My best friend, Afreen and I decided to go on a 3 day trip to Aurangabad primarily to see the world renowned Ajanta and Ellora Caves. We researched over the net and consulted friends to plan for our trip.
Accommodation
Our Choice: We decided to book Hotel Janki Executive for our stay based on the recommendation of a friend. The per day cost of Rs 1600 was more than what we had budgeted for. Also, it was located in CIDCO area which is the industrial area and further from the city. However, we wanted a safe and clean place to stay for our journey and this hotel came closest to our budget.
Our choice turned out to be good. The hotel was quite clean. We did have to ask the housekeeping to clean the bathroom once, but other than that, everything else was good. The staff was very courteous and helpful. The restaurant cum lounge at the rooftop is also nice and enjoyable.
Other Choices: There are several budget hotels located near the Station (most of them are not mentioned on the internet) and Central Bus station area of Aurangabad. However, one would need to check their hygienic conditions. As per several blogs that I have read, most of the hotels in Aurangabad have questionable cleanliness standards. The MTDC, especially, had several bad reviews.
Places to Visit
Our wish list in the order of priority included:
Ajanta Caves: 104 kms from Aurangabad/ Open from 9:00-17:30/ Closed on Monday
Ellora Caves: 29 kms from Aurangabad/ Open from 9:00-17:30/ Closed on Tuesday
Daulatabad Fort: 13 kms from Aurangabad/ Open from sunrise-18:00
Bibi ka Maqbara: 5 kms from Aurangabad/ Open from 8:00-18:00
Pariyon ka talaab: 30 kms from Aurangabad/ Open from 8:00-18:00
Lonar Crater: 170 kms from Aurangabad
Aurangabad Caves: 5 kms from Aurangabad
The Trip
Eve of Day 1:
We departed for Aurangabad on Thursday, November 26th evening after work. We weren’t able to find a satisfactory bus online, so we decided to go to Shivajinagar Station and check for alternatives.
Our Choice: Humsafar Travels. This was an A/c sleeper bus that departed Pune at 23:30 and reached Aurangabad at 5:00 am following day. The ticket cost us Rs 270.00. The bus was not in the best of conditions. We weren’t provided with blankets. Also, at one point there was water leakage from the A/C vents.
Other Choices: There are a host of bus travels commuting to Aurangabad. A Konduskar A/C seater bus also also departs at the same time. MSRTC Shivneri does not operate late nights.
Day 1:
Our bus dropped us right opposite our Hotel at 5:00 am. Although we did not need them, we were surprised that there were quite a few auto rickshaws operating at that hour. We checked into our room and took a nap for an hour. After ordering breakfast we checked our travel plan for the day.
As per several travel sites and blogs, the MSRTC (Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation) operated internal guided tours were the best for sightseeing. However, we were unsuccessful in obtaining their number from the web. So, I checked with the hotel and they informed me that the MSRTC no longer operates these buses and gave me the number to a travel agent for sightseeing options. I called up the MTDC hotel (Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation) to check if the above was true and …true it was. There were ITDC (India Tourism Development Corporation) buses that were operating these tours now. We promptly booked a tour to Ajanta Caves for Day 1.
We reached MTDC at 8:30 and boarded the ITDC bus. One would assume that after paying Rs 400 per ticket, the facilities provided would be decent. However, what we got was a rickety old bus that looked like it had not been cleaned since the time it was bought. In addition, we had to pay Rs 25 per person for convenience charges and a one way travel in the non A/C eco-friendly bus to Ajanta. The non A/C is Rs 7 and A/C is Rs 12 for these buses.
After a 3 hrs drive and a stopover at a place which did not look clean as well, we reached the foothills of the Ajanta caves. Here, we boarded the eco-friendly bus to the caves.
The setting of the caves is absolutely beautiful and a sight to see. The caves are amidst tree covered mountains and there is a small stream that passes the foothills of the mountain which adds to the scenic beauty of the place. Its almost poetic!
Ajanta Caves
Sightseeing: Ajanta caves are a World Heritage Site that date from 2BC-800 AD. There are a total of 30 caves of which some are still incomplete. They were made by Buddhist monks as temples and/or meditation rooms.
These caves were actually discovered accidently by John Smith, an Englishman who was hunting in the jungles of Ajanta in 19th Century AD. You can tell that from the name and date scratched by this stupid man on one of paintings.
The caves are an example for the phrase “Nothing is impossible”. It is amazing as to how the monks thought about, planned and executed such beautiful structures and paintings on the mountains some 2000 years ago. The color for the paintings was used from the green and red colored stones found on the volcanic rocks on the mountains. The other colors were extracted from plants and blue was imported from Persia.
The Ajanta caves are famous for their paintings that tell us the Jataka tales. Most of these tales are about the different incarnations of Buddha and have a moral attached to the stories.
It is a must see for all who have an interest in ancient and historic monuments.
New Friends: We made some new friends on this tour – an NRI couple that had come from France and were travelling India for 5mths. Also, we met a gentleman who was pursuing CA and was visiting the caves for some research. It was interesting to meet our new friends and they made our trip even more enjoyable.
Guide: Our guided tour covered only the important completed caves and these too were covered quickly. Afreen, especially, complained that we did not have enough time for photographs. However, once the guided tour ended, we were given time to explore the remaining caves.
We explored a little, and then boarded an A/C eco-friendly bus to the foothills. This bus was quite nice and we wished that it would take us through the remainder of the journey.
Food: The foothills of caves have an MTDC restaurant. It is unbelievable that the only restaurant in Ajanta cannot even maintain decent dining facilities. The restaurant was not clean and the menu was limited. We decided to settle for a sandwich and fresh lime soda. The only saving grace was the washroom which was functional and somewhat clean.
Shopping: The foothills have a number of shops selling handicrafts, sculptures, stones and gift articles. They looked interesting but lack of time ended the shopping trip sooner than expected.
Recommendation: Please wear comfortable footwear as you do have to walk a great deal. Also, get footwear that you can get in and out of quickly as you need to remove your shoes outside every cave.
Wear a hat/ scarf as it gets quite hot in the afternoons.
Carry a camera that can function without a flash as a camera flash can damage the paintings and is prohibited from being used inside the caves.
Another 3 hrs and we were back to the MTDC by 6:00pm. Here, we bought tickets for the next day’s trip to Ellora et al and inquired about a trip to Lonar. I was quite exhausted and famished. So, we headed straight for the rooftop restaurant at our hotel. We ate a good meal and were ready to call it a day.
Day 2:
I woke up after a good nights’ sleep. There was no hurry today as the tour started at 9:00am. Our itinerary for today was Daulatabad Fort, Ellora Caves, Grishneshwar Temple, Bibi ka Maqbara and Panchakki. We ate a light breakfast and headed for the ITDC boarding point.
As expected now, even after paying Rs 270 per ticket, we had before us an unclean rickety old tour bus.
Not completely expected, our bus broke down on the way and we had to travel a 1-2 km distance in rickshaws to Daulatabad fort.
Daulatabad Fort
Formerly known as Devgiri, this fort was built by the Yadavas in the 12th Century AD. It was later conquered by Mohammed bin Tughlaq who was so impressed by the defense systems of the fort that he made Aurangabad his capital and ruled from here for 2 yrs. The defense systems indeed are quite amazing. The Fort is situated atop a mountain and there was just one way to the inside. At first you have a moat surrounding the fort filled with poisonous snakes and crocodiles. The only way inside is using a drawbridge. Then you have massive doors followed by dark tunnels and mazes with tricky places to capture and kill any intruders. Past these, the only way to move forward was a staircase with 400+ steps. The end of the steps had a copper plate laced with acids emanating strong odors that made breathing difficult. If the enemy ran down the steps the only source of fresh air was a hole in the wall that would take them straight to the moat. Phew! The makers of this fort had done a good FMEA!
Besides the main structure there is a temple dedicated to Bharat Mata, the second highest tower in India- Chand Minar and an ancient water reservoir.
I would recommend this fort to anyone travelling to Aurangabad.
Ellora Caves
Ellora Caves are quite close to Daulatabad Fort. Like Ajanta Caves, they are a World Heritage Site. They date from 5th to 10th Century AD. Unlike Ajanta, these caves were never lost. Also, these are not just Buddhist caves. There are Jain and Hindu Caves as well that make up the total of 34 complete and incomplete caves. Ellora is famous for its monolithic structures and carvings. You would not find many paintings here. In addition to temples and meditation rooms, the caves were also used as monasteries by the monks. The world’s largest monolithic rock cut Hindu temple can be found here as well. What is interesting about these caves is that they were all constructed from the top to down. This must have required a great deal of imagination and communication of this imagination as there were no blue prints in that era.
Like Ajanta, our guided tour covered only the important caves. Our guide mentioned that to visit all the caves would require 5-6 days (I think it is exaggerated, but ok, visiting all will take time).
After the sightseeing, we lunched at the MTDC at Ellora.
Grishneshwar Temple
After lunch, we visited the “Jyotirlinga” temple in Aurangabad – Grishneshwar Temple. A “Jyotirlinga” temple is where the “linga” – a symbol of Shiva, manifests itself rather than being created. A popular belief among Hindus is that you can wash off your sins by praying at a Jyotirlinga temple. After a brief stop here, we proceeded to the next destination.
Bibi ka Maqbara
Bibi ka Maqbara is believed to have been built by Azam Shah, the son of Aurangzeb as a tribute to his mother. Originally he thought of making a replica of Taj Mahal. But for lack of funds, he was unable to complete the whole monument in marble. So half the monument now stands in Plaster of Paris.
Although its not in great condition, its a nice monument. And if you wish to but haven’t been to Taj, this is surely the place you should visit. Also, we did see that there was some restoration work being carried out.
Panchakki
Our last destination was quite passable. Its an ancient flour mill that uses power from water. Not much to write about this one.
Sightseeing: The must see for this day were Ellora, Daulatabad Fort and Bibi ka Maqbara. These 3 are not as well maintained as Ajanta. Wish the Maharashtra tourism dept would do something about this.
Guide: Our guide and the guided tour today were nice. We did have enough time at each monument for pictures and exploration.
Food: The MTDC restaurant at Ellora could do so much better. This is the only restaurant near Ellora. I’m sure they aren’t running short of funds. So I don’t see a reason why they cannot maintain cleanliness in the restaurant and the washroom and have a better food menu. I’m sure any other private restaurant would have done so much better.
We had the thali here. It was edible but I wouldn’t say it was great.
Shopping: There were a lot of shops outside each of these locations. However, none of the merchandise caught my eyes today.
Recommendation: Please wear comfortable footwear as you do have to walk a great deal. Wear a hat/ scarf as it gets quite hot in the afternoon.
After this we were back at the MTDC. Here, we booked our taxi for the Lonar Crater journey with Classic Travels for Rs 2000. This was inclusive of the toll and parking charges but we had to make the entire payment in advance. We also went to the ST station and booked a bus for 8:00pm. I must mention here that the old gentleman that booked our tickets was quite funny and friendly (in no bad way).
We reached our hotel and had dinner at the same rooftop restaurant. I was glad for the relaxed ambience and cool breeze. We settled the hotel bill as we were to check out early Sunday morning at 6:00.
Day 3:
Afreen and I are all set to leave at 6:30 am but guess what? No cab. We try to call the number on the receipt and the MTDC but no response. After trying for I don’t know how many times, we finally get through Classic Travels at 7:00am. As informed to us, the driver did not have the proper address of the hotel and was going to all the hotels in the area to locate us. I thought this explanation was total bs. There was a thorough lack of co-ordination between Classic and the actual vendor that sent the cab. We finally set on our journey by 7:30am. The cab driver obviously thought he was too smart for us, started asking us for the money to fill gas. We informed him that the taxi fare was paid in advance. Then he revealed that there was enough gas and he didn’t need to visit a gas station. After that he started asking us for the toll charges. We informed him that this too was paid for in advance. He made us speak to his boss who requested that we pay for toll and we would be reimbursed later. After all these silly hassles we finally reach Lonar Crater by 11:15 am. We decided to eat before exploring the Crater.
Lonar Crater:
Lonar Lake is the only meteorite lake in India and the third largest in the world. The crater is approximately 52000 years old. There are a lot of legends surrounding this lake. However, we went there just for the scenic beauty! The Lonar lake is quite pretty and you can actually see the reflection of the sky in the water. Langoors, Snakes, Monitor Lizards, Mongoose, Fox and Deers, Hundreds of Pea Fowls can be found in the crater. However, we decided not to venture down to the lake as it would take us atleast 3 hours to climb down and up again. The natural beauty of this place is so far preserved with absolutely no commercialization except for the MTDC Lonar. This can be a boon as well as a bane as there is no proper road to the crater and not too many means of transportation to reach it. I was actually surprised as to why this area is not so well marketed considering that Lonar is just one of a kind. There is a mini crater closeby. However, we did not have enough time to explore it.
We drove around the periphery of the crater and then headed for the Gomukh Temple.
Gomukh Temple
As mentioned in the MTDC brochure, the ancient Gomukh Temple has a perennial river flowing from the mouth of a cow carved in the temple. The source of this stream is, apparently, a mystery. The stream is considered to be holy. In reality, it is just a place where the village men bathe. The temple itself was under renovation. We barely stood there for 2 minutes as the men stopped their bathing to ogle at Afreen and me. This was a total waste of time. Do not visit this temple.
We proceeded to the next destination – Daitya Sudan Temple.
Daitya Sudan Temple
After the disappointment of the Gomukh Temple, we were expecting another disappointment in the Daitya Sudan Temple especially since such few people in the village knew about it. However, after a lot of guidance, we finally reached the destination and were most pleasantly surprised.
The Daitya Sudan is a Vishnu Temple dating back to the Chalukya Dynasty. It has these absolutely gorgeous carvings on basalt stone that are breath taking. The sad part is that this is not preserved and parts of the temple are falling. If you get a chance, please see this temple before it crumbles and falls. We spent a lot of time at this temple marveling the carvings.
Sightseeing: The must see for this day were Lonar crater and more so the Daitya Sudan Temple.
Food: The MTDC restaurant at Lonar is the worst there probably is. We ordered for a Thali which was reasonable but the hygiene was far from acceptable standards. I actually found a bug in the food. The tables, chairs and entire place did not appear as if it had been cleaned for days. The washroom was a joke. The women’s loo was broken and men’s loo was stinking so bad that you don’t want to even go near it. I asked the restaurant people if there was another washroom and they started laughing as if it were a joke. Sadly, this is the only place for food and loo for a long distance (unless u don’t mind bushes and trust me they will be a better bet than this place).
Shopping: No shopping destinations for today!
Recommendation: Please wear sports shoes if you want to hike down to the Crater. I had read on a lot of sites that there may be snakes on the trail.
Also, please try and avoid MTDC Lonar. Pack a dabba and use the bushes!
After Daitya Sudan temple, we proceeded to the MSRTC bus stop for Aurungabad. We stopped at a decent restaurant on the way for refreshments. Reached the bus stop at approx 5pm. We decided to cancel the tickets for 8 and instead take an earlier bus at 6:00pm. We were back in Pune by 11:00pm.
Thus ended our amazing weekend of Aurangabad siteseeing. It was truly (I know repetition) amazing!
Accommodation
Our Choice: We decided to book Hotel Janki Executive for our stay based on the recommendation of a friend. The per day cost of Rs 1600 was more than what we had budgeted for. Also, it was located in CIDCO area which is the industrial area and further from the city. However, we wanted a safe and clean place to stay for our journey and this hotel came closest to our budget.
Our choice turned out to be good. The hotel was quite clean. We did have to ask the housekeeping to clean the bathroom once, but other than that, everything else was good. The staff was very courteous and helpful. The restaurant cum lounge at the rooftop is also nice and enjoyable.
Other Choices: There are several budget hotels located near the Station (most of them are not mentioned on the internet) and Central Bus station area of Aurangabad. However, one would need to check their hygienic conditions. As per several blogs that I have read, most of the hotels in Aurangabad have questionable cleanliness standards. The MTDC, especially, had several bad reviews.
Places to Visit
Our wish list in the order of priority included:
Ajanta Caves: 104 kms from Aurangabad/ Open from 9:00-17:30/ Closed on Monday
Ellora Caves: 29 kms from Aurangabad/ Open from 9:00-17:30/ Closed on Tuesday
Daulatabad Fort: 13 kms from Aurangabad/ Open from sunrise-18:00
Bibi ka Maqbara: 5 kms from Aurangabad/ Open from 8:00-18:00
Pariyon ka talaab: 30 kms from Aurangabad/ Open from 8:00-18:00
Lonar Crater: 170 kms from Aurangabad
Aurangabad Caves: 5 kms from Aurangabad
The Trip
Eve of Day 1:
We departed for Aurangabad on Thursday, November 26th evening after work. We weren’t able to find a satisfactory bus online, so we decided to go to Shivajinagar Station and check for alternatives.
Our Choice: Humsafar Travels. This was an A/c sleeper bus that departed Pune at 23:30 and reached Aurangabad at 5:00 am following day. The ticket cost us Rs 270.00. The bus was not in the best of conditions. We weren’t provided with blankets. Also, at one point there was water leakage from the A/C vents.
Other Choices: There are a host of bus travels commuting to Aurangabad. A Konduskar A/C seater bus also also departs at the same time. MSRTC Shivneri does not operate late nights.
Day 1:
Our bus dropped us right opposite our Hotel at 5:00 am. Although we did not need them, we were surprised that there were quite a few auto rickshaws operating at that hour. We checked into our room and took a nap for an hour. After ordering breakfast we checked our travel plan for the day.
As per several travel sites and blogs, the MSRTC (Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation) operated internal guided tours were the best for sightseeing. However, we were unsuccessful in obtaining their number from the web. So, I checked with the hotel and they informed me that the MSRTC no longer operates these buses and gave me the number to a travel agent for sightseeing options. I called up the MTDC hotel (Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation) to check if the above was true and …true it was. There were ITDC (India Tourism Development Corporation) buses that were operating these tours now. We promptly booked a tour to Ajanta Caves for Day 1.
We reached MTDC at 8:30 and boarded the ITDC bus. One would assume that after paying Rs 400 per ticket, the facilities provided would be decent. However, what we got was a rickety old bus that looked like it had not been cleaned since the time it was bought. In addition, we had to pay Rs 25 per person for convenience charges and a one way travel in the non A/C eco-friendly bus to Ajanta. The non A/C is Rs 7 and A/C is Rs 12 for these buses.
After a 3 hrs drive and a stopover at a place which did not look clean as well, we reached the foothills of the Ajanta caves. Here, we boarded the eco-friendly bus to the caves.
The setting of the caves is absolutely beautiful and a sight to see. The caves are amidst tree covered mountains and there is a small stream that passes the foothills of the mountain which adds to the scenic beauty of the place. Its almost poetic!
Ajanta Caves
Sightseeing: Ajanta caves are a World Heritage Site that date from 2BC-800 AD. There are a total of 30 caves of which some are still incomplete. They were made by Buddhist monks as temples and/or meditation rooms.
These caves were actually discovered accidently by John Smith, an Englishman who was hunting in the jungles of Ajanta in 19th Century AD. You can tell that from the name and date scratched by this stupid man on one of paintings.
The caves are an example for the phrase “Nothing is impossible”. It is amazing as to how the monks thought about, planned and executed such beautiful structures and paintings on the mountains some 2000 years ago. The color for the paintings was used from the green and red colored stones found on the volcanic rocks on the mountains. The other colors were extracted from plants and blue was imported from Persia.
The Ajanta caves are famous for their paintings that tell us the Jataka tales. Most of these tales are about the different incarnations of Buddha and have a moral attached to the stories.
It is a must see for all who have an interest in ancient and historic monuments.
New Friends: We made some new friends on this tour – an NRI couple that had come from France and were travelling India for 5mths. Also, we met a gentleman who was pursuing CA and was visiting the caves for some research. It was interesting to meet our new friends and they made our trip even more enjoyable.
Guide: Our guided tour covered only the important completed caves and these too were covered quickly. Afreen, especially, complained that we did not have enough time for photographs. However, once the guided tour ended, we were given time to explore the remaining caves.
We explored a little, and then boarded an A/C eco-friendly bus to the foothills. This bus was quite nice and we wished that it would take us through the remainder of the journey.
Food: The foothills of caves have an MTDC restaurant. It is unbelievable that the only restaurant in Ajanta cannot even maintain decent dining facilities. The restaurant was not clean and the menu was limited. We decided to settle for a sandwich and fresh lime soda. The only saving grace was the washroom which was functional and somewhat clean.
Shopping: The foothills have a number of shops selling handicrafts, sculptures, stones and gift articles. They looked interesting but lack of time ended the shopping trip sooner than expected.
Recommendation: Please wear comfortable footwear as you do have to walk a great deal. Also, get footwear that you can get in and out of quickly as you need to remove your shoes outside every cave.
Wear a hat/ scarf as it gets quite hot in the afternoons.
Carry a camera that can function without a flash as a camera flash can damage the paintings and is prohibited from being used inside the caves.
Another 3 hrs and we were back to the MTDC by 6:00pm. Here, we bought tickets for the next day’s trip to Ellora et al and inquired about a trip to Lonar. I was quite exhausted and famished. So, we headed straight for the rooftop restaurant at our hotel. We ate a good meal and were ready to call it a day.
Day 2:
I woke up after a good nights’ sleep. There was no hurry today as the tour started at 9:00am. Our itinerary for today was Daulatabad Fort, Ellora Caves, Grishneshwar Temple, Bibi ka Maqbara and Panchakki. We ate a light breakfast and headed for the ITDC boarding point.
As expected now, even after paying Rs 270 per ticket, we had before us an unclean rickety old tour bus.
Not completely expected, our bus broke down on the way and we had to travel a 1-2 km distance in rickshaws to Daulatabad fort.
Daulatabad Fort
Formerly known as Devgiri, this fort was built by the Yadavas in the 12th Century AD. It was later conquered by Mohammed bin Tughlaq who was so impressed by the defense systems of the fort that he made Aurangabad his capital and ruled from here for 2 yrs. The defense systems indeed are quite amazing. The Fort is situated atop a mountain and there was just one way to the inside. At first you have a moat surrounding the fort filled with poisonous snakes and crocodiles. The only way inside is using a drawbridge. Then you have massive doors followed by dark tunnels and mazes with tricky places to capture and kill any intruders. Past these, the only way to move forward was a staircase with 400+ steps. The end of the steps had a copper plate laced with acids emanating strong odors that made breathing difficult. If the enemy ran down the steps the only source of fresh air was a hole in the wall that would take them straight to the moat. Phew! The makers of this fort had done a good FMEA!
Besides the main structure there is a temple dedicated to Bharat Mata, the second highest tower in India- Chand Minar and an ancient water reservoir.
I would recommend this fort to anyone travelling to Aurangabad.
Ellora Caves
Ellora Caves are quite close to Daulatabad Fort. Like Ajanta Caves, they are a World Heritage Site. They date from 5th to 10th Century AD. Unlike Ajanta, these caves were never lost. Also, these are not just Buddhist caves. There are Jain and Hindu Caves as well that make up the total of 34 complete and incomplete caves. Ellora is famous for its monolithic structures and carvings. You would not find many paintings here. In addition to temples and meditation rooms, the caves were also used as monasteries by the monks. The world’s largest monolithic rock cut Hindu temple can be found here as well. What is interesting about these caves is that they were all constructed from the top to down. This must have required a great deal of imagination and communication of this imagination as there were no blue prints in that era.
Like Ajanta, our guided tour covered only the important caves. Our guide mentioned that to visit all the caves would require 5-6 days (I think it is exaggerated, but ok, visiting all will take time).
After the sightseeing, we lunched at the MTDC at Ellora.
Grishneshwar Temple
After lunch, we visited the “Jyotirlinga” temple in Aurangabad – Grishneshwar Temple. A “Jyotirlinga” temple is where the “linga” – a symbol of Shiva, manifests itself rather than being created. A popular belief among Hindus is that you can wash off your sins by praying at a Jyotirlinga temple. After a brief stop here, we proceeded to the next destination.
Bibi ka Maqbara
Bibi ka Maqbara is believed to have been built by Azam Shah, the son of Aurangzeb as a tribute to his mother. Originally he thought of making a replica of Taj Mahal. But for lack of funds, he was unable to complete the whole monument in marble. So half the monument now stands in Plaster of Paris.
Although its not in great condition, its a nice monument. And if you wish to but haven’t been to Taj, this is surely the place you should visit. Also, we did see that there was some restoration work being carried out.
Panchakki
Our last destination was quite passable. Its an ancient flour mill that uses power from water. Not much to write about this one.
Sightseeing: The must see for this day were Ellora, Daulatabad Fort and Bibi ka Maqbara. These 3 are not as well maintained as Ajanta. Wish the Maharashtra tourism dept would do something about this.
Guide: Our guide and the guided tour today were nice. We did have enough time at each monument for pictures and exploration.
Food: The MTDC restaurant at Ellora could do so much better. This is the only restaurant near Ellora. I’m sure they aren’t running short of funds. So I don’t see a reason why they cannot maintain cleanliness in the restaurant and the washroom and have a better food menu. I’m sure any other private restaurant would have done so much better.
We had the thali here. It was edible but I wouldn’t say it was great.
Shopping: There were a lot of shops outside each of these locations. However, none of the merchandise caught my eyes today.
Recommendation: Please wear comfortable footwear as you do have to walk a great deal. Wear a hat/ scarf as it gets quite hot in the afternoon.
After this we were back at the MTDC. Here, we booked our taxi for the Lonar Crater journey with Classic Travels for Rs 2000. This was inclusive of the toll and parking charges but we had to make the entire payment in advance. We also went to the ST station and booked a bus for 8:00pm. I must mention here that the old gentleman that booked our tickets was quite funny and friendly (in no bad way).
We reached our hotel and had dinner at the same rooftop restaurant. I was glad for the relaxed ambience and cool breeze. We settled the hotel bill as we were to check out early Sunday morning at 6:00.
Day 3:
Afreen and I are all set to leave at 6:30 am but guess what? No cab. We try to call the number on the receipt and the MTDC but no response. After trying for I don’t know how many times, we finally get through Classic Travels at 7:00am. As informed to us, the driver did not have the proper address of the hotel and was going to all the hotels in the area to locate us. I thought this explanation was total bs. There was a thorough lack of co-ordination between Classic and the actual vendor that sent the cab. We finally set on our journey by 7:30am. The cab driver obviously thought he was too smart for us, started asking us for the money to fill gas. We informed him that the taxi fare was paid in advance. Then he revealed that there was enough gas and he didn’t need to visit a gas station. After that he started asking us for the toll charges. We informed him that this too was paid for in advance. He made us speak to his boss who requested that we pay for toll and we would be reimbursed later. After all these silly hassles we finally reach Lonar Crater by 11:15 am. We decided to eat before exploring the Crater.
Lonar Crater:
Lonar Lake is the only meteorite lake in India and the third largest in the world. The crater is approximately 52000 years old. There are a lot of legends surrounding this lake. However, we went there just for the scenic beauty! The Lonar lake is quite pretty and you can actually see the reflection of the sky in the water. Langoors, Snakes, Monitor Lizards, Mongoose, Fox and Deers, Hundreds of Pea Fowls can be found in the crater. However, we decided not to venture down to the lake as it would take us atleast 3 hours to climb down and up again. The natural beauty of this place is so far preserved with absolutely no commercialization except for the MTDC Lonar. This can be a boon as well as a bane as there is no proper road to the crater and not too many means of transportation to reach it. I was actually surprised as to why this area is not so well marketed considering that Lonar is just one of a kind. There is a mini crater closeby. However, we did not have enough time to explore it.
We drove around the periphery of the crater and then headed for the Gomukh Temple.
Gomukh Temple
As mentioned in the MTDC brochure, the ancient Gomukh Temple has a perennial river flowing from the mouth of a cow carved in the temple. The source of this stream is, apparently, a mystery. The stream is considered to be holy. In reality, it is just a place where the village men bathe. The temple itself was under renovation. We barely stood there for 2 minutes as the men stopped their bathing to ogle at Afreen and me. This was a total waste of time. Do not visit this temple.
We proceeded to the next destination – Daitya Sudan Temple.
Daitya Sudan Temple
After the disappointment of the Gomukh Temple, we were expecting another disappointment in the Daitya Sudan Temple especially since such few people in the village knew about it. However, after a lot of guidance, we finally reached the destination and were most pleasantly surprised.
The Daitya Sudan is a Vishnu Temple dating back to the Chalukya Dynasty. It has these absolutely gorgeous carvings on basalt stone that are breath taking. The sad part is that this is not preserved and parts of the temple are falling. If you get a chance, please see this temple before it crumbles and falls. We spent a lot of time at this temple marveling the carvings.
Sightseeing: The must see for this day were Lonar crater and more so the Daitya Sudan Temple.
Food: The MTDC restaurant at Lonar is the worst there probably is. We ordered for a Thali which was reasonable but the hygiene was far from acceptable standards. I actually found a bug in the food. The tables, chairs and entire place did not appear as if it had been cleaned for days. The washroom was a joke. The women’s loo was broken and men’s loo was stinking so bad that you don’t want to even go near it. I asked the restaurant people if there was another washroom and they started laughing as if it were a joke. Sadly, this is the only place for food and loo for a long distance (unless u don’t mind bushes and trust me they will be a better bet than this place).
Shopping: No shopping destinations for today!
Recommendation: Please wear sports shoes if you want to hike down to the Crater. I had read on a lot of sites that there may be snakes on the trail.
Also, please try and avoid MTDC Lonar. Pack a dabba and use the bushes!
After Daitya Sudan temple, we proceeded to the MSRTC bus stop for Aurungabad. We stopped at a decent restaurant on the way for refreshments. Reached the bus stop at approx 5pm. We decided to cancel the tickets for 8 and instead take an earlier bus at 6:00pm. We were back in Pune by 11:00pm.
Thus ended our amazing weekend of Aurangabad siteseeing. It was truly (I know repetition) amazing!
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