Ellora Rock Cave Temples

Getting to the Ellora caves was an event in itself. At the bus station no one really knew, or was able to tell me, when the bus should come. One bus arrived, which I was very pleased wasn't my one - about 100 people all tried to pile on to it through the one little door all at the same time. Not everyone could fit though, even if they did go on one at a time, and when the bus was pulling away people were still taking a run up and jumping at the now blocked doorway to try and force their way on. Eventually a couple of people were pushed off and the door was then closed. I'd met a friendly family who were also going to Ellora so I waited with them. Jodi - the mother - gave me a ring and said we were friends, which was very nice of her. When our bus came we had a similar situation as with the previous bus. Except this time everyone who wanted to get on the bus could fit. Amazingly we all managed to get seat and so were feeling pretty pleased with ourselves. But as we began to reverse out of the bus station, someone shouted that we had a puncture. So after a time of confusion and not knowing whether we should get off the bus, or stay on, some people got off and some people decided not to. Jodi and her family stayed on, so I did too. Eventually we got off and onto another bus and then left straight away. But the people who'd got off the punctured bus immediately didn't get on the new one so I don't know what happened to them.

At Ellora, after walking up paths past immaculately kept gardens, which signs told you that you couldn't walk or play on or pick at any of the plants, you came to a huge Hindu Temple carved into a massive rock cliff. There were three different floors and so many different rooms and carvings. It's crazy to imagine the immense work that must have gone into building it. There was a temple inside the temple. Inside it was quite dark and as I was about to leave the security guard came up to me and offered to show me some special carvings with his torch. I confirmed that there would be no charge for this - normally everything here has a price - and then agreed. He the proceeded to show me all sorts of carvings to do with people having sex.One in particular he proudly showed me was of a man who was particularly well equipped but hadn't got a women. Because of this he'd put his manhood into a hole in a tree. It had then got stuck.

There were lots of people looking around the temples but I found myself in a place where no one else was. It was on the second floor and there was a lovely view over the gardens and back over parts of the temple. It also turned out to be a dead end. The problem was that when I noticed it was a dead end, I also noticed a monkey looking angrily at me. So, careful not to stare him in the eyes and make things worse, I slowly turned to go back the way I'd come. But there, almost right behind me were a group of three equally angry looking monkeys. As I've done (and failed at in the past) I tried my best to be brave and walk past them, but they weren't having it and looked very much like they would attack at any minute. I decided to go back and face the one monkey in the dead end. But I was being closed in on at either side and was trapped. I was also terrified. I didn't want to make a scene but I felt my only options were either to scream for help from the people below, but they probably wouldn't have any idea why I was screaming and even if they did they probably wouldn't have been able to get to me in time, or to risk death and jump off the roof. To my immense relief a group of people, unaware of my situation, walked near by and the group of three monkeys jumped away. I quickly made my exit pretending that no near death experience had just occurred, whilst literally shaking from the fear that I had just experienced. Like I say, never ever trust monkeys.

I think there were about 30 something temples all along/in the face of the rock. Although the biggest and perhaps the most impressive was the first Hindu one you came to, there were also Buddhist and Jain Temples. I found the Buddhist Temples to be extremely beautiful and the most peaceful. They often had such pretty lighting coming through the rock and shining on the carvings. I'm not sure though whether I preferred them or the Jain Temples. The Jain Temples were a very different style and made the Buddhist ones look almost simple (although in saying this I don't mean to take anything away from the Buddhist Temples) in comparison. They were also all linked through little passages in the rock, which made it fun to explore.

I found that to reach the Jain Temples there was a path that had been boarded off. This meant that if you obeyed the rules then you would have to walk an incredibly long way around, going back all the way you'd just come to get to them. Myself and another visitor decided that this would be foolish and so climbed around the gate and made our way down the little path next to a dried up lake. At the end of the path was another temple in the rock face. The doorway to the temple was the only way off the path, only a huge gate had been put up against the rock. This meant my climbing skills had to be put to good use and we climbed up, squeezing between the gate and the rock until we reached the top and could climb over and down the other side - success!