dedicated to Vishwakarma, the architect of the Gods and the patron saint.
• Cave 15 – Its one of the must see caves in Ellora with its key sculptures (mostly concentrated in the upper floor) include eight armed shiva slaying a demon, dancing Tandava – the dance of destruction and the one in which Shiva is shown playing dice with Parvati, in a playful mood.

• Cave 16 – This cave is celebrated as Kailasha – Shiva’s mountain abode and is by far the best of all the Ellora excavations. This cave temple was constructed by the Rashtrakuta dynasty. Carved out of a single rock, its one of the best monolithic structures in the world. The noteworthy sculptures include Narsinghavatar – the man lion incarnation of Vishnu, Ravana shaking Kailasha, Parvati clinging to Shiva, wrought carvings of Shiva cult among others
• Cave 21 – attractive façade and the best sculptures include Parvati’s marriage to Shiva that adorns a whole side wall
• Cave 29 – has a group of halls built in the form of a cross and unlike the other temples, has 3 separate entrances. Has the sculpture of a colossal Shiva in the portico, dancing in destructive fury. Outside, the river goddess Yamuna is shown.

Hope this helps in prioritizing your time when you visit Ajanta and Ellora.