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Aurangabad Caves

#2von 7 Orten zum Besuchen in AurangabadAurangabad, Maharashtra

Auch bekannt als Aurangabad Buddhist Caves

Kurz gesagt

Öffnungszeiten: 08:00–17:30, last entry 17:00. Eintritt: ₹25 für Inder · ₹300 für Ausländer. Plane 1.5 hrs ein. Beste Zeit: 08:00 – 10:00.

Aktualisiert am 18 September 2026 · Erstellt von Traveliac, KI-unterstützt · 4 Min. Lesezeit

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Photo: Ms Sarah Welch / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Öffnungszeiten: 08:00–17:30
Eintrittspreis: ₹25 für Inder; Ticket ab
Benötigte Zeit: 1.5 hrs
Beste Tageszeit: 08:00 – 10:00
Beste Monate: Oct – Mar
Adresse: Aurangabad Caves Road, near Bibi Ka Maqbara, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra 431001

Über Aurangabad Caves

Aurangabad Caves hold 12 rock-cut Buddhist shrines carved into a basalt hill roughly 2 km from Bibi Ka Maqbara, split into a western group (Caves I–V) and an eastern group (Caves VI–IX) with a smaller unfinished cluster beyond. Unlike Ellora's dense concentration of 34 caves, these are spread thinly enough that a visitor can often stand alone in a chamber that took decades to hollow out. Cave 7 carries the site's signature carving: a bracket figure of a female attendant dressing beside a Bodhisattva panel, cut with the kind of anatomical softness usually associated with the later Ajanta murals rather than stone relief. The basalt itself is coarser-grained than the sandstone at Ajanta, and tool marks are still visible on unfinished ceiling sections in the northern group.

Beste Tageszeit: 08:00 – 10:00. When the western group (Caves I–V) catches direct light on the veranda carvings and the site holds only a handful of visitors.

Öffnungszeiten von Aurangabad Caves

Aurangabad Caves öffnet um 08:00 und schließt um 17:30. Am Wochenende ändert sich nichts: samstags und sonntags gelten dieselben Zeiten.

Öffnungszeiten: 08:00–17:30; Mon–Sun 08:00–17:30
Geschlossen an: Täglich geöffnet

Mon–Sun	08:00–17:30

Öffnungszeiten zusammengestellt aus asi.nic.in und öffentlichen Quellen, zuletzt aktualisiert am 18 September 2026. Sie können sich ohne Vorankündigung ändern — vor der Reise bitte bestätigen. Wie wir diese Reiseführer schreiben

Eintrittspreis für Aurangabad Caves

Entry fees for Aurangabad Caves
Ticket	Preis
Indische Besucher	₹25
Ausländische Besucher	₹300
Kinder	Kostenlos
Kamera	Kostenlos

Children under 15 enter free. Still photography is unrestricted; there is no separate camera fee. As of 2026, verify at the counter, since fee revisions for this site are less frequently reported than for Ellora or Ajanta.

Preise zusammengestellt aus asi.nic.in und öffentlichen Quellen, zuletzt aktualisiert am 18 September 2026. Sie können sich ohne Vorankündigung ändern — vor der Reise bitte bestätigen. Wie wir diese Reiseführer schreiben

Beste Reisezeit für Aurangabad Caves

Quiet
Moderate

08:00 – 10:00
Morning OpeningBest time to go
Gates open at 08:00. Visitor counts stay in single digits most weekday mornings, giving unobstructed access to Cave 7's carvings.
Quiet
10:00 – 13:00
Late Morning
A modest rise in domestic visitors, usually those who have already covered Bibi Ka Maqbara. Still well below Ellora-level footfall.
Moderate
13:00 – 15:30
Midday Heat
The exposed hillside path between cave groups gets uncomfortably hot; most visitors avoid this window, leaving the site nearly empty.
Quiet
15:30 – 17:30
Late Afternoon
A second, smaller wave of visitors arrives for cooler temperatures and better light on the western group before the 17:30 close.
Moderate

Geschichte von Aurangabad Caves

Carving at Aurangabad Caves began as early as the 1st or 2nd century CE with Cave 4, a Hinayana-phase chaitya hall contemporary with the earliest work at nearby Ajanta. Most of the site, however, dates to the 6th and 7th centuries CE under Vakataka and later Kalachuri-era patronage, when Mahayana and early Vajrayana Buddhism dominated cave excavation across the Deccan. Cave 7's tantric imagery — goddesses paired with Bodhisattva figures in ritual poses — is among the earliest surviving evidence of Vajrayana iconography in western India, predating its fuller development at sites like Ellora's later Buddhist caves. The northern cluster (Caves X–XII) was abandoned mid-excavation, leaving rough-cut chambers that show the quarrying method: horizontal galleries driven inward from a cliff face, then carved from the ceiling down. Because the site sits outside the main Ajanta-Ellora circuit, it drew far less scholarly attention until the twentieth century and remains comparatively under-documented.

Regeln & Etikette in Aurangabad Caves

The ticket office at the base of the access path issues a single combined pass for both the western and eastern groups; keep it, since a second checkpoint partway along the ridge path verifies entry. The connecting path between the two cave clusters is an open hillside walk of about 15 minutes with minimal shade, so carrying water matters more here than at the better-serviced Ellora site. Flash photography is discouraged in the interior shrine chambers to limit light exposure on the carved relief. No official guides are stationed on-site; visitors wanting interpretation should arrange one in advance through a Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar-based operator rather than expect one at the gate.

Tipps für den Besuch von Aurangabad Caves

1
Aurangabad Caves receive a fraction of Ellora's footfall, which makes it one of the few Buddhist rock-cut sites in the region where photographs of the carvings come out free of other visitors. Combine the visit with Bibi Ka Maqbara in the same morning, since a single auto-rickshaw fare of ₹150–200 covers both with waiting time. Cave 7's bracket figures are easiest to photograph between 08:00 and 09:30, when low-angle sunlight reaches the veranda without the midday glare that flattens the relief later in the day. There is no food or water vendor at the site itself; the nearest reliable stop is a roadside stall near Bibi Ka Maqbara's parking area, about 2 km back toward the city.

Anreise nach Aurangabad Caves

Der rote Stern zeigt Aurangabad Caves; die nummerierten Markierungen sind die 3 nächstgelegenen Orte aus unseren Reiseführern, jeweils mit ihrem Rang in der eigenen Stadt. Für Details auf eine Markierung tippen.

Aurangabad Caves Road, near Bibi Ka Maqbara, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra 431001Route in Google Maps

Ab Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Airport (IXU)
₹160–₹230
7 km · 20 min
Prepaid taxi); ₹110–₹160 (auto-rickshaw, negotiated
Ab Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Railway Station (AWB)
₹100–₹150
6 km · 20 min
Auto-rickshaw, negotiated
Ab Bibi Ka Maqbara
₹40–₹70
2 km · 7–10 min
Auto-rickshaw, often bundled into a return fare

Nächster Flughafen

Ab Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Airport (IXU)

7 km, approximately 20 minutes by road.

Nächster Bahnhof

Ab Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Railway Station (AWB)

6 km, approximately 20 minutes.

Häufige Fragen zu Aurangabad Caves

Are Aurangabad Caves worth visiting alongside Ellora and Ajanta?

Yes, if time allows a third stop. Aurangabad Caves are smaller and less crowded than Ellora or Ajanta, but Cave 7's tantric Buddhist carvings are not duplicated at either larger site, making it a genuine addition rather than a repeat.

How many caves are open to visitors at Aurangabad Caves?

Nine of the twelve caves are substantially complete and open — the western group (Caves I–V) and eastern group (Caves VI–IX). The northern cluster (Caves X–XII) was left unfinished and shows only rough excavation.

Is there a guide available at Aurangabad Caves?

No official guides are stationed at the site. Visitors who want detailed interpretation should book a guide in advance through a Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar tour operator before arriving.

How long does it take to walk between the two cave groups?

About 15 minutes along an open hillside path with limited shade. Carrying water is advisable, especially for a midday visit.

Mit KI-Unterstützung aus offiziellen Quellen und öffentlichen Aufzeichnungen erstellt und erst nach den Prüfungen veröffentlicht, die beschrieben sind unter Wie wir diese Reiseführer schreiben. Niemand von Traveliac war persönlich vor Ort. Zuletzt aktualisiert am 18 September 2026. Wie wir Orte bewerten und prüfen