My Ajanta Caves Experience

Bright and early, I got up and headed to the train station to try and figure out if it would be possible to get to Ahmedabad from Aurangabad after I had finished with my caving tour and was ready to move on. It didn't seem possible, but I decided to look it up online later, and just head out to see the Ajanta Caves. So I caught an auto-rickshaw to the bus station to figure out how to get to the caves.

As I arrived at the bus station, another foreigner pulled up in a different rickshaw and alighted at the same time as me. I asked where he was headed. Delighted to hear he was headed to the Ajanta Caves as well, I suggested we figure it out together. He readily agreed and we set about finding the proper bus. The guy at the ticket window pointed us in the right direction. When we headed out to the buses though, we were waylaid by bunches of guys who tried to steer us into private cars. I got a bit exasperated and annoyed and just left them buzzing like little mosquitoes and went back to the ticket window to try again. We found the correct bus and got on and we were off.

Ben, the other foreigner, was quite a talker and we talked for much of the way. He was from Wales and was only in India for 2 weeks on a very quick little trip during which he had a fairly detailed list of what he wanted to accomplish while here. And there were a few things here in Aurangabad that were included.

We also became the focus of attention of a number of the other passengers and we all got chatting and talking. It was a fun bus ride and the 2 and a half hours to the Ajanta site passed quite quickly.

At Ajanta we got off the bus and then had a bunch of touts who were buzzing about at the bus stop. And because they were not going to be making any money the next day, with the caves closed to tourists, the fairly hard sell was on. We were given lots of help finding the next bus up to the caves, four kilometers away. We were given information about their shops and even given a gift or two to remember a particular tout so we would be sure to visit when we finished at the caves. I had no intention of buying anything at all, especially not after having lightened my load so well while in Mumbai. But they didn't seem to really get the hint. I guess that's not in their best interests, but still...

We found the next bus stop. There are special buses that take tourists from the main road up to the cave area. This is mandated by the government in an attempt to protect them from pollution and such. It's a good idea, in theory, but they were really buses that looked much like every other bus I have seen. So I'm not sure how much site protection they offer from pollution, but at least it's a conscious attempt. That's a good thing.

Up at the caves, we purchased tickets and then spent the better part of four hours wandering around these caves that are really well-preserved. About 30 caves are located in a horseshoe shaped canyon, and were carved partway up the cliffsides. While accidentally eavesdropping on a tour guide in one of the caves, I gathered that the caves were cut out over a period of about 900 years. They represent several different periods of Buddhism with different influences evident in the different sculptures and paintings found throughout the caves. I, of course, really can't tell much of the differences and so that whole part of things is Greek, er, Buddhist to me.

The big attraction of the caves at Ajanta are the well-preserved Buddhist cave paintings that decorate many of the caves. The caves with particularly striking or vivid paintings are more or less sealed and have humidity and temperature controls in place. In addition the number of visitors to those particular caves is limited to about 40 at a time. The rest must wait in line to get in. In addition no flash photography is allowed inside, something of which we were reminded ad nauseum. If only they were as quick to notice when people were using their flashes and to holler at them. They were somewhat blasé about that. And they at times started to holler at the person with the nicest camera, often me, even though I was not the one using my flash. I didn't actually need to with the capabilities of my camera. But all in all, they were doing a very good job of protecting the caves and their contents from becoming damaged any further by time and the elements, and tourists.

In addition there are lots of carvings of Buddha, in various poses. In almost every cave, there was a fair-sized enclave at the rear, where a large Buddha sat. Most were remarkable in their artistry.

The outside of the caves were also striking in their detailing. Most of the entrances had intricate carvings around the doors and walls outside the caves. These were just as artistic as anything inside. All in all, I found it to be an amazing spot to explore. They reminded me a lot of the caves I visited in China, although these are better preserved.

After we finished having a look at all the caves, Ben and I walked to the bottom of the canyon and then climbed up to a viewpoint on the top of the opposite cliff. There we looked out over the caves and just admired the work that must have been required to create them.

While we were up at the viewpoint, a couple of uniformed soldiers approached us and started chatting with us. The conversation went on for a good while. Then we all headed down from the view point and we took a photo together. Then they invited us for tea. We met the whole of the commando unit that was assigned to guard the caves. They were one of the Quick Response Teams that are deployed throughout Maharashtra State, created in the wake of the Mumbai terrorist attacks. They now are sent to protect sensitive spots, particularly tourist spots. We had encountered the team attending the Ajanta Caves.

At the end of having tea, it was getting late and the team leader asked us if we would like to return to Aurangabad with them in their transport vehicle. I don't know if it was the smartest thing to do. Generally in foreign countries it is not the best idea to interact with the police. They can be corrupt and they have guns, so once you are under their control and power, bad things can and have happened. But we didn't really think of that, and they seemed to be generally interested in us and amused by us. And they posed no threat to us, in the end. So we rode back to town in the Quick Response Team transport van. It was surreal in a lot of ways, and I found myself just laughing to myself many times during the trip, wondering how these sorts of things keep happening lately. It was quite an end to an amazing day.