A
sumptuous breakfast will be dished up at the hotel.
Proceed for a visit to the Ellora Caves, Daulatabad Fort and Aurangabad
Caves.
Ellora Caves: Impressive in their own right is the rock-hewn
temples and monasteries of Ellora that lie just 30 km away from
Aurangabad city. In all, there are 34 cave temples, 12 Mahayana Buddhist
caves (550-750 AD), 17 Hindu caves (600-875 AD) and 5 caves representing
the Jain faith (800-1000 AD) 22 more caves, dedicated to Lord Shiva,
were recently discovered. Kailas Temple (cave16), the central attraction
at Ellora, is the most remarkable.
Chiseled
by hand from a single massive rock, it includes a gateway, pavilion,
courtyard, vestibule, sanctum, sanctorum and tower which bear testimony
to the excellence of Dravidian art. It is believed to have taken 7000
laborers, working in continuous shifts and 150 years to build. Ever
since the first European visitors in 18th Century, Ellora has attracted
chroniclers, antiquarians, scholars and in more recent years, ever-
increasing number of tourists.
Aurangabad Caves: The almost forgotten caves of Aurangabad lie
just outside the city. Excavated between the 2nd and 6th century AD,
they reflect TANTRIC influences in their iconography and architectural
designs. In all there are nine caves which are mainly viharas
(monasteries).
The
most interesting among these are Caves 3 and 7. The former is supported
on 12 highly ornate columns and has sculptures depicting scenes from the
legendary 'Jakata' tales. Cave 7 with its detailed figures of bejeweled
women also has a dominating sculpture of a 'Bodhisattva' praying for
deliverance.
Daulatabad Fort : Once known as 'Devgiri', this magnificent 12th
century fortress stands on a hill just 13 km. from Aurangabad. It was
given the name Daulatabad, the 'city of fortune', by Muhammad Tughlaq,
Sultan of Delhi. Initially a Yadav stronghold, it passed through the
hands of several dynasties in the Deccan. One of the world's best
preserved fort of medieval times, surviving virtually unaltered,
Daulatabad yet displays the character that made it invincible.
This
is a Fortress that was conquered only by treachery. A series of secret,
quizzical, subterranean passages lie coiled like a python amidst the
fort. Here flaring torches were thrust upon an unwary enemy. Or hot oil
poured down his path, as he deliberated in the labyrinth. Also the heat
from a brazier was blown into the passage by a process of suction
suffocating the entire garrison within. The Fort itself lies in the body
of an isolated hill; the steep hill - sides at the base falling so
sharply to the moat that no hostile troops could scale the height.
The moat, 40 ft. deep with mechanical drawbridges teemed with
crocodiles. A 5-kilometer sturdy wall, artificial scarping and a
complicated series of defenses made Daulatabad impregnable. The 30-meter
high Chand Minar (Tower) built much later with 3 circular galleries had
a defensive and religious role in the fortress.
Overnight will be at Aurangabad.
