Shirdi - Ajanta - Ellora - Aurangabad Trip

First, let me apologize for the inordinate delay in writing this post. Went on a family trip in November 2011 to Shirdi and from there, made Aurangabad our base and covered places like Ajanta, Ellora, Grishneshwar, Daulatabad along with Panchakki and Bibi-ka-Maqbara (Mini Taj Mahal) in Aurangabad.

Shirdi:
Reached Shirdi by Ajanta Express from Hyderabad on 15th November 2011. Got down at Nagarsol and took an MSRTC bus to Shirdi. Booked room at the Sai Sansthan Choultry online and also booked for an Aarti. After Aarti Darshan, we did some brisk shopping and had lunch at one of the numerous Andhra hotels.

For people from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, going to Shirdi is like going to one of the cities in our own states. Most of the boards on the hotels are in Telugu despite Shirdi being deep inside Maharashtra and no where near the border.

It is same like people from Tamilnadu or Karnataka when they visit Tirupati. Majority of the visitors to Shirdi are from Andhra Pradesh. Shiv Sena and later Maharashtra Navnirman Sena blackened the boards in Telugu but later they are back - thanks to some back channel communication between the politicians. :)

Evening, we vacated the room and went to the Bus Station to catch a bus to Aurangabad. To our surprise, there were hardly any buses and lucky for us, Omer Travels bus from Shirdi to Hyderabad was going through Aurangabad and we grabbed seats on it. The route from Shirdi to Aurangabad is one of the most horrible roads that I ever traveled on. We reached Aurangabad at around 9PM and checked in one of the Hotels.

Aurangabad:
Aurangabad is one of the largest cities in the state of Maharashtra that has a 400 year old history. There is heck of information on this great city of Aurangabad on Wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurangabad,_Maharashtra

Ajanta:
Next day (16th November 2011), we booked an A/C cab for Rs.2000/- that took us to the famous Ajanta Caves. The road was excellent and picturesque

More details about Ajanta Caves here at Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajanta_Caves
It was quite sunny and it is advisable you wear goggles and an cap. The distance from Aurangabad to Ajanta Caves was around 100 Kilometers and it took us 3 hours to reach that place.

So, if you are planning for a visit to Ajanta Caves, leave a whole day for it. Which is what we did. A mini bus would take you from the Highway to the Caves entrance at a nominal rate of Rs.20/- (I guess). There is no option but to walk the entire cave system. There are people with palanquins who take the older people in them. Since we didn't require it, didn't thought of enquiring about the price. Since we were traveling with my 4 year old kid (my second one came later) we had to take care of her health too as there is a lot of walking to do.

By the time we reached back to our hotel, it was late in the evening. Had dinner and kicked the bed.

Grishneshwar:
Grishneshwar is one of the 12 Jyothirlingams in India. It is around 30 Kilometers from Aurangabad. More information Here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grishneshwar


Got up early and directly went to Grishneshwar. The original temple is pre-historic that was pulled down the Muslim invaders. Rani Ahilyabai Holkar restored it in the 18th Century.

Grishneshwar is right behind the Ellora cave system. From here, we went to the Ellora Caves.

Ellora Caves:
More information about Ellora caves here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellora_Caves
Ellora caves is a mixture of Hindu, Jain and Buddhist temples. The most noted one is the Kailashnath Temple (Lord Shiva Temple) that had been sculpted top down of a mountain !! It's a marvel in itself.
There are Autos that ferry you across all the caves for Rs.250/- to Rs.400/- depending upon the season. No such luck at Ajanta Caves.

We completed Ellora Caves by 12PM and from here, left for Dautalabad Fort that is on the way to Aurangabad.

Daulatabad Fort:
This is a 12th Century fort that was built by the Yadava Dynasty rulers. More information here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daulatabad,_Maharashtra

It's quite tough walking up the entire fort. There is a narrow passage way that is in complete darkness. Without a guide, it is very difficult to pass this phase of the fort. A guide would be sitting over there all through. Better you also take a good torch light. That would be of great help.

By the time we are back on the road, it was around 4PM and we started off for Aurangabad.

Panchakki:
Panchakki is a water mill that is attached to a Sufi Saint's Dargah: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panchakki This is built in the 17th Century by one of the officials of the Nizam of Hyderabad under whom this entire area comes.

Bibi Ka Maqbara (Mini Taj Mahal):
Bibi Ka Maqbara or Mini Taj Mahal is a mausoleum built by the tyrant Aurangazeb in the memory of his wife. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibi_Ka_Maqbara

By the time we reached there, it was around 5PM. It's like poor man's Taj Mahal. It is almost half the size of the original Taj Mahal in Agra. But, as it is, it looked beautiful.

Since there was nothing left to visit, booked a bus ticket to Hyderabad by Omer Travels and cancelled our train ticket for the next day.

Very important to note is that, there are literally no buses that ply between Aurangabad and Hyderabad except Omer Travels and this bus is Non-A/C.

Had a great memorable trip within a short span of 3 days !!