This is a complex of caves, into which Buddhist murals and statues have been carved out hundreds of years ago.  It is believed; the carvings started in 420 AD and continued till the 17th century.  Over the centuries, a number of erosions, earthquakes and looters have damaged many of the caves and the destroyed the artistic treasures inside the caves.

Bingling is a translation of Tibeten and simply means `10,000 Buddhas.’  Presently, there are just fewer than 700 clay statues and around 900 sq m of carved murals in 183 caves.

Each statue is unique in its own way.  The largest figure is over 27m high with the smallest one being under25 cms.

Today, significant importance ias given to these treasured Bingling thousand Buddha caves.  The grottoes are divided into upper temple, lower temple and caves.  There are 196 shrines, 82 clay sculptures, 694 stone statues and frescos covering over 900 sq m.

The stone statues imply the themes of dance, decorative patterns, culture and Buddhist art. They include pagodas and frescos are a lying clay statue of Buddha of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) and the 25-cm-high stone statue of a maidservant of the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907), one of the most precious artwork sets in China today.

The caves are carved beside the Liujiaxia Reservoir, off the Yellow River.

One of the drawbacks here is one can reach this place only by boat. There are no roads that lead to the caves.  Traveling by boat has its own set of problems and the problem here is that you can travel only during the summer season and the water level needs to be adequate for a boat to pass off safely.

The entire trip takes around 12 hours and one gets less than 2 hours to visit the caves.  However, the scenery en route to the caves makes the journey interesting.  In short, there is never a dull moment.

The first leg of the journey to the caves begins from Lanzhou.  One needs to take a 2-hour bus journey to the impressive Liujiaxia Hydro-Electric Dam.  During this journey, one is enthralled with the impressive fertile loess fields of China and the destination, Liujiaxia is still better.  The Dam is surrounded by the colorful mountains.  At the dam, one needs to board the waiting ferry to take you to the caves via the Yellow River.  The journey in the ferry is even more impressive.  You can experience views of fishermen at work to the peasants cultivating wheat, rice, and sunflowers.   Another aspect of the ferry journey is the boat enters a tall and hung gorge.  The river churns and froths and a section of the river bank get whipped into the water.  It is believed the Yellow River carries 35 kgs of silt in every m3 of water and these results in the murkiness.

Mogao Caves is a good example of art and culture of Dunhuang. It is a nine-storey tower. China’s western cities are well-known for the sandstorms especially the desert areas. So the tourists who want to visit this place should guard themselves with hats, glasses, gauze kerchiefs and all other stuffs.

In Chinese history, Dunhuang was provoked to become the most unlock area in global trade. It was the center of trade in olden times between China and its western neighbors.

During that time Dunhuang was China’s largest westerly military stronghold.

Today, we can have few attractions here like the Mogao Caves, Yangguan Pass, Yumenguan Pass and numerous breathtaking Chinese poems represent the time. The leftovers of the two Passes are actually the collapsed walls.

Now you can experience a fresh and stunning location in Dunhuang. This has been a famous tourist destination especially due to the city’s stone caves that boost the economy and generated a new industry from the old one.

The best sites in Dunhuang are the nine-storey Tower in Mogao, Crescent Lake lies in the Echoing-sand Mountain and Mingsha Shan. The Mogao Caves is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is overflowing with delicate Buddhist art and manuscripts. The Mogao Caves is a group of 492 caves that encloses frescoes with 45,000 square metres and 2,415 of stucco statues could be seen. These caves were maintained consequently till the periods of 19th century.

Apart from the Mogao Caves you can also visit the Sand Dunes that are a worth for you. Just you have to pay a little entrance fee for the dunes and lake park which is ¥120. Ahead, you can even visit one of the seven wonders of world that is the Great Wall of China.

How to reach

You can easily reach at this fantastic place through plane. Dunhuang Airport lies at the town center. The flights are always available to you to Beijing, Lanzhou, Urumqi and Xian.

If you want to reach here by train then get down at Dunhuang Train Station. Apart from this, the other way to get here is by bus. This place has two bus stations that provide services frequently.

Accommodations

You will get plenty of hotels and restaurants. Choose the way you want to. You will even get tourist guides who will help you to explore the city. As per your budget you can book room to stay and rest like the Feitian Hotel Dunhuang, Charlie Johng’s Dune Guesthouse, Grand Sun Hotel Dunhuang, Dunhuang Hotel and Silk Road Dunhuang Hotel.

Best time to visit

The proper time to visit this exotic, pleasant and ancient location is during the months of May to September. So plan your trip accordingly at these months and explore the entire China with this city as the key place to visit.

Well, if you are going at June to October, then you can experience the traditions of Silk Road with shows like singing and dancing. Do not miss the Camel trek as this will be proved as a fun.

Things to buy

If you want to buy something at this place then the night market will the best place for it. You can purchase a variety of dried fruits and nuts which is very good.

Place to eat

The Charlie Johng’s café in Mingshan Road is very popular where you can enjoy having snacks and other groceries and of course the western meals in reasonable rates. IF you want to purchase the English breakfast set all you have to pay ¥25. Besides these, you can even buy Lamb, potato, mushroom, bread and much more things at Night market skewers stalls. With this each and every thing are provided at your door steps. Just book a ticket to Dunhuang and make your trip memorable by exploring the ancient period.

Location:

The caves of Ajanta are located in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra in India.

History:

The Ajanta Caves were carved with the help of cliff which had a shape of horseshoe. The caves are positioned near the Waghora Rivers. The caves were carved in second century BC. The Buddhist monks used the caves as prayer halls which were commonly known as the Chaitya Grihas. The caves were also used as Monasteries which was known as Viharas in common language. The caves were used for nearly 900 years and then deserted suddenly. The caves vanished out of the memory before it was discovered in the year 1819.

What to See:

The caves are located from east to west direction and are number from 1 up to 29. Today you will find that the way through the terrace connects the different caves. In the olden times each and every cave was accessed from the river separately.

If you view the platform diagonally from the river you will have an outstanding sight of the complete Ajanta location. The innate attractiveness of the region will surely give you the various reasons to make yourself clear regarding the monks decision of choosing the site for their sacred recreation.

Inside the caves you will come across many impressive Buddhist art works which are being conserved. Some of the art works represent the old Theravada culture. The Thereavada believes that the footprint as well as throne of Buddha depicts Buddha himself. Exotic murals as well as wonderful statutes are found in the Mahayana caves. It is believed that the statutes as well as murals represent the earlier life of Buddha. Many scenes from day-to-day life of Buddha are found in the caves. Scenes such as a Nobel or a prince or his inscription regarding the caves which he gave to the monks as a gift are found to be drawn in the caves walls.

If you are planning to visit the caves do explore them in the reverse order as they are numbered. This will also help you to keep out of the huge crowd that visits the caves in the regular order. Few of the most important caves that are a must-visit are given below:-

Cave 26:

This cave is commonly known as Chaitya, which is a mahayana prayer hall. The figure of the reclining Buddha which is engraved in a stone is the highlight of the cave. The figure represents the death moment of Buddha. The followers of Buddha mourn regarding his death below the statute also celebrations are made in the outer space.  A stuap which has a figure of Buddha resting in a pavilion is also found in this cave.

Cave 17:

The cave is a simple Mahayana monastery. The walls of the caves are wonderfully painted as well as preserved. The ceilings of the caves are decorated with extraterrestrial musicians as well as the maidens were as lotus petals, Buddhas, goddesses as well as the celestial guardians makes the doorway look very much interesting.

The encounter of Prince Simhala with a man is drawn on the mural of the Cave 17. The man is shown eating the ogresses which belongs to Sri Lanka. It is believed that the man was being grounded in Sri Lanka. Another mural has paintings of Gods who are making their way through the clouds with their beautiful nymphs and the various musicians. The space which is located above the doorway has a picture of 7 Buddha’s who are in the form of the humans.

Cave 16:

The cave 16 has a Mahayana monastery has an impressive paintings that shows the image of Princess Sundari who got fainted after she was informed that her husband Nanda was willing to become a monk. Nanda was half-brother of Buddha.

Cave 15, 13, 12, 8:

These caves are well known as Theravada monastery caves.

Cave 10:

The cave has the prayer hall which is supposed to be built in second century. The caves are believed to have the oldest temple built in cave in Ajanta.

Cave 9:

The prayer hall in the cave is believed to be built in the early times. The cave has windows which help a good amount of sunlight to enter the cave. The window has a shape of an arch. It is the Theravada cave and also has a stupa which is quite large.

Cave 4:

This cave is incompletely built but is considered as the biggest among the Ajanta’s monasteries

Cave 2:

The Naga Kings as well as their associates are pictured on the caves façade. Inside the cave is a huge mandala which has an impressive ceiling. The ceiling is held by the demons. Also it is decorated with flowers, birds, fruits as well as many abstract designs. The ceiling with provide you an image of the cloth canopy.

Cave 1:

This is the most renowned among all the caves that are located at Ajanta. The walls as well as ceiling including each and every corner of the cave were actually painted. With the passing of time the paint got fainted and eventually worn off. The area from the doorway up to the chambers located inside the cave is well-decorated with the help of excellent wall-paintings. Image of the two famous Bodhisattvas are drawn on the walls. The image of Avalokitesvarais drawn on the right whereas Padmapani’s image is drawn on the left.

What else to see:

Once you have decided about your trip to Ajanta, don’t forget to include Ellora in your must-visit list. Ellora is located very close to Ajanta caves and is popular for its exotic caves.

Getting There:

Aurangabad Airport is the nearest located airport. It is very well-connected with Mumbai Airport. From Mumbai it will take you hardly 45mins to reach Aurangabad by air. Further you can hire a cab or a taxi and cover a distance of 2-3 hours and reach Ajnata.  The nearest railway station is Jalgoan as well as Bhusaval. Taxis as well as cars are easily available from both the places.

Opening timings:

The caves are open to the visitor from early sunrise up to the sunset. The visits are closed on Mondays.

Entrance Cost:

Every individual visiting the caves who is more than 12 years is required to pay an amount of Rs 5 at the entrance booth.

Best time to visit:

You can visit Ajanta any time in the year but among the lot the best time is from October to March.

Accommodation:

You will easily find budget hotels near the caves that will provide with accommodation as well as food. Also MTDC’s Holiday resort is locatedat a distance of only 4 km from the caves. It provides comfortable as well as clean accommodation.