Spectacular

The Ellora Caves are a series of 34 temples and other structures that have been carved from rock in the hills above the town of Ellora. Outside Aurangabad. They were built from the 2^nd century BC to the 11^th century AD. Over that time, tastes (and religions) changed a bit. The earliest caves are Buddhist, with later ones being Hindu and Jain. The scale of the structures is immense. Photo’s won’t do it justice at all, but we will try to share the incredible skill involved in carving these complex temples from the top down into the basalt rock. Note that all of these structures are carved from a single rock. In other words, they were not constructed, but chiseled away, starting from the top. They're amazing. BTW, the Buddha in the first image is over 25 feet tall.

Carol here. I had some fun exchanges at the Ellora caves with the hawkers that are persistently harassing you to buy their wares. I usually start by telling them I will not buy anything but would love to engage them in conversation. We speak in in English and I ask about their families and life. They tell me how good their wares are. I usually end with telling them that if they want to give me a gift of their wares that would be nice. They then ask if I would like to reciprocate the gift giving with a $10 bill (American dollar of course). Actually one man gave me a small bracelet that he wanted to have me bring to my niece (kalai). I gave him an Obama political button that started up a whole other conversation. Sorry (Dad), but everyone in India loves Obama. Another man gave me some old coins that he found with a metal detector and I gave him some American change and gum for his kids. Nice conversations. Everyone involved in the tourist industry from street hawker to hotel staff is especially kind and thoughtful and friendly. This Mumbai “trouble” as they call it has such an immense impact on the Indian economy with regards to the tourist industry. We travel tomorrow to the Ajanta caves which are further out but even more delightful-which is hard to imagine. We will post every night till departure day on Sunday. Then it’s a long journey home.