Ellora Caves Ticket Price | Timings, Entry Fee, Photos, History and How to Reach

Ellora Caves, where you can witness the perfect combination of Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain cave temples.It is a monolithic structure steered out of a single rock and accommodates Buddhist chaityas, viharas, Hindu temples, and Jain shrines, marking the significance of religious distinctiveness and harmony. Moreover, a 15-meter-tall statue of Lord Buddha adorns the place. 

Founded during the decline of Buddhism, it embraces religious tolerance, recognized as a World Heritage Site in 1983 by UNESCO.

As one of the spectacular heritage places, it is equipped with ancient Indian rock-cut architecture and 100 excavated caves, 34 are accessible to the public, including 12 Buddhist caves (1–12), 5 Jain caves (30–34), and 17 Hindu caves (13–29). Among 100 caves with detailed carvings and sculptures, Kailasa Temple is the most well-known cave. Being considered a holy spot under Verul’s name, it has been a significant visiting place for pilgrims with inscriptions representing the facets of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism. 

If you are interested in visiting this place, get into this blog to get the complete information about it, Ellora Caves Ticket price, timings, online ticket booking process, and much more. 

Ellora Caves Ticket Price

Ellora Caves ticket price is Rs. 40 for Indians and SAARC Country visitors. Besides, entry charges for foreigners are Rs. 600. For video cameras, additional charges are 25, and car parking fees are Rs. 30.

Here, you can get information about the Ellora Caves ticket price for Indians, SAARC Country tourists, and foreigners. 

Tourists	Ticket Price
Domestic/Indian	40/-
Foreign tourist	600/-
SAARC Country Citizens	40/-

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Ellora Caves Timings

Aurangabad Caves timings are 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Travelers can visit it any day of the week except Tuesday as it remains closed on Tuesday. Besides, it is recommended to not plan your trip in the peak summer months, May and June due to the scorching heat. The perfect time to visit is winter or Monsoons as temperatures remain moderate. 

Note: Ellora Caves opening time is 6:00 AM 

Also Read: Qutub Minar Ticket Price || Pandav Leni Caves Ticket Price

How to Book Tickets Online?

Ellora Caves ticket online booking process is seamless with simple steps to follow.

Here is the step-by-step procedure to book Ellora Caves tickets conveniently.

• Firstly get into the official website of the Heritage Monuments of India, https://asi.payumoney.com/. 
• Now, choose the city, “Aurangabad” and the monument “Ellora Caves”. 
• Then select the time and date, as per your preference. Booking morning slots will impart more comfort due to the less crowd. 
• Now, fill in the necessary details such as name, nationality, email, phone number, ID information, etc., and complete the payment process. 
• After payment, you will receive a confirmation message in your email, including all the details about your booked ticket. 
• In the last step, take the Printout of the booked ticket or save it on your mobile device to show it at the place’s entrance.

Note: You should carry Identification proof when visiting Ellora caves. Besides, it is suggested that you book tickets in advance to avoid the long queues at the spot.

How to Reach the Ellora Caves?

Reaching the Ellora caves is easy with the robust transportation options, available in the city and can be accessed conveniently. Look at the transport options, tourists can use as per their convenience. 

By bus: Travelers preferring Buses to reach the location can get in State-run buses or private buses, accessible from the central bus stand and CIDCO bus stand.

By Train: The nearest railway station is Aurangabad Railway Station, situated at 28 km, providing easy accessibility to the location with autos or rickshaws readily available outside the station. 

By Airport: After reaching Aurangabad Airport, located at 35 km and connected to prominent cities conveniently, tourists can take autos or rickshaws near the Airport.

Ellora Caves Photos

History of Ellora Caves

Exact Information about cave excavation timelines is not available. However, few historical records mention the establishment of Hindu caves and Buddhist caves during the Rashtrakuta dynasty. Besides, The Jain caves are believed to have been built during the Yadava rule. Over 400 years, from the 6th to 10th centuries CE, the caves were built and served as a place of religious prominence for the pilgrims and monks. The excavation timeline of Buddhist caves (1 to 12) belongs to the 6th and 8th centuries and Jain caves (30 to 34) excavations date from the 9th to 12th centuries. Excavated in 2 segments, The Hindu caves were excavated in two segments with some excavated before the Buddhist or Jain caves, Nine caves (17 to 25) excavations built in the 6th century, and later, excavations of four (26 to 29) caves were executed. 

Ellora Caves Architecture

There are many typologies and intricate techniques implemented in Ellora Caves. Its construction inspired the rock-cut structures in  Western Deccan and structural establishments in southern India. Transforming from the last phase of rock-cut style to the structure with freestyles, these caves constitute a notable part of Indian temple architecture, boasting structures with simple layouts, and halls without columns. Door frames and columns in the caves are not embellished. Over time, construction included porches with sub-shrines and encompassing passageways around the sanctuary. Moreover, door frames and column shafts are embellished. 

Monolithic structures in caves such as Kailasa Temple, Chhota Kailasa, and Indra Sabha constitute open porches, and mandapas, and resemble the edifices. Kailasa Temple (Cave 16), is ground out of a single rock, exhibiting Mount Kailash, the abode of Shiva. Hindu temples are adorned with the lingam, an assembly hall, and a gateway. 

A Nandi statue is situated in front of the temple, inviting artisans from around the world. Buddhist caves are home to monasteries and shrines and Indra Sabha (Cave 32) is popular for its large structures. Cave 10, the Vishvakarma Cave, is a prayer house, that houses the 15-foot Buddha statue sitting in a preaching pose and is considered a prominent cave.

Jain Caves have architectural styles such as a veranda and a mandapa, backed by 16 pillars and Dravidian shikhara. The design of Cave 30, including Chhota Kailasa, is influenced by the Kailasa Temple. 

Things to Explore at Ellora Caves

Visiting Ellora Caves opens doors to many appealing things, listed below:

1. Hindu temples – in the list of Ellora caves, caves 13 to 29 are Hindu caves, in which Cave 15 (Dasavatara), Cave 16 (Kailasa Temple) and Cave 21 (Rameswaram) are well known. Kailasa Temple has spectacular rock-cut styles, while Dasavatara Cave showcases Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu, and Rameswaram Cave is represented by its sculptural elegance. Dumar Lena, cave 29 is a small pool, situated beside Sita-Ki-Nahani. 

2. Jain Caves – Jain caves are from 30 to 34, in which Cave 30 accommodates Chhota Kailasa, imitating Hindu Kailasa Temple partially. Cave 32 includes Indra Sabha, the Jain Shrine series and Cave 33 boasts Jagannath Sabha, home to numerous detailed sculptures. 

3. Buddhist monasteries – Buddhist monasteries comprise caves 1 to 12 in which Cave 10 includes Viswakarma, the tall stupa of Buddha, Cave 11 contains Do Tal, a monastery of two stories and Cave 12 has a Teen Tal. Caves 10, 11, and 12 are immensely popular. All Buddhist caves are crafted from paintings and sculptures of Buddha and symbols of Buddhist mythology.

4.  Kailasa Temple – A rock-cut temple, Kailasa Temple has a complex and includes scripture devoted to Lord Shiva. monolithic Shivalinga. Scriptures and paintings in the temple feature the occurrences related to Hindu mythology Ramayana and Mahabharata. The base, walls, and ceiling are adorned with fine carvings. The whole structure is executed through the tools like chisels and hammers.

5.  Grishneshwar Temple – Grishneshwar Temple, a Hindu temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It’s a jyotirlinga located near Verul village, available at a distance of about a km from Ellora Caves. It is believed that water rippling from the temple is sacred. 

Note: Buddhist and Hindu caves are larger than Jain Caves.

Attractions Near Ellora Caves

There are various attractive places travelers can explore near Ellora Caves. List of such impressive places are listed below: 

Things to Remember

• Ellora Caves is considered a holy site by the local population thus don’t do anything that hurts the religious sentiments of people. Besides, it is recommended to dress in modest clothes. 
• Travelers who have health-related problems are advised to not visit the place.
• Prefer to explore the site in the morning or afternoon as, in the evening, the place gets hugely crowded.
• Carry essential items while visiting Ellora Caves such as light snacks, a bottle of water, sunscreen, a hat, etc. 
• Wear shoes instead of sleepers as there are uneven surfaces on the site. 
• Before planning to trip to Ellora Caves, read about the significance of Ellora Caves. 
• Don’t engage in any activity, that harms any item or structure present in caves.

Ellora Caves Location, Address and Contact Details

Address: Ellora Cave Road, Ellora, Aurangabad, Maharashtra 431005

Phone: +91-240331217

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