Ajanta Caves

Hello sir, I am Abhinav pander. I am from Mumbai. I want you to help me by providing me some information about the history of Ajanta caves and also tell me about the ways to reach Ajanta caves.

[Kiran Chandar]

Ajanta Caves in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra state of India are about 30 rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments which date from the 2nd century BCE to about 480 or 650 CE.

The caves include paintings and sculptures described by the government Archaeological Survey of India as "the finest surviving examples of Indian art, particularly painting", which are masterpieces of Buddhist religious art, with figures of the Buddha and depictions of the Jataka tales.
The caves were built in two phases starting around the 2nd century BCE, with the second group of caves built around 400–650 CE according to older accounts, or all in a brief period of 460 to 480 according to the recent proposals of Walter M. Spink.
The site is a protected monument in the care of the Archaeological Survey of India, and since 1983, the Ajanta Caves have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Reaching to Ajanta Caves:
By Air:
Currently Aurangabad is the nearest Air point for Ajanta. It can be reached from New Delhi and Mumbai (Bombay), international airport. Indian airlines as well as Jet Airways have daily flight to Aurangabad from New Delhi and Mumbai.

By Rail:
Jalgaon is the best place to drop in for Ajanta if you like Rail journey. It is centre point of all major railway stations of India and has Bhusaval (Just 28kms from Jalgaon) as Second largest depot of railways in entire Asia.

Cave Timings:
9.00AM to 17.30PM Indian Standard Time (IST)
Ajanta Caves remain closed on Monday. CAVES REMAIN OPEN ON ALL NATIONAL HOLIDAYS

Cave Charges:
1. For Indians below 15 years : FREE of Charge
2. For Indians above 15 years : Rs. 10/- per head
3. For Foreigners above 15 years : US $5 or equivalent in Indian rupees per head
4. For Photo Camera/ Video Camera: Rs. 5/- (Camera to be used without flash)