The World Heritage-listed cave temples of Ellora, about 30km from Aurangabad, are the pinnacle of Deccan rock-cut architecture. Over five centuries, generations of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain monks carved monasteries, chapels and temples from a 2km long escarpment and decorated them with a profusion of sculptures of remarkable imagination and detail.

Because of the escarpment’s gentle slope, in contrast to the sheer drop at Ajanta, many of the caves have elaborate courtyards in front of the main shrine. The caves run north-south and take on a golden radiance in the late-afternoon sun. In all there are 34 caves at Ellora: 12 Buddhist (600-800 AD), 17 Hindu (600-900 AD) and 05 Jain (800-1000 AD). Ellora represents the renaissance of Hinduism under the Chalukya and Rashtrakuta dynasties, The subsequent decline of Indian Buddhism, and a brief resurgence of Jainism under official patronage.