Day 2- Mesmerising sights in Ajanta
Continuing from the sojourn to Ellora on the previous day, the two men woke up the next morning with a new mission in mind- exploring the other great caves known as Ajanta.
On 14th October 2021 at 9 a.m., Sayan and Rahul left Zostel in Aurangabad to embark on the next leg of their journey. Going forward with an autorickshaw, they fought with the autowallah to take them to the Central bus stand. Despite agreeing to a reasonable fare, the autowallah once again started arguing about the fare when they reached the bus stand. Considering that this was usual for just about every place in India, they simply took it in their stride. Retaining an upbeat mood for the sake of Ajanta caves, the two settled the money and went ahead.
Pet pooja bhi to zaroori hai!
The best option for Sayan and Rahul to eat breakfast was at a local shop near the Central bus stand. They ordered poori sabzi, and though the poori was fine, the subzi turned out to be really bad- so much so that they had to leave almost half the plate! “Maybe breakfast after starting from Zostel would have been a good idea,” Sayan mused.
It took about 30 minutes for the bus to arrive at the stand on this day. The two got to know from the locals that the frequency of these MSRTC buses was particularly low. As they stood in the hot sun, several tour guides created a cacophony around while trying to convince them to take a cab. Most of them said, “Sir, yahan bus rukte rukte bahut time lagata hai. Aap cab mein jaldi pahuch jaoge”. However, on their trip to Ellora, they had already gotten to know about this and decided to stick to the bus.
Sayan and Rahul experienced a reasonably comfortable bus ride that took place over 4 hours. Parts of the road to Ajanta were under construction, but nothing that was too broken. At this point, the friends remembered some of the tour guides also telling them, “Bahut kharab rasta hai sir, bus nahi ja paying”. They simply looked at each other and smirked- Aren’t we used to much worse?
The social trip
While Sayan and Rahul had set off together, they found a lot of other passengers also going to Ajanta on the bus. A few conversations all around prompted all of them to go together, which made it a group of 7. Apart from the usual, this group also contained a mother-son duo and a couple with children.
Everyone had to take two tickets, one for the caves and the other for the Ajanta area. The entry ticket itself was for INR 40. However, the ticket for the Ajanta area was already a part of the 2-in-1 bus ticket. When the group got down from the bus after a lot of hullabaloos, they were asked to get into shuttle buses to reach the caves. Some group members wandered off into the shops near the cave area, eager to buy souvenirs and munch on snacks.
The Real Ajanta Caves
By now, most members of the group were walking at their own pace, breaking up into different factions. Sayan and Rahul continued ahead as they were mesmerized by the carvings all around.
Ajanta Caves constitute ancient monasteries and worship halls of different Buddhist traditions, having been carved into a 75-meter (246 ft) wall of rock. There were a total of 30 caves, needing roughly 3-4 hours to cover them all by feet. There was a more luxurious option though, in the form of a palanquin (cost INR 2000), but they both decided against it (perhaps after marriage?)
A few differences were visible here as compared to Ellora:
- There were a lot more paintings here, in addition to rock-cut sculptures
- Painted colors were still visible on the beautiful murals
- Ajanta appears to be more compact than Ellora
- In the caves, wall paintings could be seen only in about 4-5 caves. The rest of the caves had just rock-cut sculptures
- Many unfinished caves can be seen here. The shapes were clearly not polished and only half pillars were visible.
Buddha and Meditation
Ajanta caves consisted of several meditation halls that were used as retreats for monks and monks. Interiors of these halls were made entirely of rocks, with beds and cabins being visible. Abundant sunlight made the friends think about camping there for the night, but that changed after knowing that the place closed by 6 pm! Those who’ve loved and appreciated the life of the Buddha would love Ajanta due to the Buddhist cave paintings based on Gautam Buddha’s life stories. Memories of childhood came rushing back to the friends as they noticed paintings of the Jataka Tales.
Rock Patterns Without Religious Influence
Many rock patterns seen within the Ajanta caves are still used across carpet designs, as the two friends found out. Virtually all these patterns are inspired by the Buddha’s life. What is interesting to note is that none of the Buddha’s rock patterns showed religious influences. Instead, plenty of fruit and flower paintings in different shapes were present.
After seeing the caves, Sayan and Rahul headed down the hills (Ajanta caves are carved from hills). They found a shallow but peaceful lake here. Though the lack of rain had made it shallow, it was a place for monks to have baths. Feeling happy with the cleanliness, the two decided to spend some time here.
Back to Zostel
Sayan and Rahul braved the peak afternoon heat to wait at the first bus stop near Ajanta to get back to Zostel. Here they found a Government-run restaurant for lunch, but it took just a few minutes for them to step back outside due to exorbitant prices. Instead, they decided to get help from vendors. Fruits from the first bus stop on their way from Aurangabad helped satiate their stomachs this time.
It took 15-20 minutes for the bus to arrive at the deserted bus stop. Unsure of the crowd inside, the friends were pleasantly surprised to find the empty bus. After 4 hours, the tired but happy men headed toward Zostel for a changeover. An early dinner with vegetarian thalis at a restaurant near Zostel marked the end of the day. They returned and slept off while talking about Bibi ka Maqbara, their destination for the next day.
