Mumbai to Ellora Caves
1
Ellora Caves
A 330 KM drive takes us from Mumbai to Aurangabad. After hotel check in and lunch, we will visit Ellora caves.
Built between 5th and 10th century, Ellora Caves are a set of 34 caves excavated out of the Charanandri hills. The caves are a mix of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain styles.
The highlight of Ellora is the Kailasa Temple. Built to resemble Mount Kailash, the heavenly abode of Lord Shiva, it is the largest single monolithic excavation in the world. Built in the 8th century, Kaliasa is twice the size of Parthenon and was built by 7,000 laborers over 150 years.
Duration: 2 hours
Aurangabad
1
Bibi Ka Maqbara
We visit Bibi ka Maqbara built by Mughal Emperor in memory of his wife, very much like what his father Shah Jahan did with Taj Mahal! Bibi ka Maqbara is often called the Taj Mahal of the Deccan. Ata Ullah the architect of Bibi ka Maqbara was in fact the son of the chief designer of the Taj Mahal!
Duration: 60 minutes
2
Daulatabad Fort
This magnificent fort is steeped in history. In the 14th century, Muhammad Bin Tughlaq, the Sultan of Delhi and the most eccentric King in Indian history, shifted his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad, with disastrous consequences. There are remains of Palaces & Mosques to be seen on the top.
Duration: 2 hours
Lonar Temple
1
We drive 140 KM from Auragabad to Lonar .
In the evening we visit Lonar village to appreciate the incredible architecture of an ancient Temple. Daitya Sudan is a temple dedicated to an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The temple has been built in Chalukya architecture style and has erotic sculptures like the famous temples of Khajuraho.
Duration: 2 hours
Lonar Meteor Lake & Ajanta Caves
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Lonar crater lake
The Lonar Lake crater was formed a little over 50000 years ago. A 2 million ton meteor crashed into the Basalt rocks traveling at a speed of 90,000 kmph The impact crater is 1.8km wide and 150m deep. There are ancient temples as well as several bird species to be seen on the way from the ground to the crater.
Lonar Meteor Lake has many unsolved puzzles for geologists. Scientists from NASA and the Geological Survey of India are trying to unravel mysteries like the water being both saline and alkaline, presence of unique micro organisms, and the failure of the magnetic compass.
Our guide will demonstrate the anomalies at Lonar, by performing a few simple scientific experiments.
Duration: 2 hours
2
Ajanta Caves
A 150 KM drive brings us to Ajanta Caves from Lonar.
Ajanta Caves are a magnificent set of 30 rock cut Buddhist caves from 1st and 2nd century BC whose cultural influence spread to far flung areas like Java in modern Indonesia. They were carved by cutting into the side of a cliff that is on the side of a U-shaped gorge, beside the River Waghora. The theme of most of the Caves is excerpts from Jataka Tales. These relate to the life of Buddha before he was enlightened.
Duration: 2 hours
Wine Tasting in Nashik
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Sula Vineyards
Nashik is the wine capital of India and it is only fitting that we end this magnificent tour with a round of Wine Tasting in one of the vineyards here!
Duration: 1.5 hours
Return to Mumbai
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A 165 KM drive will bring us to Mumbai from Nashik.
Duration: 3 hours
