A peep into the past ......Ajantha and Ellora.

27th september 1971 Monday.

My holidays have begun.Whilst having lunch mother announced that we are all leaving for Ajantha and Ellora on the 29 th and will return on 2 nd October,by car.On hearing this my second brother said that he will not come because he has to study for his exams,that are several months away!Only when we plan to go on long trips he'll get such bright ideas.My mother would not hear of it.

29th September 1971 Wednesday,


Started from the house at 7 AM and were in the outskirts of the city [Hyderabad] a full one hour later due to some delay.

We went via Begumpet .The landscape was entirely different from our usual trips viz from Hyderabad to Tirupathi.After some time corn crops made their appearance and I thought about all those numerous kings and queens who would have passed through these places before my time.We were on the road to Poona. At a spot 250 miles away we have to cut somewhere to go to Aurangabad, the city that is near the caves.

My eldest brother drove the car at 80 kmsph .After 100 miles or so we passed into Mysore state ,cutting through Gulbarga district.It was very cool and pleasant.Then we passed into Maharashtra state . All the villagers were wearing a white cap like the congress 'kulla' . It was funny to pass into 3 different states and to see 3 different traditional costumes.

The place we were travelling through has gentle slopes covered with velvety grass.It looked like Ooty! It was very pleasant to see the grassy slopes and the cattle grazing ,a view which I have never enjoyed in other trips.

We had our lunch at a rest house about 1.30 at some place where there is a old , but a big stone fort with a dried up moat . I wanted to go to that fort but every one objected, as it was too far.Thence forward the scenery became even more beautiful as we travelled on .We had our tea in the car itself in a village . There were tall village women with beautiful faces walking about balancing water pots or bundles of hay or twigs on their heads . I told mother that, if these women entered beauty contests in the cities they would surely be crowned as beauty queens.Mom agreed and said ,since villagers are one with nature, without any artifice they are naturaly beautiful.

My elder two, brothers took turns in driving the car up to Aurangabad which is 350 miles away from Hyderabad. We reached it at 8 PM. It started to drizzle and it was too tough to drive due to heavy traffic on the roads. We went around the town several times seeking accommodation and finally landed in Subadhari lodge.

The 2 rooms are lovely and comfortable ,the only snag was that dinner was not served . So we ate the remains of the lunch, cooked and packed by my mother and went off to sleep . Tom morrow we are going to Ajantha caves.


30 th September,1971, Thursday.

We had our breakfast at a hotel called Kamakshi a small hotel at the heart of the city.At last about 8.30 we pushed off to Ajantha.

It started to rain very heavily . The entire place was covered with water, streams and water falls.I felt weird when we passed through road about 4 feet above the rising and swirling rapid river --Purnam .The rain isn't a passing cloud but Monsoon. At last we reached Ajantha .The 30 caves are in a straight line.

A whole batch of girl students ,I think from Bombay had come.Many of them were pretty and fashionably dressed and my brothers went real crazy!I felt dowdy in my pleat less skirt . I wish I had worn something more stylish.

Took several snaps. There are many paintings out of which 90 % is faded . Every where Buddha , Buddha and ladies with numerous hair styles.All the females in the paintings are wearing belts,socks and are carrying handbags! Really it is a wonder how the people who lived 1000 year s back were so advanced!

We had the lunch of puri and potato that were packed in Aurangabad and started the return journey to that city.Again it started to rain heavily I saw 100 's of water falls in the Ghats ,caused by the rain.At one spot it rained so heavily that nothing ahead in the road, could be seen.Parents asked my eldest brother to stop as they feared that if we proceeded in the pouring rain we may meet with an accident , .My brother didn't stop but drove on and on , without any accident
and successfully passed through the blanketing sheet of rain and reached river Purnam. The road, thankfully was not submerged,The water had,how ever risen further .It was a feet below the culvert .

When the rain thinned down ,we stopped the car and got out to stretch out legs.I saw a sloth bear . That animal ,poor thing was tied from its mouth and nose by a rope and was held tightly by a very short man. He made the sloth to show tricks. I felt very sorry for that animal.

We had dinner at the rest house ,in the dining hall. Gosh ! the laying of the table was as posh ,and dinner as good as it was a in Ranchi Rajbhawan, when my grandfather was the Governor of Bihar!After the gorgeous dinner we all played blind's man buff as it was raining heavily outside . My younger brother wanted to see Hulchul a Hindi film but we didn't . Tomorrow we are visiting Ellora caves.

1 st 0ctober Friday.

Started from the rest house at 8 AM . I was very angry because we did not breakfast at that wonderful lodge but in some stupid hotel.Mother purchased and packed some puri's near that hotel for lunch.Then visited the imitation Taj Mahal known as Bibi Ki makbara. Mother said that it is not as beautiful as the original Tajmahal.After many delays we were on the road to Ellora which is only 18 miles from Aurangabad. As we passed Daulatabad fort, saw the Germans who are also lodged at our rest house.

At last we reached Ellora . There were whole lot of sardarji's who had come to visit a gurudwara ,nearby.Phew! the caves are wonderful, superb, magnificent etc. It was a sunny day and we were in high spirits.My 3 rd brother who is immediately elder to me and my younger brother and I explored many tunnels and caves . Just imagine 1000's of years ago there would have been sculptors carving images of Vishnu, Siva,Buddha,Mahavira and several other Hindu gods. I felt very happy just imagining and dreaming about the past.

We climbed a steep hill in trail of a waterfalls but the stream passed through a fence,so we had to stop.How I wish ,brothers had not wasted the snaps at Ajantha. There are so many scenic spots here . Silly brothers, showing off at front of those girl students.

A batch of English people calling themselves 'Art treasurers 'had come . All old . They were all so horribly pink. I donot like their colour which they are so proud of. Our colour is best.

We reached Daulatabad at 6Pm.and climbed the steep fort of 2 miles , puffing and panting. When I reached the top in saw several peacocks and monkey's. I am utterly tired.

2 nd october

Started the journey back home in the morning. Ate the packed lunch on green, grassy land and had tea at Naldurg.It is a lovely spot. It will be tourists paradise if the govt develops it . The Maharashtra govt is very able. There are comfortable rest houses everywhere in Maharashtra but couldn't find a single one in Mysore or A.P .

Reached Hyderabad at 9 PM .Had our dinner at Tajmahal hotel and came home totally exhausted.