Ajanta Caves from Shirdi — Distance, Timings & Ellora Combo (2026)

Shirdi to Ajanta Caves is a drive of roughly 110–130 km, taking about 2.5 to 3.5 hours depending on route and traffic. Ajanta Caves are closed every Monday and open 9 AM to 5:30 PM the rest of the week. Combining Ajanta with Ellora the same day is possible but rushed — most Yatris prefer two days.

🚗 Getting There: Shirdi to Ajanta Caves

The road distance from Shirdi to Ajanta Caves is roughly 110–130 km, and the drive usually takes about 2.5 to 3.5 hours, depending on the exact route and traffic through Sambhajinagar.

Most drivers go via Kopargaon and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad) before turning north on the state highway toward Fardapur, the gateway village for the caves. The road is well-surfaced for most of the stretch, with a short ghat section as you approach the caves themselves.

Because it is a long day out, leaving Shirdi by early morning (6–7 AM) gives you a full day at the caves with a buffer for the return drive before dark.

🚫 Ajanta Timings and the Monday Closure

Ajanta Caves are closed every Monday, without exception. On all other days they are open from 9 AM to 5:30 PM, with last entry around 5 PM.

If you are day-tripping from Shirdi, the drive itself eats 2.5–3.5 hours each way, so a Monday departure means arriving to locked gates. Always check your calendar date against Tuesday–Sunday before booking transport.

Ellora Caves, by contrast, close on Tuesdays, which is exactly why the two sites are traditionally visited on separate days rather than back-to-back.

🎟️ Entry Fees and the Shuttle You Cannot Skip

Ajanta's entry ticket costs ₹40 for Indian and SAARC nationals and ₹600 for foreign nationals; children under 15 enter free.

Private vehicles are not allowed all the way to the caves. Everyone parks near the Fardapur T-point, about 4 km away, and boards the mandatory ASI shuttle bus — a small per-trip fee applies for the non-AC or AC bus. A modest camera fee applies for handheld photography.

Carry cash or a UPI-ready phone, since counters near the shuttle stop accept both.

🖼️ Which Caves to Prioritise If Time Is Short

Ajanta has 30 rock-cut caves, but with a long drive behind you, focus on the ones that matter most:

• Cave 1 — the most famous mural, the Bodhisattva Padmapani, along with other Buddha paintings

• Cave 2 — ceiling decorations and murals of the Buddha's birth story

• Caves 16 and 17 — the best-preserved paintings at the site, with detailed Jataka tale narratives

• Cave 26 — a dramatic 29-foot rock-cut reclining Buddha (Mahaparinirvana)

Covering these five caves properly, with time to appreciate the paintings, takes a minimum of 2–3 hours.

🗓️ Ajanta and Ellora in One Day — or Two?

Ajanta and Ellora sit about 100 km apart, roughly 2.5–3 hours of driving between them. Each site needs 2–3 hours on foot to see properly.

Here is how the two compare for planning purposes:

Shirdi already has a full guide to Ellora Caves from Shirdi if you are weighing that leg separately, and the Shirdi to Sambhajinagar guide covers taxi fares for both caves together.

✅ Which Should You Choose?

Match your plan to your schedule rather than forcing both caves into one trip:

• Day-trip only (Ajanta only): Leave Shirdi early, spend the day at Ajanta, return by night. Avoid this if you also want Ellora — the caves alone already fill the day.

• Combining both caves: Book two days with an overnight stop near Sambhajinagar between them. Avoid trying to squeeze both into one day; you will rush the paintings and the Kailasa temple both.

• On a tight schedule: Pick Ajanta or Ellora, not both. Avoid a same-day combo unless you start before sunrise and accept a very late return to Shirdi.

🛣️ A Note on the Route from Shirdi

The drive threads through Ahmednagar district farmland before reaching the Sambhajinagar bypass, so expect two-lane stretches alongside the wider highway sections. Fuel and food stops are easy to find around Kopargaon and Sambhajinagar, but options thin out closer to Fardapur.

🏨 Where to Stay if You Are Combining Ajanta and Ellora

If you are splitting the trip across two days, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad) is the natural overnight base — it sits roughly 100 km from Ajanta and about 30 km from Ellora, with both an airport and railway station.

Staying here instead of returning to Shirdi each night saves two long drives and lets you start early for whichever cave complex is next. Hotel options range from airport-adjacent business hotels to budget lodges near the railway station.

Ajanta rewards the long drive from Shirdi with some of India's oldest surviving paintings, and a little planning around the Monday closure and the Ellora distance keeps the day from feeling rushed. Om Sai Ram.