Tue 9 Dec Aurangabad Ajanta Caves
The bus from Indore to Aurangabad in nowhere as nice as the bus from Bhopal. No pillows, no blankets. The king sheet that Carol carried was our only covering. At least our sleeper seats were lower seats. That didn't mean a good night's sleep, merely that it was easier to get out to pee when the bus stopped, as it did every 2 - 3 hours. Mike had the aisle bunk, which meant that he got to hold on to the outside pole to keep from being rolled into the aisle as the bus bounced along and took the turns.
At 0745 we arrived in Aurangabad, which will serve as our base for visiting the World Heritage sites of Ajanta and Ellora. Aurangabad lies between the two sites; securing accommodations at either one would have been a tactical nightmare. Ajanta Caves are closed on Monday (ie, yesterday) and Ellora Caves are closed on Tuesday (today). We could not have procured a bus trip from Bhopal to Jalgaon [on the north of Ajanta] or Bhopal to Aurangabad [on the south of Ajanta] during the daytime on 8 Dec. So, good morning Aurangabad!
We have secured two nights' rooms at Manmandir Hotel. The bus lets us off close to the hotel and a 30 R rickshaw drive gets us there. It is not clear in advance that our credit card went through on the computer along with our reservation, but they have the charge. Finally we get checked in, finishing up at 0830. This is a curious hotel in a mixed commercial part of town. There is a private bus terminal, complete with restaurant, on the lowest level. Up to our room, where we shower, change clothes, and take down 5 days of laundry to be washed.
Over to the bus stand. At 1020 our bus to Ajanta Caves is off. It would have been nice to have gotten an earlier start on this 105 km ride, but given all the travel constraints detailed above, this late departure was the best we could do.
We get out at Ajanta Junction, walk through the tourist shop zone, and get on a shuttle bus to take us the last 4 km to the entrance. This bus wheezes and chugs up the hill - we are praying that we don't need this bus on the way down.
Ajanta Caves consists of a series of extensively-painted caves built into tufa rock between 2nd C. BCE - 6th C. CE. Most were probably commissioned by merchants trolling the early trade routes through Asia to the Arabian Ocean, who supported Buddhist monks and their monasteries. Some have called Ajanta the "Buddhist Louvre". The site lay under jungle foliage for decades until it was rediscovered in 1819 by troops from the East India Company. The paintings, and the fact that they still are in reasonably good condition (unlike, say, parts of the Mogao Caves of China that were desecrated by Moslem conquerors and 20th C. Communists), are what make the place worth visiting.
There is a short steep climb to the first caves. A series of guys holding two-man palanquins wait hopefully for any tourists who want to be carried (500-800 R). Mike is propositioned but declines. A young Korean woman accepts and is carried up and down, cave to cave, over the whole set of caves.
The caves are arrayed over a horseshoe-shaped gorge. There are caves numbered 1 - 30, not all of which are open. Most require shoes that shoes be removed to enter (these are holy sites, after all). Most also have restrictions on the use of flash photography. Thus the pictures you take are not at all great (at least the pictures WE got were not at all great).
The sculpted figures are exuberant, and the colors that still cling to them (all derived from natural water-soluble substances) are deep. There has been no attempt to touch-up anything, but some paintings are now enclosed in glass. Many of the murals depict earthly pleasures alongside Buddhist virtues. It is interesting to see the many depictions of Buddha in contemplation. There is a spectacular reclining Buddha with a serene face awaiting Nirvana.
By 1545 we are through. It's getting hot and we have seen enough. Mike was really thirsty and got a large soda, which he drank quickly. This induced a large amount of mucus and a some deep coughing which sometimes precedes vomiting, but didn't in this case. Carol had said don't drink the soda that fast.
By 1600 we are back at the main bus junction. Also at the gate is a privately hired jeep. It cost us 240 R to take the local bus here. We are offered rides back to Aurangabad for 400 R for the two of us. We say OK, get into the front seat, and off we go. It turns out we just missed the regular bus, and we would have waited a good bit for the next bus coming through. A front-seat ride was a real treat (and probably reduced the price the couple who hired the jeep had to pay the driver). Win-win all around.
It is well after dark when we get back to the bus stand in town. We start walking back to Manmandir Hotel, get a little lost, and finally catch a tuk-tuk to get there.
We pick up our clean laundry and go downstairs for a little dinner. Carol orders the mini-thali (100 R). OK, nothing special. Mike is mostly thirsty, but gets the Hakka Noodles (95 R).
Carol suggests booking a 0600 direct non-stop Volvo bus to Pune departing from the bus terminal in our building. For whatever reason, we don't act on it.
Tomorrow is Ellora Caves day. With a good night's sleep we will get a much earlier start.
The bus from Indore to Aurangabad in nowhere as nice as the bus from Bhopal. No pillows, no blankets. The king sheet that Carol carried was our only covering. At least our sleeper seats were lower seats. That didn't mean a good night's sleep, merely that it was easier to get out to pee when the bus stopped, as it did every 2 - 3 hours. Mike had the aisle bunk, which meant that he got to hold on to the outside pole to keep from being rolled into the aisle as the bus bounced along and took the turns.
At 0745 we arrived in Aurangabad, which will serve as our base for visiting the World Heritage sites of Ajanta and Ellora. Aurangabad lies between the two sites; securing accommodations at either one would have been a tactical nightmare. Ajanta Caves are closed on Monday (ie, yesterday) and Ellora Caves are closed on Tuesday (today). We could not have procured a bus trip from Bhopal to Jalgaon [on the north of Ajanta] or Bhopal to Aurangabad [on the south of Ajanta] during the daytime on 8 Dec. So, good morning Aurangabad!
We have secured two nights' rooms at Manmandir Hotel. The bus lets us off close to the hotel and a 30 R rickshaw drive gets us there. It is not clear in advance that our credit card went through on the computer along with our reservation, but they have the charge. Finally we get checked in, finishing up at 0830. This is a curious hotel in a mixed commercial part of town. There is a private bus terminal, complete with restaurant, on the lowest level. Up to our room, where we shower, change clothes, and take down 5 days of laundry to be washed.
Over to the bus stand. At 1020 our bus to Ajanta Caves is off. It would have been nice to have gotten an earlier start on this 105 km ride, but given all the travel constraints detailed above, this late departure was the best we could do.
We get out at Ajanta Junction, walk through the tourist shop zone, and get on a shuttle bus to take us the last 4 km to the entrance. This bus wheezes and chugs up the hill - we are praying that we don't need this bus on the way down.
Ajanta Caves consists of a series of extensively-painted caves built into tufa rock between 2nd C. BCE - 6th C. CE. Most were probably commissioned by merchants trolling the early trade routes through Asia to the Arabian Ocean, who supported Buddhist monks and their monasteries. Some have called Ajanta the "Buddhist Louvre". The site lay under jungle foliage for decades until it was rediscovered in 1819 by troops from the East India Company. The paintings, and the fact that they still are in reasonably good condition (unlike, say, parts of the Mogao Caves of China that were desecrated by Moslem conquerors and 20th C. Communists), are what make the place worth visiting.
There is a short steep climb to the first caves. A series of guys holding two-man palanquins wait hopefully for any tourists who want to be carried (500-800 R). Mike is propositioned but declines. A young Korean woman accepts and is carried up and down, cave to cave, over the whole set of caves.
The caves are arrayed over a horseshoe-shaped gorge. There are caves numbered 1 - 30, not all of which are open. Most require shoes that shoes be removed to enter (these are holy sites, after all). Most also have restrictions on the use of flash photography. Thus the pictures you take are not at all great (at least the pictures WE got were not at all great).
The sculpted figures are exuberant, and the colors that still cling to them (all derived from natural water-soluble substances) are deep. There has been no attempt to touch-up anything, but some paintings are now enclosed in glass. Many of the murals depict earthly pleasures alongside Buddhist virtues. It is interesting to see the many depictions of Buddha in contemplation. There is a spectacular reclining Buddha with a serene face awaiting Nirvana.
By 1545 we are through. It's getting hot and we have seen enough. Mike was really thirsty and got a large soda, which he drank quickly. This induced a large amount of mucus and a some deep coughing which sometimes precedes vomiting, but didn't in this case. Carol had said don't drink the soda that fast.
By 1600 we are back at the main bus junction. Also at the gate is a privately hired jeep. It cost us 240 R to take the local bus here. We are offered rides back to Aurangabad for 400 R for the two of us. We say OK, get into the front seat, and off we go. It turns out we just missed the regular bus, and we would have waited a good bit for the next bus coming through. A front-seat ride was a real treat (and probably reduced the price the couple who hired the jeep had to pay the driver). Win-win all around.
It is well after dark when we get back to the bus stand in town. We start walking back to Manmandir Hotel, get a little lost, and finally catch a tuk-tuk to get there.
We pick up our clean laundry and go downstairs for a little dinner. Carol orders the mini-thali (100 R). OK, nothing special. Mike is mostly thirsty, but gets the Hakka Noodles (95 R).
Carol suggests booking a 0600 direct non-stop Volvo bus to Pune departing from the bus terminal in our building. For whatever reason, we don't act on it.
Tomorrow is Ellora Caves day. With a good night's sleep we will get a much earlier start.
No comments:
Post a Comment