Ellora Caves
We explored the Ellora Caves today. As we entered Cave 16, I was awestruck. To the right and left are endless arches of little stone rooms and in the center it looks like someone built the most intricate sand castle structures. This Hindu Temple rises out of the ground and is covered in carvings of elephants, monkeys, and various gods. We spent a lot of time here, going in and out, up and down. The halls are naturally cool, shading you from the intense heat of the sun. It was here, that a Muslim family asked for our photo. The women's eyes smiled and the kiddos were really excited to get in on the fun.
Later, we decided to make a left outside of this main cave to see the first 15 caves consisting of Hindu and then some Buddhist caves. We kept running into other tourists we had seen earlier. First, we waved to some Japanese tourists we had seen at the rest stop yesterday. Then a couple from Belarus gave us a hug, because we had seen them on our flight and every day since we were here at some point or other. Most of these caves pale in comparison to the first we saw, but there was one Buddhist cave that had a very large Buddha with a rib cage like ceiling design. It is very grand. One of the caves has an apartment building look from the outside, but when you go inside it is a labyrinth of pillars and is screaming to be a movie set, perhaps for Indiana Jones or Mission Impossible. Rustic or ornate, each cave has it's own personality and are absolutely beautiful.
As we exited, the taxi driver found us right away. He drove us to a local weaver and we were able to see how the artist makes silk sarees for weddings. The patterns are gorgeous and it can take up to 40 days to make one dress. Incredible!
Our last stop was Aurangabad's Mini Taj Mahal. Aurangzeb build this tomb for his wife, Dilras Banu Alias Rabia-ud-daurani between 1651-1661. It has wooden doors covered in brass. The lower portion of the square mausoleum is marble and the upper structure is basaltic trap plastered in lime. It is very pretty, but has seen better days. A Muslim family asked for our photo as we were leaving. The mothers wanted me to hold their babies, but the kiddos didn't look too sure about that, so I suggested we just get a quick group photo. And then off we went to find our taxi driver. He wasn't with is car yet, so we stopped at a corner store for an Indian version of Fanta and some very welcome cold water. Back at the hotel, we went straight to the pool and I finished the audio book, Faust by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe. I can’t say I liked it, but it’s one of those classics I am glad I can reference.
P.S. The staff at the Hyatt Place in Aurangabad is incredibly nice. Every breakfast and dinner we were trying new foods. They definitely noticed and started to show us their favorites or food that is popular all over India. One dish was a tapioca like dessert with rose petals. Indian mothers give it to their children when they are not feeling well. The chefs made some street food favorites. It is not advised for foreigners to eat street food, so this felt like a special treat and very thoughtful gesture. Before we went to Ellora, one of the managers said there weren’t many restaurants in that area and asked if we would like a packed lunch. The next day two bags with sandwiches, apples and pastries were waiting for us at the reception. Thank you!
