The Kailash Temple was perhaps the finest single site I saw on my whole 3 week trip in South Asia. It marks out the Ellora caves as a truly world class destination, and one that should not be missed if you are in central India.

There are three religions represented across the 32 of the complex. The Buddhist caves are the earliest, and have many similarities to those at Ajanta, but do not have the painted interiors of that site. The Jain caves have some particularly impressive carvings, they are not as large as the others but they are finely detailed.

The bulk of the highlights though come in the Hindu caves, which at times can be massive.

The Kailash temple was absolutely astounding, and could easily be a world class WHS on its own, even without the 30 other caves. The impressive style of the carvings, the monumental size and the great views afforded by the surround galleries and hill made this extra special. It was really worthwhile clambering up the hill surrounding it to get a birds-eye view of the whole ensemble.

I managed to visit the caves in the same day as Ajanta and I felt that I did each site justice, visiting every cave and having repeat viewings of the major highlights.

Astounding, don't miss if you are in central India.

[Site 10: Experience 7]