[yashg]

I went on a solo trip to Ajanta-Ellora in my Jeep Compass petrol AT. There were several firsts on this trip

• My fist ever solo road trip
• First road trip of my Jeep Compass
• First time drove on the Samruddhi Mahamarg (legal limit 120 KMPH)
• Writing first travelogue

The plan

It was an impromptu decision. The year was ending, work was slow in the last week, I wanted to visit Ajanta-Allora for some time now and wanted to take my new Compass out on to the real highways. I just made up the plan to visit Aurangabad and Ajanta-Ellora on 27th. Wife wasn’t keen on the historic places or the day long 8 hour drive. I had always wanted to go on a solo trip, so that was it. Made up the itinerary. In addition to Ajanta and Ellora caves, I wanted to check out local Aurangabad attractions like Bibi ka Maqbara, Panchakki and Aurangzeb’s tomb if time permitted. I wanted to visit next day and it was going to be a 2 nights trip, so I scoured the various websites for hotels. Due to last moment and year ending, there were no rooms available. Called a couple of hotels, nobody had any rooms. Finally, after some searching found a hotel named Capital O Gajanan Heritage at 51% discounted price on Agoda. The photos looked decent, and price was very tempting so booked it. It was going to backfire. But more on that later.

Preparations

The car was new so nothing to be done on the car front. Still took her for a spin the night before to make sure everything was fine. Filled up the tires to the recommended pressure. I had ordered the 70mai battery jump starter kit, but it wouldn’t arrive before the trip. Not that a brand-new car would need it, but you never know. Packed lots of snacks, water, medicines, and I was ready to go. The fuel tank was at 74% so would not need to refuel till I had reached Aurangabad.

Day 1 - Mumbai to Aurangabad

I planned to leave at 7 AM but left at 8:15. It was going to be an 8 hour drive and with breaks in between, I thought I would reach the hotel by 5 and then I can go visit Bibi ka Maqbara same day.

Trip starts


I immediately regretted leaving an hour late as I met morning Mumbai traffic.



Took me 2 and a half hours to reach Bhiwandi, about 53 KMs. Took my first break for breakfast.



After a quick break, I hit the road again. I wasn't hungry so did not half for lunch, only took a couple of stretching breaks in between and halted at around 4:15 for another snack break.

Huge trailer just passed by from inches away



On a quick break



I wanted to check how far Bibi ka Maqbara was from the hotel which I had not checked previously and that's when I realised that the hotel I had booked in hurry wasn't in Aurangabad but in Kannad, a good 60 KMs away from Aurangabad! I would get there by 5:30 but Bibi ka Maqbara was another hour's drive from there. I called the hotel to confirm if what I was seeing on Google maps was right, and I got connected to OYO. That's when I realised it was an OYO hotel. That's not good. I have read enough bad things about OYO. They confirmed the hotel was indeed 60 KMs away from Aurangabad but also assured me that my room was booked and reserved. Visiting Bibi ka Maqbara that day was now out of question. Small inconvenience I thought, I'll adjust my itinerary and visit it on another day. Let's head to hotel.

Jeep Compass in the evening Sun





The hotel saga

Finding the hotel proved challenging. As usual, the place where Google suggested the hotel would be, was wrong. I turned off Google map and asked the locals till I found the hotel and I realised I had drove past it few minutes back. Any way after about 15-20 minutes I reached the hotel, and there another surprise was waiting for me. The hotel had print outs on the door proclaiming they had no tie-ups with any online travel websites.



I presented the Agoda confirmation email to the hotel owner. He said they had tie-up with OYO, but they don't have it anymore and still OYO keeps selling their rooms and travellers like mine end up visiting thinking they have a reservation. I called OYO, and they simply washed their hands off. I asked them you had confirmed by reservation just an hour ago, and the agent was like, yes we confirmed the reservation, but if now the hotel is denying you the room, talk to Agoda because you have booked with them! It was unbelievable! Agoda is selling a Capital O property (I came to know Capital O is OYO's brand for “3 star” category hotels) and OYO is just shrugging it off. Here I am, after a 9 hour drive, at a place which is 60 KMs from my intended destination and I don't even have a booking for which I had paid in full in advance.

I wasn't angry actually at that point. I just wanted a room. The hotel had two rooms available which they showed me, and I took one which I found better. I would deal with Agoda and OYO later. I was there to explore the historical places and I needed the hotel just as a base to crash for 2 nights. I wasn't going to let this spoil my mood. I checked in and that was the end of the day.

PS: Agoda refunded the money.

[yashg]

Day 2 – Ajanta and Bibi ka Maqbara

One unintended benefit of this hotel's location was that Ajanta was nearer. About 2 hours drive. Hotel did not have breakfast, only tea. Gujjus always travel with theplas so I had some theplas with tea and I was on the road by 9. First step was to fuel up. Got the full tank and hit the road to Ajanta caves. I was at Ajanta by 11:30. There is a shuttle bus from the main entry point to the caves complex. Bus fare is Rs. 25 one way.

Bus that takes you to Ajanta caves



First glimpse of the Ajanta caves



Some caves beautiful wall paintings, you can't see them this clearly with naked eyes. Flash photography is not allowed in these caves. It is the magic of modern day smartphones cameras that they are able to capture these paintings in such vivid colours.



Intricate carvings on the pillars



Even ceiling has beautiful murals





The "caves" are actually massive halls



Traffic jam at the caves! There was a huge crowd, lots of school kids on field trips. There were families, couples and large groups as well.



There are 26 caves in the Ajanta complex





Cave number 26 is majestic



Look at those pillars



What a massive ceiling



Artifacts of the modern era - CCTV



The cave has a giant lying Buddha



Just look at that face



Exquisite craftsmanship





There's an observation post top of the hill

[yashg]

Cooling off and rehydrating after exploring the caves



Next destination was Bibi ka Maqbara. I intended to reach there before Sunset. I left from Ajanta around 3 PM and was at Bibi ka Maqbara around 5:30 PM. Sun had already set, light was quickly fading, there was a long queue for entry ticket, by the time I got in it was past 6.

On the way, the Compass reached a milestone, first of many thousands I intend to put on this one



Bibi ka Maqbara is called the mini Taj Mahal, and it is very much a replica of the Taj. Albeit in not so good condition. I spent only about half an hour there.







After Bibi ka Maqbara, I Googled the nearest pizza place and found a Dominos pizza in 12 KMs. Went there for dinner and had a pizza. Then drove an hour to get back to the hotel. Reached hotel at 9 PM and called it a day.

Another interesting milestone for the day

[yashg]

Day 3 – Ellora and back home

I had a long day’s travel ahead of me so checked out by 8:30, settled the bill, took some quick snaps and headed to Ellora caves.

Hotel claims to not have any association with OYO anymore but still has their logo



On the way to Ellora caves





Ellora caves



There are 32 caves at the Ellora complex, the main attraction is cave number 16 called Kailash which is a whole temple dedicated to Shiva carved from a single rock. The plaque said it took 10 generations and 200 years to complete. It is indeed magnificent.



It's all carved from a single rock!





The carvings originally had plaster and colours, imagine how magnificent it would be in all its original glory!





It's a massive structure



The sculptures





Ganpati eating laddoos



Modern artisans at work with power tools



Not all caves are well preserved and visited though, bats in one of the caves

[yashg]

Cave number 29 is massive, it's a huge hall. Another temple.









Cave number 1-12 are Buddhist caves. Cave 11 has 3 floors!



You can't really call them caves, these are huge structures





Grand. Look at those pillars, as if they were precision cut with modern tools.



By 1 PM, I was done with exploring the Ellora caves and was ready to head back home. Content after exploring the historical caves. Coming all the way here was worth it.



Ride back home

I had a quick lunch of dal-khichdi at a nearby restaurant and put the navigation to home. One of the main attractions of the drive back home was driving on the newly inaugurated Samrudddhi Mahamarg.

Entering the expressway, screengrab from dashcam



And oh boy, what a road is that! 120 KMPH legal speed limit and I hit that limit within minutes of hitting that road.





What a fun drive it was. A capable car on a fabulous almost empty road. I mostly drove within the limit, only occasionally crossing it to overtake one or two cars. After a while I kept the cruise control on 118 and just enjoyed the drive. I even turned off the music to just take in the ride and the road. Man, I was grinning from ear to ear cruising on that expressway. I know this Jeep can easily do crazy speeds on a road like this in a more capable driver's hands. But for me, driving consistently at about 120 was enjoyable enough. I wasn't out there to set some speed records. I wanted to experience the joy of driving a solid car at the pace that I felt comfortable at. And Jeep Compass was running butter smooth on the road it was meant to be driven.

Here's a short video of the drive from the dashcam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkX4hnKj5tw

That 75 KM stretch on the expressway was the highlight of the entire journey. Alas, good things don't last long and soon I was on the bad roads and traffic.

Took the last snack break at 6:30 PM near Asangaon.



I finally reached home at 10 PM. A journey of 954 KMs, with total drive time of 24 hours.





It's longest road trip I have undertaken, the longest I have driven in a day or in a 3 day period. I am tired, but thoroughly enjoyed the trip. It was a fitting end to the year, and I am looking forward to many more road trips (solo or with family) in the coming year.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[itsMridul]

Beautiful travelogue and pictures, reminded me of my own trip to Aurangabad in 2017. Although not as majestic as the Ajanta or Ellora caves, but you could have visited the Aurangabad caves. The view from there with the Bibi ka Maqbara at front is very good.

[kraft.wagen]

Thanks for sharing yashg! Great pictures and details. Its on my bucket list to visit soon. Does the caves have explanation of each of them or are there guides one can hire there?

[yashg]

Originally Posted by itsMridul

Although not as majestic as the Ajanta or Ellora caves, but you could have visited the Aurangabad caves. The view from there with the Bibi ka Maqbara at front is very good.

Yeah, I had to skip a few places due to paucity of time. May be in the next visit.

Originally Posted by kraft.wagen

Does the caves have explanation of each of them or are there guides one can hire there?

Guides can be hired at both Ajanta and Ellora. Official guide cost at Ajanta is 1800, which I found to be on a higher side for an individual. Makes sense if you are a large group. Only certain important caves in Ellora have plaques explaining the history. At Ajanta, the history is outside the cave complex from where you take the bus. There are people at the entrance of both places selling guide books.