In seventh heaven

People are often amazed by the sheer size and magnitude of the Ajanta Caves but what a many visitors miss to see is the beautiful surroundings that the cave cluster is set in The Ajanta Caves are cut into the side of a cliff that is on one side of a Ushaped gorge on the Waghora River which originates from these very hills On the other side is a waterfall that drops into the saptakunda or the seven pools There is no formal name to this waterfall but many people refer to it as the Waghora Waterfall During the monsoon and a few months after this waterfall is in full splendour as it gushes strongly and drops into the river from almost 150 feet A panoramic sight of the Ajanta View Point Vantage view of Ajanta Usually tourists take the routine path from the base of the caves to reach the top But if you are among those who are willing to go that extra mile for a perfect photograph a good view or probably just to satisfy the offbeat traveller in you then you need to head to the lsquoAjanta View Pointrsquo Approximately 13 kms before the Ajanta Caves parking at Balapur village on AurangabadAjanta Road look out for a rusty signboard which says lsquoView Pointrsquo Take a left from there and follow the road for eight kms After passing through some fields and a village the road ends at the View Point which was strategically built by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation MTDC some years back From here you get a complete panoramic view of the Ajanta Caves along with the surrounding mountain ranges People say that this was the exact location where John Smith who while on a tiger hunt first sighted and rediscovered the caves long hidden behind dense vegetation in 1819 The sevenstep wonder It gets better Instead of heading back to the caves from the regular route you can climb down the mountain The descent is quite enjoyable as the wellpaved stairs pass through extremely thick forest When the stairs end you come to a second View Point You still get the panoramic view of the caves but this is the spot from where you get the full view of the waterfall and all the seven ponds During the rains one actually gets to see all the seven steps of the waterfall Saptakunda in the summer left and the monsoon right Pics CourtesyJayesh Paranjpe You can also make a detour and actually walk around the waterfall and see how the waterfall actually originates and flows into the Waghora River So the next time you are at Ajanta Caves make sure to take this less travelled path and explore the surroundings along with the caves Jayesh Paranjape is founder of Western Routes mdash a Pune based travel company that focusses on Maharashtrarsquos attractions Log on to wwwwesternroutescom How to get there gtgt By Air Aurangabad 100 kms is the closest airport with good connectivity with Delhi Mumbai and Pune gtgt By Rail Jalgaon 58 kms on the Central Railway is a convenient railhead Alternatively for better connectivity Aurangabad 100 kms gtgt By Road Comfortable and AC buses ply between Mumbai Aurangabad and PuneAurangabad gtgt Final approach to Ajanta Caves and Waghora Waterfall Regular buses ply from Aurangabad to Ajanta Caves But if one is looking at visitng the View Points itrsquos best to hire a taxi from Aurangabad or Jalgaon for the caves Where to stay Aurangabad has a range of hotels from 5star hotels to BampBs to use as your base for this trip Budget Hotel Panchavati LOG ON TO wwwhotelpanchavaticom MidRange3STAR Hotel Keys Aures LOG ON TO wwwkeyshotelscomLocationAurangabadaspx Highend Vivanta by Taj LOG ON TO wwwtajhotelscom Distances between important destinations gt Aurangabad Ajanta Caves 100 km gt BalapurView Point Waghora Waterfall 8 km gt BalapurAjanta Caves parking 13 km gt Ajanta Caves Ellora Cavesu00a0105 km What to carry gt Comfortable walking shoes or floaters gt Cap and sunscreen lotion gt A guidebook on the Ajanta Caves gt Binoculars and camera gt Birdwatching guide if you are interested in birdwatching gt Personal medication gt Diary for your notesu00a0