Patrimoine

Aurangabad Caves

#2sur 7 lieux à visiter à AurangabadAurangabad, Maharashtra

Aussi appelé Aurangabad Buddhist Caves

L'essentiel

Horaires d'ouverture : 08:00–17:30, last entry 17:00. Entrée : ₹25 pour les Indiens · ₹300 pour les étrangers. Comptez 1.5 hrs. Meilleure période : 08:00 – 10:00.

Mis à jour le 18 septembre 2026 · Rédigé par Traveliac, avec assistance IA · 4 min de lecture

ItinéraireSite officiel

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

Horaires d'ouverture: 08:00–17:30
Prix d'entrée: ₹25 pour les Indiens; Billet à partir de
Durée nécessaire: 1.5 hrs
Meilleur moment de la journée: 08:00 – 10:00
Meilleurs mois: Oct – Mar
Adresse: Aurangabad Caves Road, near Bibi Ka Maqbara, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra 431001

À propos de 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.

Meilleur moment de la journée : 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.

Horaires de Aurangabad Caves

Aurangabad Caves ouvre à 08:00 et ferme à 17:30. Le week-end ne change rien : samedi et dimanche suivent les mêmes horaires.

Horaires d'ouverture: 08:00–17:30; Mon–Sun 08:00–17:30
Fermé le: Ouvert tous les jours

Mon–Sun	08:00–17:30

Horaires d'ouverture établis à partir de asi.nic.in et de sources publiques, mis à jour le 18 septembre 2026. Ils peuvent changer sans préavis — vérifiez avant de partir. Comment nous rédigeons ces guides

Prix d'entrée de Aurangabad Caves

Entry fees for Aurangabad Caves
Billet	Prix
Visiteurs indiens	₹25
Visiteurs étrangers	₹300
Enfants	Gratuit
Caméra	Gratuit

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.

Tarifs établis à partir de asi.nic.in et de sources publiques, mis à jour le 18 septembre 2026. Ils peuvent changer sans préavis — vérifiez avant de partir. Comment nous rédigeons ces guides

Meilleure période pour visiter 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

Histoire de 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.

Règles et étiquette à 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.

Conseils pour visiter 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.

Comment se rendre à Aurangabad Caves

L'étoile rouge indique Aurangabad Caves ; les repères numérotés sont les 3 lieux les plus proches de nos guides, chacun avec son classement dans sa ville. Touchez un repère pour plus de détails.

Aurangabad Caves Road, near Bibi Ka Maqbara, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra 431001Itinéraire sur Google Maps

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

Aéroport le plus proche

Depuis Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Airport (IXU)

7 km, approximately 20 minutes by road.

Gare la plus proche

Depuis Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Railway Station (AWB)

6 km, approximately 20 minutes.

FAQ — 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.

Rédigé avec l'assistance de l'IA à partir de sources officielles et de registres publics, et publié seulement après les vérifications décrites dans Comment nous rédigeons ces guides. Personne chez Traveliac ne s'est rendu sur place. Mis à jour le 18 septembre 2026. Comment nous classons et vérifions les lieux