Ajanta vs Ellora Caves — Which Should You Visit First?

The Ajanta vs Ellora caves question comes up constantly among travellers planning a trip to Aurangabad — both are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, both are rock-cut cave complexes, and both are frequently mentioned in the same breath. But this Ajanta vs Ellora caves comparison shows they’re genuinely different experiences, and understanding those differences helps you plan a trip that actually matches what you want to see.

Quick Answer

If you had to choose just one: Ellora is closer to Aurangabad (~30 km) and better suited to visitors short on time, with the monumental Kailasa Temple as its highlight. Ajanta is further (~100 km) but offers something Ellora doesn’t — extensive painted murals that are considered among the finest surviving examples of ancient Indian art. Most travellers who can spare two days visit both, treating them as separate day trips rather than trying to combine them.

The rest of this Ajanta vs Ellora caves comparison breaks down the specifics — history, distance, what each site actually looks like once you’re there, and practical advice on which to prioritise depending on your interests and how much time you have available.

Ajanta vs Ellora — Side-by-Side Comparison

The table below summarises the key differences that matter most when planning your trip and deciding how to prioritise your time:

What Each Site Is Known For

Ajanta’s reputation rests almost entirely on its paintings — murals depicting Jataka tales, courtly scenes, and Buddhist iconography, painted using natural pigments over specially prepared plaster. Caves 1, 2, 16, and 17 contain the best-preserved examples, including the famous Padmapani and Vajrapani figures in Cave 1. The site’s setting also stands out — the caves curve along a horseshoe-shaped cliff above the Waghur River, giving visitors a dramatic vantage point across the gorge before entering any individual cave.

Ellora’s reputation, by contrast, rests on scale and architectural ambition. The Kailasa Temple (Cave 16) — carved from the top down out of a single piece of rock, removing an estimated 200,000 tonnes of stone — is the largest monolithic rock-cut structure in the world and remains the site’s undisputed centrepiece. Unlike Ajanta’s more uniform Buddhist focus, Ellora spans three religious traditions within the same rock face, reflecting a period of relative religious coexistence in the Deccan region.

Historical Period & Construction

Ajanta is the older of the two sites in its earliest phase, with excavation beginning around the 2nd century BCE, though most of its famous paintings date to a later phase in the 5th century CE under Vakataka patronage. Ellora came later, with construction spanning roughly the 6th to 10th centuries CE across three religious traditions — Buddhist caves excavated first, followed by Hindu caves (including Kailasa Temple) under the Rashtrakuta dynasty, and finally Jain caves in the last centuries of construction.

This chronological difference is part of why the two sites feel so distinct in person — Ajanta represents an earlier tradition centred on painting and narrative storytelling, while Ellora represents where that broader tradition eventually led in terms of architectural scale and ambition. Ajanta was also largely abandoned after its main construction phase and rediscovered only in 1819 by a British officer on a tiger hunt, meaning its paintings survived centuries of relative isolation rather than continuous use — a key reason so much of the original pigment remains visible today.

Distance & Travel Time from Aurangabad

Ellora is roughly 30 km from Aurangabad, typically a 45-minute to one-hour drive. Ajanta is considerably further at roughly 100 km, usually a 2 to 2.5 hour drive each way. This distance difference is the single biggest practical factor in planning a trip — Ellora fits comfortably into a half-day or full-day itinerary, while Ajanta essentially requires a dedicated full day given the round-trip driving time involved.

Neither route involves direct rail access to the sites themselves, so road transport is the only realistic option regardless of which site you’re heading to. Aurangabad remains the practical base for both, with its airport and railway station both well-connected for visitors arriving from further afield before continuing on to either or both cave complexes. For exact distance figures from various points in Aurangabad, see our Aurangabad to Ajanta and Ellora Caves distance guide.

Which Should You Visit First

If you’re spending two days and visiting both as part of your Ajanta vs Ellora caves trip, most travellers find it works better to visit Ellora first — it’s closer, requires less driving, and gives you a gentler introduction to rock-cut architecture before tackling the longer Ajanta trip. Save Ajanta for a day when you can start early and dedicate the full day to the site and the drive, since rushing the return journey after a full day of sightseeing isn’t ideal.

There’s also a practical logistics argument for this order: since Ellora is closer, doing it first lets you get a feel for how much time cave-by-cave exploration actually takes without the added pressure of a long return drive. That experience helps you pace the Ajanta day more realistically, since Ajanta’s longer round trip leaves less margin for a slow, unhurried visit if you start too late.

Can You Visit Both in One Day

Technically possible, but not recommended. Between the driving time (30 km to Ellora plus 100 km to Ajanta, or vice versa, plus the return trip) and the time needed to properly explore each site, attempting both in a single day usually means rushing through one or both — defeating the purpose of visiting UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the first place. Most travellers who want to see both plan two separate day trips.

If your schedule genuinely only allows one day in the region and you’re trying to decide between a rushed combined visit or a relaxed single-site visit, most guides and drivers would recommend the latter — a proper visit to one site beats a hurried glimpse of two.

Which One Is Right for You

Ultimately, the Ajanta vs Ellora caves decision comes down to your interests and available time. If you have limited time or are primarily interested in architectural scale and engineering, prioritise Ellora — the Kailasa Temple alone justifies the shorter trip. If you’re an art enthusiast, a photographer, or specifically interested in ancient painting techniques, Ajanta is worth the longer drive. If you have two full days available, visiting both gives you a genuinely complete picture of this period of Indian rock-cut architecture, since the two sites complement rather than duplicate each other.

Families with young children or elderly travellers often find Ellora the more practical choice given the shorter drive and generally easier walking terrain, while Ajanta’s horseshoe-shaped layout involves a somewhat longer, more continuous walk between caves. Neither site is especially difficult to navigate, but the cumulative walking distance at Ajanta tends to be longer given its layout.

Taxi Options for Both Sites

Neither site has direct public transport connecting it to Aurangabad, so most visitors arrange a private taxi for both. Siya Travels runs regular service to both sites — see our Ellora Caves from Aurangabad page and our Ajanta Caves taxi service page for individual fares, our Ajanta Ellora taxi services page if you’re planning to cover both across a multi-day trip, or our Ajanta Ellora caves tour package for a fully planned itinerary.

Booking a taxi in advance for both legs of an Ajanta vs Ellora caves trip also means the same driver can advise on realistic timing for each day — useful if you’re unsure how long to budget, since local drivers who run these routes regularly have a good sense of how the day tends to unfold once you factor in traffic, ticket queues, and how long visitors typically spend at each cave.

For readers who want the full single-site deep dive rather than this comparison overview, our Ellora Caves guide covers Ellora’s history, the Kailasa Temple, timings, and entry fees in detail, and our Ajanta Caves guide does the same for Ajanta. For a broader overview of visiting both caves together, see our Ajanta and Ellora Caves from Aurangabad guide, or our Ajanta and Ellora Caves tour page.

Best Time to Visit Both

October to March offers the most comfortable weather for visiting either site, with cooler temperatures making both the drive and the walking involved considerably more pleasant than during the hotter months. If your trip includes both sites, this window also generally means better road conditions on the longer Ajanta approach, since monsoon rains can occasionally slow travel on that stretch. Weekday visits to either site tend to see noticeably lighter crowds than weekends, particularly during peak season.

Ajanta vs Ellora Caves — FAQs

Common questions people ask when comparing Ajanta vs Ellora caves and planning a visit to both:

1. Ellora vs Ajanta caves — which is better for a first-time visitor?

Ellora is generally recommended for first-time visitors given its shorter distance from Aurangabad and the immediate visual impact of the Kailasa Temple. Ajanta rewards visitors with more time and interest in painted art specifically.

2. Which is older, Ajanta or Ellora?

Ajanta’s earliest caves date to roughly the 2nd century BCE, making it older in its earliest phase than Ellora, which was constructed mainly between the 6th and 10th centuries CE.

3. Can I visit Ajanta and Ellora on the same day?

It’s technically possible but not recommended given the combined driving distance and time needed to properly explore each site. Most visitors treat them as separate day trips.

4. Which site has more caves?

Ellora has 34 caves compared to Ajanta’s 29, though Ellora’s caves span three religious traditions while Ajanta’s are entirely Buddhist.

5. Is a taxi necessary for both sites?

Yes, effectively — neither site has direct public transport from Aurangabad, so a private taxi or organised tour is the practical way to reach either.

6. Which is closer to Aurangabad, Ajanta or Ellora?

Ellora is much closer at roughly 30 km, compared to Ajanta’s roughly 100 km distance.

Whichever way you decide the Ajanta vs Ellora caves question for your own trip, both sites reward a properly paced visit rather than a rushed one — the real difference between a good trip and a forgettable one usually comes down to giving each site the time it deserves, rather than which one you technically saw first.