A Wothy Detour

"We're going to a place named after Surry-rats?"

Yes. Yes. Because Lifa and I so badly wanted to add to our ever growing list of world heritage sites and see the Caves of Ajanta we needed to get to Surat to then get to Jalgon, to then get to Ajanta, to then get to the caves. Oh my Buddha!

Lifa does a great job of setting the scene you have to READ IT
You better have read that.

The caves were worth all the hassle, no sleep, sore back and bums and train station squatters. They were amazing. Dated from about 200BC to 650AD the abandoned Buddist caves were not discovered until 1819. They lie tucked away in a horse-shoe shaped george that houses a meek river but incredible views. There are 30 caves in total (not all of which are open or accesible) and each houses the most beautiful, detailed and breath-taking carvings and paintings. Of course no flash photography was allowed but hopefully the pictures give you an idea of what it was like. I could easily compare these caves to the tombs of the Kings in Egypt - so well preserved for being so old that it was hard to understand how they made them in the first place. I can sum their beauty only by saying: "it was worth being in the Surat train station for 3 hours".