4/11 Had a nice train journey again, left almost on time and arrived at Jalgaon, the nearest station to the Ajanta Caves. There were lots of lovely families on the train, it was my longest trip so far this time (20 hours)and it was nice to have good company. The scenery was not very interesting - flat countryside, but I did see a huge coal-fired power station, just like at the Hunter Valley, it was such a surprise. And because the land is so flat around it, it could be seen for a long way. We also passed a very strange area that looked like sand dunes that ants had eaten a lot of the soil from and just left some vegetation standing. It went on for miles, and one of the men told me that its like that because when it floods the river fills it up, then people live in whats left after the waters recede. He said a lot of undesirable people - criminals etc hide out there, and I can believe that nobody would want to try and find them there!
On arrival at Jalgaon, my plan was to get the bus, around an hour, to Ajanta, where you change onto the bus that runs between the bazaar which is mainly souvenir shops, spend 3 hours or so looking at the caves then another bus to Aurangabad, where I would stay then go to Ellora in the morning.
All went according to plan, but when I got to the little bazaar (called the Mall) it was pretty hard to get through all the touts. The short walk from the main road had me rather puzzled. The road was well sealed and landscaped, a very nice parking lot, and a modern construction leading to the "Mall". It was like being in a western country. I asked one of the touts, who of course offered me chai, "no buying, only looking Madam", why it was like this, and he told me that the Japanese Government had paid for it all to be nice and modern. Hence the reasonable "coaches" that did the run to the caves, because normal tourist buses are not able to go there, so have to park in the very nice car park. I was thinking that it was a nice thing for a foreign government to do, but one of the touts said that it hadn't been so good for the local, as not only had land been taken from farmers, but the rents for the modernised Bazaar were much higher and some of them were really struggling. They would have much preferred it the way it had been.
The trip to the caves was only 5 minutes, the bus stops at the information centre where official guides hang out (700 rupees for 2-3 hours), a restaurant, nice clean toilet block (for a change), and some unofficial guides (200 rupees). I accepted the offer of one and we headed along the path towards the Caves which are cut into the hillside in a horseshoe shape. There are over 30 caves in all, three sections of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain Temples and meeting places. The earliest were made around the 4th Century, and it is believed that some of them were completed in 20 years, and others a lot less. They are stunning, there is very intricate work in them all and to think that they have been carved out of stone, mostly that looks like marble, really makes you wonder about the strength of the people who did the work. The artisans must have been really skilled and huge in numbers. The Buddhist caves of course were not as ornate as the Hindu, the style being more quietly elegant. At the back of each cave was an inset with a huge statue of Buddha, quite apart from all the carvings with Buddha and his daily life and family in the Temples themselves. The Hindu caves ( Temples) had carvings that were quite exhuberant, with all their deities and the colours in them both were still to be seen, albeit much muted, that gave an idea of just how colourful they must have been. The work is as you would find it in the Palaces all through India. I found myself trying to imagine the daily lives of the people who lived here all those centuries ago. The Jain Temples were not quite as ornate, but also had some beautiful carvings.
When I had finished looking at them, my (not official) guide took me up a very steep path with many steps to the little plateau with a Temple, which overlooks the horseshoe shape of the caves, and also a huge waterfall. We then walked further around towards his village to fin a view of the Seven Waterfalls, which is in fact the big one tipping into 6 smaller jade green pools, once some of the watersupply for the inhabitants of the caves. It was a nice respite from the heat, as the rock outside the caves is quite dark and really holds the heat. It was quite pleasant to cool down before heading back to the Bazaar to get my bus to Aurangabad.
I was persuaded to go by car to Aurangabad by a tout who had to go there anyway, and offered to take me for 150 rupees. He said the bus would be 90 anyway, and would take 4 hours, and he would only take one and a half but he was trying to get more people. Although I wasn't sure I believed him about how long the bus took, but it was hot and I had come off the train and bus, done a lot of walking and was in need of a shower and a little lie down. Well, it was the best decision, and a bargain at that price, because I would not have been at my hotel until at least another 2-3 hours, and it wouldn't have been such a pleasant trip. I was in my room having a shower 2 hours after we left the caves.
The hotel was very pleasant, with a big covered in restaurant with lounges and nice furniture. Also the first westerners, even a couple of young Aussies, I had seen since leaving Delhi - the usual story, me being the only non-Indian travelling on the trains and buses! There was a huge thunderstorm and torrential rain for about an hour, and when that finished, the fireworks from Diwali started, continuing until after midnight. The noise was unbelievable, they reverberated all around the buildings and it was impossible to have a conversation - lucky its only once a year - hope they get the law passed to make them quieter.
6/11 In the morning I got a rickshaw to the Ellora Caves, which was a very pleasant trip. The countryside is quite lovely in parts, lots of trees, fruit trees (guava) and all around can be seen the stone ruins of old fort walls and temples and mosques. There is a ridge of very high hills on one side that also has old forts here and there, and the sense of history all around. We reached the caves and had to park in the huge parking lot. As some of the caves are more spread out, in some cases a couple of kilometres apart, its necessary to travel by car or rickshaw between them, they are not as compact as Ajanta Caves.
Again they are really impressive at first glimpse, and to the right of the oldest a lovely waterfall sets them off nicely. They are also carved into the hills but not next to each other as at Ajanta. Lonely Planet recommends that if you are short of time and can't see both, Ellora are the best out of the two, but I really felt that the preservation and the beauty of the carvings at Ajanta was far superior. I didn't spend as much time in most of them at Ellora but again, the Buddhist section was beautifully preserved, with huge Buddhas sitting so serenely the ambience could really stir the imagination. The huge Hindu Temple Ka...... is quite a complex, and still in use today.
The scenery from the caves was beautiful, looking out onto small waterfalls and a river, with many lovely trees, almost rainforest in appearance, as on the way here from Aurangabad.
After leaving the caves, my driver took me to see the "Mini Taj", built by Aurangzeb for his wife's tomb (his father built the original Taj Mahal at Agra). Aurangzeb was a very aggressive leader, as well as a destroyer of everything he conquered. He had his father Shah Jahan locked up for most of his life after the original Taj was built, because he thought he was a spendthrift. The Mini Taj is a very sad spectacle, because although there are signs around stating that restoration work is in progress, and scaffolding that looks as though its been there at least a decade, nothing has been done, and its gradually going to rack and ruin. There is a mosque adjacent that, although is no longer used, appears to have been restored, and looks as the Taj should. I would like to know where the entrance fees are being used - there were a lot of Indian tourists there, and although they don't pay very much entrance fee (unlike foreigners) it would certainly add up over the years.
So my tim in Aurangabad is nearly over, its been very pleasant here, with lovely scenery and people. My train to Hyderabad leaves at 10 30pm, so I stay at my hotel until 9.30 and have dinner, even though I have checked out. The station is only a five minute walk away,but with luggage I am getting a rickshaw, a whole 20 rupees. So Hyderabad, here we come...