Day 1- Ellora and Daulatabad
There isn’t a soul in India or the world who hasn’t been feeling trapped due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Occasional travel has turned out to be a welcome break to people like Sayan Das and Rahul Chouhan, who made the most of it by visiting places like Ajanta and Ellora caves, as well as other interesting areas of Aurangabad. The two friends made a spontaneous plan to escape from the confines of home during the Dussehra holidays in 2021. At this juncture, it can be said that they didn’t want FOMO to catch up to them!
A Short and Adventurous Trip
No trip these days is finalized without watching hundreds of YouTube videos, which is what they did before the commencement of the journey. With a fair idea, they booked the 9:30 pm Devagiri Express via IRCTC and got on to it from Dadar station on 12th October. Bookings were made for 2-3 days at Zostel for a double room while on the journey. As dinner was already done, both Sayan and Rahul slept off peacefully while dreaming about the beauty of Aurangabad.
Train number 07057 reached Aurangabad station at 4:30 am and the friends got out onto the platform. There was one tiny predicament at this time- Zostel did not allow guests to check in till 12 p.m. After roaming around and racking their brains for a bit, they decided to freshen up at the station itself.
At the first break of morning rays on the road, they moved outside to begin the first leg of their journey, fully excited and charged up. They hired an autorickshaw to get to a bus stand, from where they boarded the bus to Ellora. They had a small breakfast near the bus stop here and carried fruits for the day. Being used to the humid heat of Mumbai, travel across different means of transport wasn’t a hassle.
Low Entry Fees in the Morning
The journey to Ellora took 1.5 hours, and the two reached Ellora to find out that ticket prices were only INR 40 each, but before 8 am. Being delighted that they had arrived in time, the two friends paid for the tickets with a booklet as a guide, using it to match cave numbers and descriptions. Entry into Ellora caves was from the middle, after which the friends took a right and walked ahead with child-like enthusiasm.
Right at this time, one of the soles on Sayan’s shoes got torn, as a result of which he had to get slippers and wear them during the walk. Ellora caves were mesmerizing from the word go, with the friends having read about them since childhood. They looked much better than in pictures, with mountains being beautifully carved into voluminous caves. Each cave has been created for the purpose of meditation. Rocks have been carved out to resemble shrines. The Buddhist architecture here ensures that a good amount of daylight reaches till inside.
Caves and Meditation
Every cave consists of a number of small meditation cells, roughly 8ft x8 ft x10 ft. Cave 5 here has been designed like a dining and meditation hall, with a low table inside, possibly for monks to eat. This is one of the biggest caves present at Ellora.
Cave 16 is an absolute must-see in Ellora, as it depicts the Kailash temple. It is the largest monolith temple made from a mountain, with carvings visible from top to bottom. Kings are said to have made this cave over 200 years!
Were the Caves Empty?
Yes, the caves were mostly empty. While walking across the caves, Sayan and Rahul noticed minor differences among them. One of the caves here had a bed, with a monk seemingly taking rest. This place was different from the rest of the meditation cells.
Looking up and on the sides, the two friends noticed damage on the caves. They found out that none of this area had been rebuilt since it was damaged by several invaders over the years. Major cracks were all sealed here. Among the inscriptions, visitors would notice deities on many pillars, erotic male and female figures, Shivlings, Nandi, and elephants. Sayan and Rahul were fascinated while seeing Ramayana and Mahabharata stories being depicted on walls and pillars through carvings.
Hunger Strikes
By now hunger was making funny sounds within the stomachs of the two men. They were done by roughly 2 pm, after which they went towards caves numbers 33 and 34 for a shuttle bus. Workers were constantly sweeping to ensure cleanliness in an area that was otherwise frequented by monkeys (Hanuman had made his presence felt). With time available before the bus arrival, Sayan and Rahul calmed their stomachs with lunch from the outside stalls.
Daulatabad Fort- Impossible to Penetrate
It took the bus half an hour to reach Daulatabad Fort in Devgiri village. After paying for their tickets, they started finding out about the history of the fort as they went ahead. This maze-like fort was created by Alauddin Khilji who took over from Muhammad Tuglaq and shifted his capital here from Delhi in the late 13th century. He ordered the whole population of Delhi to shift here, and the place was such a maze that no enemy could ever enter.
During the above mass migration, several people, especially the old and the sick, died. This forced Khilji to reverse his decision 4-5 years later and he shifted his capital back to Delhi.
Much like the Gwalior Fort and the Amer Fort, this too was on a hill. Stairs to climb the fort were very narrow and steep, thereby tiring out the two friends by the time they reached the top. Despite being narrow, the entry and exit to the fort were the same.
Different aspects of the fort’s design are meant to confuse enemies. For instance, there were a large number of false doors. Gates of the fort have been placed in complex ways, often trapping the enemy which entered in the earlier days to lead them straight towards cannons!
Chand Minar
Next to the fort is the Chand Minar, which looks similar to the Qutub Minar. King Bahamani had built this minaret. With a sudden burst of energy, the two friends raced each other to the top. Visibly excited, they were able to view the entire city of Aurangabad from here. Regular maintenance ensured that the fort looked well maintained from every angle.
After a satisfactory day of trips, Sayan and Rahul took an auto to go to Zostel and checked in. Dinner from a nearby restaurant was all that was left to do on day 1, after a relaxing shower.
