Ellora Caves

So, my first visit to a city in a week, and therefore the ability to write something! Although at 20pence an hour for Internet, I am not sure I can afford to stay here more than a few hours!

It has been an eventful week out here in India, and almost all positive I am pleased to report. The only downside being that my lens broke (thankfully after visiting the caves), but it is in a small repair shop now, and I hope it will be ok! Fingers crossed anyway, likewise, with my ticket for the night train to Bhopal tonight. I am currently 75th on the waiting list (it was 96 two days ago, so i guess that is a good sign). Trains are SOO busy here, that pretty much every seat is taken on every train- making just turning up at the station almost impossible.

Anyway, back to talking about stuff I have done. The night bus from Mumbai to Aurangabad was CCOOOLLLDDD, seriously, I had to put my down-jacket on. This was due to a combination of cool weather, and the MASSIVE gaps between the windows and frames, allowing for a constant flow of fresh air.

The plan for my first day was to see the Ellora Caves, and nearby fort. After the bus, and the heat/dust, however, I just settled for the caves. They are spread over a 2km cliff, and feature carvings from 3 of the main religions in India - Jain, Hindu and Buddhist. Some of them were stunningly beautiful (others rather bleak). Unfortunately, most had suffered from the iconoclasm of the 4th major religion in India- Islam. The destruction of the giant Buddhist statues in Afghanistan a few years ago, is nothing new, and the wanton defacement of fantastic art has been going on for a long time.

There is no card reader on this computer, so no photos I am afraid, but google should be able to help you out!