Born of mind

(continuation from my earlier trip
posts .. )

Ajanta and Ellora are two of the most amazing archaeological sites in India. Although handcrafted caves are scattered throughout India’s western state of Maharashtra, the complexes at Ajanta and Ellora are the most elaborate and varied examples known. I had been to one of them (would love to visit the other one in the future). And I must admit that I was filled with awe when I stepped inside this amazingly beautiful Ellora caves. You can’t help but appreciate the beauty of ancient sculptural art when you visit such places.

Ellora caves has been included (and rightly so..) in the list of World Heritage Monuments. The caves aren’t natural caves, but man-made temples cut into a massive granite hillside and thats the uniqueness of this place. Its been given a lot of importance from archaeological point of view and has been a favorite tourist place for many years (It will continue to be so in the future..) . I do not mind going again and again.. to such place, every part of which has something to offer to our eyes.. (Date visited : 26th Nov 07, Ellora caves)

Useful Information :
Location : Aurangabad district, Maharashtra
Acclaimed as : World Heritage Site
Highlights : Astonishing carvings, sculptures and relief work
How to Reach : One can easily reach caves by hiring private cabs, taking tourist buses or by boarding trains from Mumbai.

These were some of the snaps taken by Manoj during the trip..
All rights (NOT) reserved. Copyleft 2007, bornoutofmymind.blogspot.com

I had been to some of the places in Maharashtra : Nasik, Aurangabad, Trayambakeshwar jyotirlinga temple, Ghrishneshwar jyotilrlinga temple, during the trip to Shiridi along with my parents. One is not supposed to click photographs at the temple premises (I managed to click some pics though) and I think this is the only thing that is followed strictly in these places.. Luckily we didn’t have to spend much time traveling as the places are located nearby.

Date and places visited :
24th Nov 07 – Trayambakeshwar Jyotirlinga, Nasik, Kaalaram temple, Panchavati, Godavari birth place.
25th Nov 07 – Ghrishneshwar Jyotirlinga, Kaanch ka mandir – The Hanuman temple

Birth Place of Godavari @ Nasik

The Nasik Mukthidhaam temple

Panchavati

Ghrishneshara Jyotirlinga Temple

Kaanch ka Mandir – The Hanuman temple

When I was on my way back to Shiridi from Nasik, casually I happened to ask one of the guys there about the places to be visited near Aurangabad and first thing he told me was about the Mini Taj.. Name sounded very interesting then. Though he said that its a replica of the famous monument, the TAJ @ Agra, I didn’t believe him.. but i was taken by complete surprise when I actually saw it. I never knew before, some ‘thing’ of this kind existed. I don’t know why it has not gained as much of popularity as it should have (btw.. I am not trying to compare it with the Taj.). Historians have been a bit unfair to this particular monument I guess. (Date visited : 25th Nov 07 – Mini Taj)

Some of the snaps taken by Manoj during the trip..