Ellora Caves

Ellora Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site around 29 km from Aurangabad, is one of the greatest archaeological sites in the world. Thirty-four monasteries and temples carved directly into the volcanic basalt of the Charanandri Hills span roughly 2 km and represent three faiths: Buddhist (caves 1-12), Hindu (caves 13-29) and Jain (caves 30-34), created between the 6th and 11th centuries CE. The Kailasa Temple, Cave 16, is the centrepiece: a freestanding temple carved top-down from a single mass of rock, one of the largest monolithic structures on earth.