Ajanta Caves

Aurangabad district, Aurangabad · Closed now

Usher Score

⭐ 9/10- Unmissable

Heritage★★★★★Experience★★★★★Comfort★★★☆☆Photography★★★★★

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AddressAjanta Caves, Ajanta

Managed byArchaeological Survey of India (ASI)

Today's hoursOpen today 9 AM - 5 PM

Tickets fromFrom ₹35

TypeArchaeological Site

Time needed4-5 hrs

Location

About

A series of 30 rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments carved into a horseshoe-shaped cliff face, dating from roughly the 2nd century BCE to 480 CE, containing some of the finest surviving examples of ancient Indian painting and sculpture. The caves include both chaityas (prayer halls) and viharas (monasteries), their walls covered in elaborate murals depicting the Jataka tales of the Buddha's previous lives. Abandoned for over a thousand years, the site was rediscovered by chance in 1819 by a British officer on a tiger hunt. The paintings' sophisticated use of shading and perspective make Ajanta a foundational reference point for the history of Indian art.

Did you know? The caves were forgotten for over 1,000 years until a British cavalry officer, John Smith, stumbled upon them in 1819 while hunting a tiger, his signature, scratched into a pillar, is still visible today.