After our brief European escape, we were prompted by our good friend Nicola to undertake some more Indian exploration. Ellora and Ajanta were high on Nicola's and our expat "bucket list" which are the the things you must do before your next relocation and as she will soon be relocating she is a little more focused Lucy was not keen to explore archaeological sites in temperatures of 40 C so she organised a sleep over for Friday and Saturday nights. However we were able to convince (bribe) Ada into willingly joining us.
Ellora and Ajanta are caves and temples cut into cliff lines near the towns of the same names. They are close to Aurangabad which has several significant historical sites due to it being the seat of Murghul power on the Deccan Plateau and is named after the Murghul Emperor Aurangazeb, famous for the imprisoning of his father Shah Jahan, who ordered the construction of the Taj Mahal.
Ajanta Caves were first on our schedule and it is approximately 100 km from Aurangabad or around two hours driving time. After driving to the top of an escarpment, we descended towards a large white building which marked the entry point. According to Kate, they are constructing replicas of the Caves to reduce the tourist impact.
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Seated Buddha (pre-enlightenment)
in front of a Stupa |
A short bus ride took us to the start of a pathway and a short walk up some stairs put us on the pathways that hugs the base of cliff into which the Cave have been cut. The first caves at Ellora were constructed in the 2nd century BC and they continued until the 5th century AD.
Although there are 29 caves in total a number are small and a few are unfinished. The caves are Buddhist and the main difference from other caves we have seen from a similar period are the elaborate paintings, frescoes and carvings that adorn the caves.
The earlier caves have no images of Buddha while the later caves have some spectacular statues including a large reclining Buddha.
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| Reclining Buddha, reclining security guard |
The paintings are spectacular and are very natural with a real sense of perspective and far more lifelike and flowing than many European paintings from the same period.
The cave were abandoned around the 5th Century and were overgrown by jungle only to be discovered by a British Cavalry Officer, John Smith, while hunting tigers. How very British!
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| Security guarding the columns from the shade |
It was a hot day and although the Caves were relatively cool, we were well and truly cooked by the time we returned to Aurangabad.
After a late lunch and a couple of hours in the pool, we set out before sunset to see the Mini Taj Mahal which was built by Aurangazeb's son to honor his mother. Aurangazeb was a devout Muslim and, in addition to imprisoning his father, was known for his destruction of various temples in India. During his life, Aurangazed sewed and sold small Muslim caps and he used the funds to pay for a simple grave covered with earth, consistent with his beliefs.
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| Still pretty impressive! |
We were led to believe that the Mini Taj was a very poor comparison and I suppose that when compared to one of the most vaunted buildings in the world it can be a little underwhelming. However, on sunset and with a local crowd, it was still spectacular.
The next day we set off for Ajanta which is only 30km from Aurangabad. One of the great things about travelling in India are the amazing photo opportunities that are available. Some times the light is too bright, sometimes you are in too much of a rush and other times you don't have a camera with you. I stopped the car just on the outskirts of Daulatabad, the small village near a significant Fort were were planning to visit.
While I was preparing to take the photo, two boys road down the hill, their bike racks covered in fresh goat feed. I turn around and 15 women were washing clothes in the river while some goat herds drove their goats across the river. It was one of those times when it all comes together, light (although a bit too bright), camera and action!
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The moment is even better when you shoot film...
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..... because you will never know.....
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...what you capture....
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| .....until you get home (1980 Olympus OM10 with Velvia 200 and a high res scan) |
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| The lower defensive walls. |
The Fort is built on a built on a natural pyramid shaped hill and the cliff line has been accentuated to make the walls to the Citidel impassable. The Citidel is surrounded by a series of defensive walls, within which the population would live. In addition to the defensive walls were dry and wet moats. the wet moats acting as part of a cascading water reservoir system central to maintaining a fortified population in dry country during a siege.
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| The lower walls from the Citadel |
Unlike the Forts in Ragasthan, only the foundations remained of the majority of the residential structures within the Fort walls. So, no wishing to use all our good will with Ada on a 40 degree day, after passing through the main fortifications, only Nicola and I continued to 200 vertical metres to the summit of the Citadel.
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| Wet moat |
After passing over the high wet moat we continued the Andhari, or dark passage, which is the only way to the summit. This narrow, unlit section of stairs tunneled into the cliff was designed to force attackers into a narrow defile where they could be held back by a smaller number of defenders. This could be then filled with smoke from a brassiere to make life even more uncomfortable!
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View down to the exit of the Andhari
with lower walls in the distance |
Unfortunately, the Andhari is still not lit and although we paid a local guide with a torch to get us up the tunnel, there was no such service on the return journey. As a result, Nicola now has an interesting set of photographs as she used her flash to find our way safely down the tunnel!
The views from the summit were spectacular and you really gain an appreciation of the size of the massive fort complex and its dominating position
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| The Fort custodian, looking fierce and channeling his forebears (film shot again) |
