Monolithic Three Religions

I got off the bus in Aurangabad at 7:00 AM. It wasn't a bus terminal, a station, or any major facility, just a road.
I decided to head to my hostel first to drop off my luggage. It was a 20-minute walk. As drivers kept pace with me asking, "Tuk-tuk? Where are you going?", I finally saw the sign.
I felt relieved to find a stylish hostel that seemed to have many backpackers. I was allowed to wait in the lobby until check-in.

Aurangabad is located 350 km northeast of Mumbai. The highlights for sightseeing are the two groups of rock-cut temples, the "Ajanta Caves" and the "Ellora Caves." Both are registered as World Heritage sites.

There was information about a taxi service to Ellora at the front desk, so I asked if I could go today, and they said it was no problem.
While sitting in the lobby, a friendly and charming young man from England started talking to me, which put me at ease. He said he was also going to Ellora, so I decided to share a ride with him, as he had such a cute way of laughing.

His name was Brooke, and when I told him, "There's a character with the same name in a Japanese manga," he looked it up and seemed happy.
It seems zebra print is his signature pattern rather than his signature color, and he complimented the zebra-print pants I was wearing, which I had bought in Hanoi.
He raved about my rainbow-colored Keen sandals, calling them the nicest shoes he had seen in India, and when I showed him my tan lines from the sandals, he laughed heartily, saying, "You look like a zebra!"

The area near the entrance to Ellora is bustling with street stalls.
Brooke bought me a banana and a coconut.

I paid the entrance fee and received a token.
I have to make sure not to lose it until I leave.

The Ellora Cave Temples, built between the 5th and 10th centuries, consist of 34 caves: Buddhist caves 1-12, Hindu caves 13-29, and Jain caves 30-34. The higher the number, the more recent the period in which they were built.

The first one you come across upon entering is Cave 16, the "Kailasa Temple."
It is also depicted on the 20-rupee note and could be called the face of Ellora.

To think that this was carved out of a single rock by human hands... the scale is hard to believe.
They say it took 100 years just for this Cave 16.

I left Cave 16 and continued my tour, going back in time.
Brooke said he was going to the restroom (which was a bit of a walk away), so we decided to look around at our own pace from here.

The highlight of the Buddhist caves is Cave 10.

In the quiet, cool cave, sutras that sound like a man's prayer chant echo. The surface of my body is covered by the vibrating voice.

I emerged from the deep echoes and stepped out into the dazzling, hot outdoors. Further back in time.

I reached the oldest, Cave 1, and turned back. It's vast. It's just vast.

I had sent a DM to Brooke's Instagram, which politely stated in his bio that he doesn't check DMs often, just in case. As declared? Well, it was never read. I wonder if we'll be able to meet up.

I skipped through the Hindu caves from 17 to 29, taking a quick look.

From here to the Jain caves, which start at number 30, there is another kilometer to go... it's far...

Lacking a background in religious studies, I couldn't tell how the structure or decorations of the Jain temple differed from the other two religions (and above all, I was exhausted), but in any case, I was able to witness the uniqueness of Ellora, where temples of three religions gather in one place.

On my way back from the Jain temple to the entrance, a vendor approached me, saying, 'I've been looking for you and asking all sorts of people if they'd seen a Japanese girl!'
He seems to love Japanese women, and I ended up being gifted a stone bracelet and necklace from his wares. While I dodged his passionate approaches of 'Let's go eat tomorrow' and 'Let's travel together' by repeatedly saying 'I don't know my schedule,' we arrived at the entrance.
I couldn't refuse when he asked to exchange LINE contacts at the end, but when I answered a LINE call from him shortly after leaving the gate, I heard Brooke's voice saying, 'I'm going to see the Jain area now before I leave.' Perhaps the vendor, who had seen me walking with Brooke earlier, found her after I left and spoke to her.
I was relieved to know Brooke was in touch. I thought it was a good thing I had exchanged LINE contacts with him.

Let's have a drink at the lime soda stand right outside.
With this heat and exhaustion, I can't resist such a refreshing-looking drink. It's freshly squeezed, you know?

From entering to leaving, it took a full four hours, even skipping parts. It's already 1:30 PM.
Since Brooke is going to the Jain caves, it looks like she won't be out for a while, so I think I'll go ahead and have lunch.