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Awesome An elephant sculpture in Cave 16

We had arrived in Aurangabad the previous evening and taken rooms in the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation Resort. Roomy and practical with attached bath, hot water in the taps and a common dining hall, not to mention a TV in the room, these government set-ups are a boon. Much depends on the current manager of the place, and we are lucky to see Aurangabad resort well-maintained. If you find the amiable dining-hall attendant a bit slow to materialise your order, there are two things you can do: be happy the food that finally arrives is going to be fresh, or saunter across to any of the eateries dotting the road, offering different cuisines to suit a range of budgets.

At the very earthly hour of 10 a.m., we set off for the caves. The road to Ellora is flanked by imposing banyan trees. We pass the signs to Daulatabad fort, saving it for later. The approach to the caves, like other ASI sites, is heralded by bhutta wallahs and knickknack sellers, but neat enough. Declining the offers of the numerous guides swarming around, we decide to do our own exploration, and enter, first of all, cave number 14, dedicated to Varaha and Shiva.

Already under the spell of these incredible carved mountains — Hindu, Buddhist and Jain shrines and monasteries hewn between the 7th and 11th centuries, which can be seen from the national highway as uniquely striped hills — we climb the steps and find an old woman prostrating before an enclosure, possibly a sanctum sanctorum in centuries gone by. It is a defining image, in a sense, of the visit. You do feel like prostrating before such unbelievable artistry. This flow of imagination that turned solid rock massifs into rippling storylines! Devagiri, the old name for Daulatabad, seems to be the only suitable description. These are Hills of the Gods if ever there were any.

Cave 12 is a three-storey structure with depictions of a meditating Buddha.

Upstairs there are huge halls with columns running their length, identical bas relief at both ends. We find the Buddha in various postures. Sometimes on a seat with both feet placed on the ground, sometimes with one foot laid across the other knee, reminiscent of Dakshinamurti — Shiva as the preceptor. The ‘superheroes’ who made this three-storied monastery must have repeated the feat in Cave 11, which seems identical. Cave 10 has a niche with a massive seated Buddha under an elaborately carved domed ceiling.

Wandering through the labyrinth we reach Cave 16, the biggest, most elaborate compound, looking like a large Tamil Nadu-style temple complex, with four gopurams clustered in the centre and halls running all round. Entering the main hall we see larger-than-life elephants, the damage to their trunks detracting not a whit from the flow of lines that gives them a lifelike look.

The Kailasanath temple, and a view of the elaborately carved mountain walls

These caves are not to be visited just once. Outside again, we climb the slope till we are above the caves.

The gopurams are visible from above, as also the rest of the hills. No need to go in search of peace. No need to meditate here with closed eyes. All one needs to do is open them, and be thankful for the gift.

The Maharashtra road network is also good, so you can reach Aurangabad from various major cities and towns by road. There are Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation buses between Aurangabad and Mumbai too.

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