Arrive in Delhi.
Check-in at hotel. Later in the day, proceed for city tour of
Delhi. Overnight in Delhi.
DAY 2
| DELHI /
AURANGABAD
Morning
check-out from the hotel. Proceed for city tour of Delhi and
then to airport to board flight for Aurangabad. Check-in at
hotel. Overnight in Aurangabad.
DAY 3
|
AURANGABAD
Morning proceed
for full day excursion to Ajanta caves.
Ajanta Caves Tour (Ajanta Caves… beauty in rocks)
The first Buddhist cave monuments at Ajanta date from the 2nd
and 1st centuries B.C. During the Gupta period (5th and 6th
centuries A.D.). After that, many more richly decorated caves
were added to the original group making it a wonderful sight.
The paintings and sculptures of Ajanta are considered
masterpieces of Buddhist religious art. Exploring the caves of
Ajanta would transport you back to the time when Buddhism was
a blooming religion in India.
The famous caves of Ajanta: Caves 1,2,16 and 17 have the best preserved paintings
and required days, not hours to appreciate. The magnificent
depictions of the Bodhisattvas, Avalokitesvara and Padmapaniin
in Cave 1 are particularly well known.
A court scene in Cave number 1, possibly the story of
conversion of Nanda, a fellow prince like the Buddha, decided
to join the Buddha's monastic order. His dilemma was leaving
his wife Sundari and pleasures of princely life for one of
austerity, sacrifice and discipline.
In Cave 2, ceiling and wall paintings illustrate events
associated with the Buddha's birth.
A cameo of a woman at her toilet is universal favorite. For
instance, is the scene of Buddha's birth showing his mother,
Maya, standing in the place garden at Lumbini. Also in the
same cave is the scene from the Mahajanaka Jataka, where the
queen and her attendants tempt the shipwrecked price with all
the art of this world.
In Cave Number 7, a sculptured frieze of miracle of
Sravasti, when the Buddha multiplied himself a thousand times.
The paintings at Ajanta in Cave 17 depict stories from
the Jatakas or tales of the previous incarnations of the
Buddha. The doorway in the verandah of Cave 17, is a
row of enormous couples above which is a row of seated Buddhas.
The raised right hand, with the palm facing the viewer, is a
symbol of abhaya, reassurance and protection.
Cave 19 at Ajanta is amongst the best surviving
examples of a rock cut chaitya griha. The elegant porch is
topped by the distinctive 'horseshoe' shaped window, which is
flanked by yakshas or guardians, standing Buddha figures and
elaborate decorative motifs.
The interior of Cave 19 is profusely carved with
pillars, a monolithic carved symbolic stupa and images of
Buddha which heralded the introduction of Mahayana phase. The
story of Buddha life served as a perfect example of philosophy
of compassion. Born as a prince, young Siddhartha renounced
his wealth and position to find the meaning of life.
The Parinivana (ultimate enlightenment or liberation) came
when Buddha left the world- as depicted in the 7m (23ft) image
of the reclining Buddha in Cave number 26.
Ajanta provides a unique opportunity to study the early phases
of Buddhist sculpture, painting and architecture, which later
influenced artistic traditions in central Asia and Far east.
Overnight in Aurangabad.
DAY 4
|
AURANGABAD
Ellora Caves
Tour (Ellora…The Hidden Treasure)
Located about 30 Kilometers from Aurangabad, these caves are
known for the genius of their sculptors. Ellora first appears
to the visitors as an irregular ridge of rock rising
vertically from the ground. The cave complex is multicultural,
as the caves here provide a mix of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain
religions. Ellora represents some three hundred years of great
experiments carried out by different faiths with their very
different iconography and structural compulsions.
The Cave Temples of Ellora
34 cave temples of Ellora can be divided into three groups and
roughly three periods: Buddhist, Hindu and Jain. The Buddhist
caves came first, about 200 BC - 600 AD followed by the Hindu
500 - 900 AD and Jain 800 - 1000 AD.
Only 12 of the 34 caves are Buddhist, but even these
incorporate Hindu and Jain theme, demonstrating the gradual
decline of Buddhism. The Buddhist caves all belong to Mahayana
phase of the religion and contain of the religion and contain
some of the most impressive images of Buddha. The ceilings of
the caves were carved and often painted with geometric
designs, while walls and pillars carried narrative sculpture
and murals pertaining to the life of the Buddha. Sculptured
images in the caves at Ellora are of Hindu, Jain and Buddhist
deities and their consorts, auspicious symbols of apsaras,
tree nymphs, attendant of gods, animal motif, tree and plants.
The first three caves, all dating to the seventh century are
lofty, pillared halls with carved Buddha images fashioned on a
large scale. Cave number 4, a vihara is two storeyed, but in
rather poor condition today. The pillars here have rather
interesting pot and foliage motifs.
The tenth cave in this group is known as the
Vishvakarma cave because , some say, it was so beautifully
fashioned that it came to be known after the artisan of the
gods; other say it is called this because it is popularly
believed to have been great favorite of those belonging to the
carpenter's caste.
Cave 11 was known for a long time as Do Tal (Two
stories) to distinguish it from the next cave which was called
Teen Tal (three stories).
Three tiered Cave Number 12 known as Teen Tal, is a
Buddhist chaitya or prayer hall and vihara, or monastery. But
it was subsequently discovered that Do Tal was in fact Teen
Tal and that the basement had been buried by several centuries
of earth.
The ultiate culmination of rock-cut architecture in terms of
sheer mastery of technique and dazzling conception, is Cave
16, better known as the Kailasa temple.
Of the remaining caves in the Hindu series, Cave 21,
known as Rameshwara must be singled out for its beautiful
sculpture. The goddesses Ganga, Jamna and Parvati, and the
gods Siva and Kartikeya all figure on the friezes.
Cave 29, Dhumar Lena, is said to be influenced by the
pattern of caves at Elephanta near Bombay. It is certainly
amongst the most imposing on the site and dates to the late
sixth century.
Cave 30 is known as Chota Kailasa for rather obvious
reasons. It is rather stunted copy of cave16 but about a
quarter of the original size. Inside are images of the
Tirthankaras and of Mahavira Jain on his Lion throne.
Cave 32, the Indra Sabha, is so richly carved and
decorated that it occasionally become rather overwhelming. The
sides of the temple are covered with elaborate carving of
Elephants, Lions and vases.
One of the most beautiful elements in the caves at Ellora is
the variety of carved pillars. The columns are all sturdy and
have massive proportions to suit the size and scale of the
caves in which they belong. Some pillars are plain, others
have carved bases, capitals, brackets and fluted shafts.
DAY 5
|
AURANGABAD/DELHI
Morning free at
leisure. Later transfer to the airport for a flight to Delhi.
Transfer to the airport for flight to onward destination
