Ancient Caves & Sacred Shrines

Maharashtra

Mumbai · Aurangabad · Ajanta · Ellora · Shirdi

October – March

4–7 days

Maharashtra is one of India's most diverse states — home to the country's financial capital, two of the world's greatest archaeological sites, and one of its most beloved pilgrimage destinations. The Ajanta Caves contain 2,000-year-old Buddhist paintings of extraordinary beauty, preserved in rock-cut chambers in a remote gorge. The Ellora Caves are even more astonishing — 34 temples carved from solid rock by Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain craftsmen over six centuries. The centrepiece is the Kailasa Temple (Cave 16), carved from a single rock and larger than the Parthenon. Shirdi, the home of Sai Baba, draws millions of pilgrims annually. And Mumbai — chaotic, glamorous, and endlessly fascinating — is a city unlike any other.

Highlights

Ajanta Caves — 2,000-year-old Buddhist paintings

Ellora Caves — Hindu, Buddhist & Jain rock-cut temples

Kailasa Temple — world's largest monolithic structure

Shirdi Sai Baba Temple

Bibi Ka Maqbara — the Mini Taj Mahal

Daulatabad Fort

Things to Do

Ajanta Caves

30 rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments with extraordinary 2,000-year-old paintings depicting the life of the Buddha. UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Kailasa Temple, Ellora

Cave 16 at Ellora — carved from a single rock over 150 years, it is the world's largest monolithic structure and one of the greatest achievements of human civilisation.

Shirdi Sai Baba Darshan

One of India's most visited pilgrimage sites — the samadhi of Sai Baba, revered equally by Hindus and Muslims, draws millions of devotees annually.

Bibi Ka Maqbara

Built by Aurangzeb's son in memory of his mother, this 17th-century mausoleum is often called the Mini Taj Mahal for its striking resemblance to the original.