after giving my mom a whirlwind two-day tour of bombay we headed out for aurangabad. we ended up flying which seems a little ludicrous given that it's in the same state. buses and trains run regularly but we were short on time so for us this was the way to go. why go to aurangabad? well it has the advantage of being a small city between the cities of ajanta and ellora, both of which have ancient caves with sculptures and paintings.
the first day we checked into our fabulous hotel (i'd forgotten what it's like to have a room with a tv, much less a refrigerator or a hotel pool - traveling with your mother has definite advantages), got ready and set out to find an auto to take us to ellora. mom was ready to agree to the price our cab driver had quoted (to be fair, less than the hotel's prices, yes, but those were ludicrous) but i wasn't having it. in
the end we got an auto and payed a modest but ample sum for the 2 hour round-trip drive.
to contextualize this a bit, i should add that ajanta and ellora were two of the earliest discoveries of ancient indian sculpture, made by early british 'orientalists' (to oversimplify: the good kind, not the edward said kind). it was also some of the earliest indian art i was exposed to (along with the stupas at sanchi), in asian and indian art classes so they have something a sentimental/nerdy, art historical appeal for me as well.
when we reached ellora we of course had to fend off the inevitable book peddlers and would-be guides before buying our tickets (10 rs, for me, thank you very much). once inside the path led to the middle of the set of caves; we chose to visit the latter half first. there are over 30 caves (mostly hindu and buddhist, but a few jain), some only separated by a few meters, others quite a bit farther. the guidebooks like to choose their favorites to highlight so we kept that in mind but also stopped wherever we felt like it. the first few caves we stopped in had minimal, but quite excellent, carvings of larger-than-life bodhisatvas and guardian figures. i had to remind myself there was much more to see. we continued on, exploring caves with, usually, a central buddha figure in the back niche and other figures flanking it. there were some lovely carvings of scenes like 'shiva and parvati playing dice' and 'ravana shaking the mountain' (ravana proved hard to find though, as he didn't appear to have 10 heads). at one point we came to an impasse, the narrow path, which followed some steps down and then edged along the curve of a small cliff, was blocked, presumably because the steps were a little worn. this was probably the dumbest thing anyone could have done - since the scaffolding they placed over it didn't preclude anyone from climbing around the side of it along the border of the stairs. which is exactly what people did. surely edging along the side of a staircase (and cliff, as it were) clinging to some bamboo scaffolding is much more unsafe than some worn-down steps. i was convinced we could get across - as we watched many people do the same, but mom was unsure (rightly so) so we had to turn back. one of the authorities - who would sporadically yell at people not to climb around (to no avail) - told us there was a path above. somewhere. perhaps there was, but if so we never found it.
we came back to the middle, where had begun, and continued on, skipping the central cave, which we knew was by far the largest and most elaborate. we walked on and saw some fantastic structures - caves with arches and beams that mirrored those in wooden architecture at the time (it's amazing how many cultures have done that), and of course humbling, reverent buddha figures at the far end. it was quite a sight, and the crowds were such that if you waited a few minutes you'd probably have any of the particular caves to yourself. we made our way onward, exploring some caves and not others, stopping for a sit in the shade and a snack of oranges.
finally we arrived at cave 16, the main attraction. this cave blows all the others out of the water, in terms of both scale and sheer amount of sculpture. it can't even be called a cave, really, except that it was underground until it was discovered in the 19th century. it's actually a series of multi-storied temple structures surrounded by a covered arcade. the structures themselves have fabulous heavy relief sculptures, from goddesses (these are largely hindu) hybrid animals to giant, almost freestanding elephants (who sadly had a lot of broken trunks). there were even some traces of paint on some of the sculptures. what an amazing sight, and a good note to end on.
we had a long leisurely auto ride back punctuated by a stop for chai and pagodas. back at the hotel we relaxed by the pool, enjoyed a lovely hotel dinner and ordered a movie to our room. this is more like it!
the next day was ajanta, a longer (about 3 times longer) ride that my mom didn't relish taking in an auto. instead we hopped an auto to the bus station where, indeed, we were approached by someone offering us a cab. there was apparently a dearth of cabs that day due to a local election but we still got a pretty decent price and were able to travel alone. one long nap later and we arrived at ajanta to the same fanfare of perspective guides and all sorts of vendors. cold drink? ice cream? book? postcard? we bypassed them all - including one very insistent man who was convinced my mom needed to be carried on a chair over the site's various steps. no thanks, bud.
a bit like ellora, the caves at ajanta are arranged around a small sort of valley. they follow a horseshoe shape, so you walk around the curve of the hill. evidently in the rainy season there are waterfalls to be seen but of course, being february we saw none of those. no matter, the main attraction was the caves themselves.
we walked into the first cave and i was astounded to see one of the most famous paintings there, right off the bat. if you've perused any books on indian art you may have seen this image - of a sinuous figure whose torso seems to follow the curves of the lotus vine he holds. the cave walls and ceiling are all covered with detailed paintings such as this, some in better repair than others. there were quite a few people there but once again, with some patience, and a tripod, i was able to get a few worthwhile shots.
and now a moment on the state of the sites. i, and perhaps you too, have been reading lately about UNESCO world heritage sites and the effects of that label on their security and protection. in theory that status is meant to protect the sites from destruction and provide funds for their preservation. however funding seems uneven at best and often sites are left with few resources and a lot of extra attention (thanks to this new label). what i witnessed at each of these sites was some sporadic conservation and even more sporadic security. at the entrance of some caves guards were stationed, warning people against using flash and ensuring they removed their shoes. of course for every group of 50 that went in there were inevitably 1 or 2 who ended up using the flash either in ignorance or blatant disregard for the posted rules. at one point i was reprimanded for using a tripod (which, with its round plastic bottoms, surely did less damage than the feet of the 30 people who shuffle in there every other minute). as i was asking why this policy was in place, a buddhist family had gone up to the main idol to touch and take pictures with it. as the guard realized what was going on, he went (belatedly) to stop them, but as i pointed out to him - surely that's a more important problem than my 8 oz. tripod. then later at one of the more famous caves i was horrified to see scores of people going up and touching the reclining buddha figure. surely if my tripod's not allowed, that shouldn't be either. so, i suppose my final conclusion is that security is uneven and haphazard at best.
alright, back to the caves. we continued on admiring the impressive paintings (sadly few remain in good condition) and more buddhas figures. the final cave was that with the large reclining buddha. it was as impressive as the cave was crowded, including a japanese group that seemed bent on standing in front of the statue, taking pictures, and touching it as long as possible. not quite as quiet as the day before had been, but we still enjoyed the spectacular sites.
we hiked back, this time down through the small valley, past the vendors and back to our cab with a fanta for the road. one more night at our fabulous hotel and it was back to bombay the next day. from there it was just a quick stop in the city and then back to the airport. this time, bangkok-bound…
the first day we checked into our fabulous hotel (i'd forgotten what it's like to have a room with a tv, much less a refrigerator or a hotel pool - traveling with your mother has definite advantages), got ready and set out to find an auto to take us to ellora. mom was ready to agree to the price our cab driver had quoted (to be fair, less than the hotel's prices, yes, but those were ludicrous) but i wasn't having it. in
the end we got an auto and payed a modest but ample sum for the 2 hour round-trip drive.
to contextualize this a bit, i should add that ajanta and ellora were two of the earliest discoveries of ancient indian sculpture, made by early british 'orientalists' (to oversimplify: the good kind, not the edward said kind). it was also some of the earliest indian art i was exposed to (along with the stupas at sanchi), in asian and indian art classes so they have something a sentimental/nerdy, art historical appeal for me as well.
 |
| notice the faux-wooden ceiling beams |
we came back to the middle, where had begun, and continued on, skipping the central cave, which we knew was by far the largest and most elaborate. we walked on and saw some fantastic structures - caves with arches and beams that mirrored those in wooden architecture at the time (it's amazing how many cultures have done that), and of course humbling, reverent buddha figures at the far end. it was quite a sight, and the crowds were such that if you waited a few minutes you'd probably have any of the particular caves to yourself. we made our way onward, exploring some caves and not others, stopping for a sit in the shade and a snack of oranges.
 |
| not sure this does cave 16 justice.. it was massive |
we had a long leisurely auto ride back punctuated by a stop for chai and pagodas. back at the hotel we relaxed by the pool, enjoyed a lovely hotel dinner and ordered a movie to our room. this is more like it!
the next day was ajanta, a longer (about 3 times longer) ride that my mom didn't relish taking in an auto. instead we hopped an auto to the bus station where, indeed, we were approached by someone offering us a cab. there was apparently a dearth of cabs that day due to a local election but we still got a pretty decent price and were able to travel alone. one long nap later and we arrived at ajanta to the same fanfare of perspective guides and all sorts of vendors. cold drink? ice cream? book? postcard? we bypassed them all - including one very insistent man who was convinced my mom needed to be carried on a chair over the site's various steps. no thanks, bud.
 |
| entering ajanta |
we walked into the first cave and i was astounded to see one of the most famous paintings there, right off the bat. if you've perused any books on indian art you may have seen this image - of a sinuous figure whose torso seems to follow the curves of the lotus vine he holds. the cave walls and ceiling are all covered with detailed paintings such as this, some in better repair than others. there were quite a few people there but once again, with some patience, and a tripod, i was able to get a few worthwhile shots.
and now a moment on the state of the sites. i, and perhaps you too, have been reading lately about UNESCO world heritage sites and the effects of that label on their security and protection. in theory that status is meant to protect the sites from destruction and provide funds for their preservation. however funding seems uneven at best and often sites are left with few resources and a lot of extra attention (thanks to this new label). what i witnessed at each of these sites was some sporadic conservation and even more sporadic security. at the entrance of some caves guards were stationed, warning people against using flash and ensuring they removed their shoes. of course for every group of 50 that went in there were inevitably 1 or 2 who ended up using the flash either in ignorance or blatant disregard for the posted rules. at one point i was reprimanded for using a tripod (which, with its round plastic bottoms, surely did less damage than the feet of the 30 people who shuffle in there every other minute). as i was asking why this policy was in place, a buddhist family had gone up to the main idol to touch and take pictures with it. as the guard realized what was going on, he went (belatedly) to stop them, but as i pointed out to him - surely that's a more important problem than my 8 oz. tripod. then later at one of the more famous caves i was horrified to see scores of people going up and touching the reclining buddha figure. surely if my tripod's not allowed, that shouldn't be either. so, i suppose my final conclusion is that security is uneven and haphazard at best.
 |
| paintings everywhere |
we hiked back, this time down through the small valley, past the vendors and back to our cab with a fanta for the road. one more night at our fabulous hotel and it was back to bombay the next day. from there it was just a quick stop in the city and then back to the airport. this time, bangkok-bound…
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