The Sun Temple in Konark

 Konark is a small town situated in Puri District, in  the state of Orissa in India. Konark, placed on the east coast, at about 65 kilometers from Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Orissa. The town has the well known Sun Temple built during the reign of Narasimhadeva-I.

The Sun Temple of Konark is also known as the Black Pagoda, as it is built in black granite. It is a monumental representation  of the Sun God Surya with its 24 wheels decorated by symbolic designs. The chariot is led by a team of 6 horses.

Since the temple is in ruins in the recent times, the sculptures are kept in the Sun Temple Museum and looked after by the Archaeological Survey of India. This has been declared as a World Heritage Site

How to reach Konark Sun Temple?
Bhubaneswar is the nearest airport, located at about 65 kilometers from it. There are regular flights by Indian Airlines, Indigo etc. They connect various cities throughout India.
Bhubaneswar railway Station located at about 65 kilometers and Puri railway station located at about 35 kilometers are the nearest railway stations.

Konark is connected to Bhubaneswar by the National Highway via Pipli and Puri, on Marine Drive.
Regular Bus services ply in this route. Conduted tour services are also available from Bhubaneswar and Puri.

Stay / Accommodations
Yatri Nivas - 06758 236820
Labanya Lodge - 236450
Banita Lodge- 236491
Hotel Sunrise / Royal Lodge - 236818

Contact Konark Tourist Office - 06758 236821

Elephanta Caves

Elephanta Caves are located in the Uran Taluka in the district Raigad on island hills, at about 11 kilometers north-east of the Apollo Bandar, Mumbai, in the state of Maharashtra in India. This is about 7 kilometers from the shore of the mainland, approximately covering an area of 7 km in circumference.

After these caves were carved out, it seems to have passed through different dynasties who held their sway over this island. They were the Konkan-Mauryas, Trikutakas, Chalukyas of Badami, Silaharas, Rashtrakutas, Kalyani Chalukyas, Yadavas of Deogiri, Muslim rulers of Ahmedabad and then by the Portuguese. The Marathas also had this island under their control for sometime and from them it was passed on to the control of the British.

The Elephanta Caves are known as Gharapurichi Leni in the native language. Elephanta Caves are a network of sculpted caves situated on Elephanta Island also known as Gharapuri, mea‌ning literally  "the city of caves".
The Elphanta island is placed on an arm of the Arabian Sea which consists of two groups of caves, one is a large group of five Hindu caves and the other, a smaller group of two Buddhist caves.

The Hindu caves contain rock cut stone sculptures, representing the Shaiva Hindu sect, dedicated to the Lord Shiva. There are 7 cave excavations in the Elephanta group. The main cave or the Great Cave was a Hindu place of worship till the beginning of the Portuguese rule in 1534, after which the cave suffered severe damage. After many years of neglect the main / great Cave was renovated in the 1970s.

The Brahmanical rock cut architecture found in these caves have been dated to be in between 5th and 8th centuries.  No one is sure about the identity of the original builders and it is still a subject of debate. The caves are carved from solid basalt rock and were originally painted in the past but now only traces of those paints remain.  The cave is also famous for the exquisite and vibrant sculptures found in them.

Elephanta Caves were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 to preserve the artwork. It is currently maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)

Ajanta and Ellora Caves

Ajanta and Ellora Caves, UNESCO world heritage sites in India
Ajanta and Ellora caves a re a part of Indian culture and tradition during the earlier age. These rock cut temples and caves were carved by hand, mostly using hammer and chisel.

Location of Ajanta and Ellora Caves
Ajanta and Ellora Caves are located in the Aurangabad district of the state of Maharashtra. Both of them are UNESCO World Heritages sites. Ajanta and Ellora Caves are placed at about 100 kilometers from each other. The sites are protected monuments in the care of the Archaeological Survey of India. Since 1983, the Ajanta Caves have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

About Ajanta Caves
Ajanta caves are carved into the side of a cliff which is placed on the south side of a U-shaped gorge on the small river Waghora / Wagura. Since the area was heavily forested the caves were covered and went out of sight, till it was accidentally uncovered and found by a British Officer while he was on a hunting party.

There are caves numbered from 1 to 28 but some of them were unfinished even then. These figures and impressions on the caves seem to have been carved out with simple tools like hammer and chisel. They depict the story of Buddhism over a period of 200 BC to 650 AD. These caves were used a secluded retreats for the Buddhist monks who were teaching and performing rituals. These were the ancient seats of learning as well as the nerve centers of the Buddhist cultural movement.

Buddhist caves in Ellora
Even though the Buddhist caves are numbered from 1-5 and then 6-12 , it is clear that Hindu caves have been the earlier ones. The first of the Buddhist cave is the Cave 6 followed by othrs one by one, all the caves having been constructed between 630 - 700. One of the most famous caves in the Buddhist group of caves is the cave 10, which is known as Vishwakarma or the carpenter's cave. In the heart of this cave there is a 15-foot statue of Buddha seated in a preaching pose and the first nine are monasteries and the last two have 2 and 3 storeys.

Hindu caves of Ellora
These Hindu caves seem to have been built in the 6th to the end of 8th century. The first of the hindu caves 17 - 29 are of the Kalachuri period but the work first seems to have commenced in caves 29 and 21 14, 15, 16 were constructed during the Rashtrakuta period.

Cave 16 was known as the Kailasanatha is the unrivalled piece of th Ellora. This has been carved out of a single rock but looks as if it is a multi storeyed and free standing temple complex. the temple is a splendid example of the Dravidian art. The project was started by Krishna 1 of the Rashtrakuta Dynasty and the builders modeled it on the lines of the Virupaksha Temple in Pattadakal.

The Dashavatara Cave was started off as a Buddhist monastery with an open court and a free-standing monolithic mandapa at the middle as well as a two-storeyed temple at the rear. The other notable Hindu caves are Rameshwara the cave 21, Dhumarlena or Cave 29, Raava ki Khai or cave 14 and Nilkhanta or Cave 22.

Jain Caves of the Ellora
The first of th Jain cave was built in the 9th and 10th centuries and they belong to the Digambara sect. Jain caves reflect a strict sense of Asceticism and they are not large like others but they have exceptionally detailed works of art. Chhota Kailash or Cave 30, the Indra Sabha or cave 32 and Jagannath Sabha (cave 33 or Cave 33 are the most remarkable ones.

Entrance fees and Timings at Ajanta and Ellora Caves
Cave Timings:
9.00AM to 17.30PM Indian Standard Time (IST)
Ajanta Caves remains closed on Monday and Ellora Caves remains closed on Tuesday.
Both the caves remain open on all the National Holidays

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

How to reach Ajanta Caves ?
Ajanta Caves are located near Jalgaon just out isde the Ajinta Village at about 59 kilometers away from the Jalgaon Railway station. Jalgaon is located on the Delhi Mumbai line aand the Howrah Nagpur Mumbai line of the Central Railway. Ajanta Caves are located at about 104 kilometers from the city of Aurangabad.
If you are travelling from Aurangabad, you can visit Ellora caves and then drive on to Ajanta Caves.
Ajanta Caves are closer to Jalgaon just outside the Ajinta Village at about 59 kilometers away from the Jalgaon Railway station. Jalgaon is located on the Delhi Mumbai line and the Howrah Nagpur Mumbai line of the Central Railway.

Accommodation Facilities at Ajanta and Ellora Caves
MTDC Hotel at Ajanta-a choice of single (2 blocks) and double (2 blocks) rooms. Fardapur : self contained (1 block-14 beds) 
Fardapur (Kanhaiya Kunj) : self contained rooms (12 blocks) group. Accommodation ( 2 block 18 beds).

Bhimbetka rock shelters, a world heritage site

Bhimbetka rock shelters is a world heritage site declared in the year 2003. The area is full of thick vegetation thanks to the perennial water supplies, natural shelters, rich forest flora and fauna found in the area.

Bhimbetka rock shelters are located near Abdullaganj town, 45 kilometers south of Bhopal at the southern edge of the Vindhya hills, in the Raisen District of Madhya Pradesh in India. The Horld heritage site is located inside the Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary.
It is said that some of these shelters were inhabited by Homo erectus more than 100,000 years ago and so exhibiting the earliest traces of human life on the Indian subcontinent

About Bhimbetka Rock Shelters
Among the Bhimbetka rock shelters, you can see some Stone Age rock paintings which are approximately 30,000 years old. Vegetable colours have been used have endured all this time because they have been used on the inside walls or deep inside the niche.
These paintings and the drawings can be dated through 7 different periods namely, Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Chalcolithic, Early historic and medieval periods. Different types of drawings and paintings have been used during different periods.
Period 1 had linear representations, in green and dark red, of huge figures of animals like rhinoceros, bison and tigers.
Period 2  shows humans as well as animals, hunting scenes, the weapons they usedlike barbed spears, pointed sticks, bows and arrows etc.
Period 3 belongs to the chalcolithic period and shows that they were in contact with the agricultural communities of the Malwa plains, exchanging goods with them.
Period 4 and 5 shows art belonging to the early historic period, schematic and decorative style painted in red, white and yellow.
Period 6 and 7 shows medieval images of geometric, linear and more schematic style but they show crudeness and degeneration in their style.

How to reach Bhimbetka Rock Shelters?
By Air : Bhimbetka Rock Shelters is located close to Bhopal and is just about 55 kilometers from the city.
Raja Bhoj airport of Bhopal is the nearest airport and most of the cites in India are connected with it.

By Rail: The nearest railway station to Bhimbetka rock shelters is Bhopal railway station. The station is about 37 kilometers away and is connected to other local railway stations

By Road: You can get transport buses plying regularly from Bhopal. Delhi is also connected to overnight luxury buses to Bhopal. After reaching Bhopal, you can get cabs or local transport to reach Bhimbetka Rock Shelters.