Ellora, Grishneshwar, Daulatabad and Bibi ka Maqbara
Ajanta and Ellora · 10 hrs · Cab included · Pickup from your stay
From ₹2990 for the whole vehicle, up to 8 people. The price is per car, not per person.
Vehicles
- Swift Dzire: Sedan. Best for a couple or a small family. ₹2990 for the vehicle.
- Tata Sumo: Rugged 8-seater. The most room for the money. ₹3490 for the vehicle.
- Innova or Ertiga: The comfortable one on a long hill day. ₹4990 for the vehicle.
Everything on the Ellora road, in the order the heat allows
West of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, the old Aurangabad, a single road runs out past Daulatabad fort to Ellora and the jyotirlinga at Grishneshwar, 30 km in all. Add Bibi ka Maqbara on the way home and it is the most complete day in the district, and it is all within reach of one driver who knows where to park.
Two things decide the order. Ellora is closed every Tuesday, so this day never runs on one. And Daulatabad is a real climb, several hundred steps up an exposed rock, which you want to do at nine in the morning rather than at two in the afternoon. So the fort goes first, Ellora fills the middle of the day, Grishneshwar comes after the caves, and the Maqbara catches the last light.
You book the car, not the seats, so the price is the same for two or eight, and the parking at every stop is in it. App cabs will take you to Ellora; nothing will be waiting when you come out.
Your day, stop by stop
1. Daulatabad Fort
Devagiri of the Yadava kings, on a cone of rock 15 km from the city, the fort to which Muhammad bin Tughluq moved his capital in 1327. The climb to the top is several hundred steps with a pitch-dark tunnel partway, so it goes first, in the cool.
Entry ticket at the gate
2. Ellora Caves
Thirty-four caves along two kilometres of escarpment, Buddhist, Hindu and Jain, cut between roughly the sixth and tenth centuries. The Buddhist halls are at the south end, the Jain caves a kilometre north, and the Hindu caves in between.
Entry ticket at the gate
3. Kailasa Temple, Cave 16
A whole temple carved downwards out of the hillside in the eighth century, with its courtyard, elephants and towers left standing in one piece of rock. Walk the rim path above it as well as the floor; the scale only makes sense from the top.
4. Grishneshwar Temple
The twelfth jyotirlinga, a red stone temple a kilometre from the caves, rebuilt in the eighteenth century by Ahilyabai Holkar. Men remove their shirts to enter the sanctum, and devotees may touch the linga, which is rare among the twelve.
5. Bibi ka Maqbara
The tomb Prince Azam Shah built for his mother Dilras Banu Begum in the 1660s, modelled on the Taj Mahal and smaller in every direction. People call it the Taj of the Deccan; at sunset, from the far end of the water channel, they have a point.
Entry ticket at the gate
In your price
- Private vehicle with driver for the full day
- Pickup and drop at your hotel in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
- Fuel, tolls, driver allowance and parking at every stop
- A route ordered around the heat and the Tuesday closure
- GoExplorer support number for the day
Not included
- Entry tickets at the fort, caves and Maqbara
- Guides
- Meals
- Anything personal
What you pay on the day
- Entry tickets at Daulatabad Fort, Ellora Caves and Bibi ka Maqbara
- Footwear deposit at Grishneshwar
- A licensed guide at Ellora, optional
- Lunch and anything personal
Who this suits
Most people. Daulatabad is the only hard part, and anyone who does not want the climb can see the moat, the Chand Minar and the lower fort and wait below. Ellora is a long walk on the flat with a few stairs. The sedan seats four, the Sumo eight and the Innova six, each at one flat price for the car.
What to bring
Good walking shoes for the fort, and a phone torch for its dark passage. Water and a hat. Modest clothes for Grishneshwar; men should be ready to take off their shirt for the sanctum, and leather belts and bags are best left in the car.
The heat is the planning problem
From March to June the afternoons are very hot, which is why the climb comes first. The day runs in monsoon rain, though the fort steps are slippery when wet and you may stop lower down. If a site is closed on the day for any reason other than the Tuesday closure, you get a full refund or a free reschedule.
Cancellation
- More than 24 hrs before: Full refund
- Within 24 hrs: 50% refund, or reschedule free once
- No show: No refund
Safety and the operator
Run by a licensed local ground operator, one driver per vehicle, commercially registered and insured. Daulatabad's upper steps are steep and unrailed in places, and the tunnel is completely dark; take it slowly. The rim path above Kailasa has sheer drops; keep children close.
Questions
Is the price per person?
No. It is one price for the vehicle for the whole day. A Swift Dzire is ₹2,990 for up to four of you, a Tata Sumo ₹3,490 for up to eight.
Which day is Ellora closed?
Tuesday, every week. Ajanta is closed on Mondays. Bibi ka Maqbara, Daulatabad and Grishneshwar have no weekly closure, which is why this day can run every day except Tuesday.
What is the dress rule at Grishneshwar?
Men remove their shirt before entering the sanctum; the courtyard has no such rule. Women are expected to dress modestly, in a saree, salwar kameez or similar. Mondays and the month of Shravan bring the longest queues.
Do we have to climb Daulatabad?
No. The moat, the gates, the Chand Minar and the lower fort are all on the flat. The climb to the top is the best part for those who can do it, and entirely optional.