Cilla_Tey

Has anyone been to both? I have been to Ta Prohm and was blown away by what I saw. We're thinking of visiting the Ajanta caves but am not sure if it's worth the hassle of getting there. Are they awesome? A must see? Or should we just go to Luang Prabang instead.

Kathie

Cilla, I find your question a bit confusing. Ajanta Caves are caves, after all. They were enlarged for the shrines, but they are still caves. The photos I've seen all seem to show a much drier area than the area around the Angkor temples. I haven't been there, but I wouldn't expect them to be anything like Ta Prohm which is/was a free-standing temple built of stone, and now simultaneously held together and torn apart by the trees growing through it.

We are headed to Sri Lanka in November and are looking forward to seeing the cave temples at Dambulla.

By the way, if you opt to go to Luang Prabang, there are the Pak Ou caves, a long-time Buddhist pilgrimage site. We enjoyed our visit there.

Another cave pilgrimage site is the Perfume Pagoda, an hour or two from Hanoi. We enjoyed our trip there as well.

Both of these, of course, are pilgrimage sites as opposed to cave temples.

Cilla_Tey

Kathie, just want to know if the Ajanta caves are awesome. Eg of must sees in the world, Taj Mahal, Pyramids, Victoria Falls etc. All different sights but highly recommended. So does Ajanta fall in that category?

Kathie

Oh, now I understand your question. I don't know the answer to that.

thursdaysd

I preferred Ellora - more statues - to Ajanta - more frescoes, and hard to see. The Kailasha temple, carved DOWN into the rock at Ellora is mind-blowing. It seems odd to me to compare the caves to Ta Prohm, which is only one of the temples at Angkor.

If forced to chose, I would rank Angkor above Bagan above Ellora above Ajanta, but Kailasha above Ta Prohm. But really, if you're able to go to any of them, go.

Of course, Luang Prabang is one of my very favorite places anywhere, but its a completely different kind of place.

chimani

They are completely different sorts of places.

I loved Ta Prohm - for the atmosphere; all that lovely jungle eating away.

But you could see it just as another pile of mouldry masonry when push comes to shove. To be found all over Asia in various states of repair and disrepair.

Ajanta, for me, was very special. Maybe because there weren't many people there (I am talking 1994). The frescos are damaged but they are beautiful in themselves. No need to think about their provenance, or how old they are to get a buzz - they are just stunning.

For me - better than Ellora, which you can admire as a piece of stupendous engineering (and why all that effort - always a big question) but not of itself (for me) possessed of great beauty.

The plus side of going anywhere near either Ellora or Ajanta is an opportunity to visit Aurangabad which has attractions all of its own.

I went to Ajanta under my own steam (which was a bit of an effort). I went to Ellora on a day trip run by the local tourist organisation which included a visit to Daulatabad - which IMHO should be up there too as a place of special wonder.

I'd vote for Ajanta over Ta Prohm.

chimani

Oh, and there is absolutely no contest between Pak Ou (nice but the trip on the river is the best bit) and Ajanta which is a work of art. (Think Notre Dame, Durham Cathedral, Taj Mahal, the Great Mosque in Isfahan, or the Mesquita in Cordoba).

Plenty of other places besides, of course.

And just my own personal opinion, from the heart.

Cilla_Tey

Thanks everyone. I do love India (we've done Rajasthan) but my other half is very fussy and I try to make sure that it's always a "wow" destination.

thursdaysd

Lots of other Wow! places in India! Varanasi and Kerala for starters.

Cilla_Tey

I have been to Varanasi and yes, it's such a beautiful spiritual place. And I did suggest Kerala but he is not keen. So Thursdaysd, did Kerala wow you more than Ajanta/Ellora ?

Kathie

Cilla, have you been to Borobudor in central Java? I consider it a real "wow" experience.

thursdaysd

Tough call. Different types of places. The caves are a half day "sight" each, Kerala is a multi-day experience - overnight cruise on the backwaters on a "rice boat", Kathakali dance performers, Chinese fishing nets. Do you have to just pick one - India is a long trip to only go to one place.

Cilla_Tey

Kathie, I have been to Borobudor about 18 years ago. It was a nightmare of a trip with lots of things going wrong (internal flights cancelled without our knowledge, transfers not turning up, hotel booking messed up, being constantly hassled wherever we went, even Customs wanted to be bribed for no reason) so I couldn't really enjoy B. Thursdaysd, we usually have to do our filial bit and spend a week in Malaysia, then it's a week to 10 days somewhere else.

chimani

Everybody's "wow" factor is different. Ajanta is not easy to get to. Let me put it this way - if your plan is to fly to the nearest airport, and then arrange transport however you normally do - and if money is no object, then why not, but it is going to take time, and may not dovetail easily with the rest of your itinerary.

If you want to get there by train, then it depends where you are coming from. Are you planning to travel by train?

It's the sort of place you visit when you have either loads and loads of time or a special interest in art; or you just like to go somewhere that does take a bit of effort and is not so "on the beaten track".

I think if I had 10 days I would go to Kerala where there's not so much in the way of individual places that people rave about, but there's huge variety, and it's just about the pleasure of being there.

I'm curious about your definiton of "wow factor". For you Ta Prohm had it - where else?

Cilla_Tey

Chimani, my wow and near-wow experiences in no particular order:

Bhutan
Victoria Falls
On safari in Botswana
Taj Mahal
Rajasthan
Along the Ganges in Varanasi
Bungle Bungles (Western Australia)
Istanbul
Ta Prohm
Bali
Lijiang
Kathmandu
Cherry blossom season in Japan
Mardi Gras time in New Orleans
Jiu Zhai Gou
New York
Paris
Forbidden City
Great Wall of China
Ha Long Bay

Places I've been too where I should have been wowed but wasn't were Chitchen Itza, Grand Canyon, London with no money and Marrakech. Going to the Maldives in 3 weeks time and hope to be wowed. This is one of my bi-annual solo trips.

chimani

Hey, Cilla,

Enjoy the Maldives - never been there.

Sounds from your list like, if it were just you, one could recommend Ajanta with confidence - even if it is an effort to get to.

But there's your other half, eh?