Thirty-four caves of three faiths in the Charanandri hills: the Ellora Caves of Aurangabad district

Background

Ellora shares Aurangabad district with Ajanta, among the Maharashtra heritage properties in view as the Bombay High Court tightens festival rules across the State.
The Ellora Caves were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1983 under criteria (i), (iii) and (vi).
The property lies at Verul Village, Khulatabad Taluk, Aurangabad District, Maharashtra.
There are 34 caves excavated in three phases from the 6th to the 12th century in the Charanandri hills, extending over more than 2 km.
Caves 1 to 12 are Buddhist, caves 13 to 29 are Brahmanical and caves 30 to 34 are Jain.
The Kailasa temple, Cave 16, is described by UNESCO as the largest monolithic temple, and the Archaeological Survey of India manages the property.