[Day 20] Today we returned to the Buddhist caves at Ellora to remake some of the photographs which had not come out well yesterday owing to poor lighting while covering caves 2-5. This time they came out much better as I took along the video lighting equipment. I also managed to retake some of the 360 degree photos, and get some new ones.
We then moved on to the last of the Buddhist caves, the massive cave no. 12 on three stories. This has some of the best sculpture of its kind, though the decadence of the period is noticeable in the excessive repetition in the set forms.
When we got to the 3rd floor we found the door locked and couldn’t get entry. This may have been fortunate in a way, as we were able to meditate there for 1/2 hour while someone found a key to let us in, which also helped me recuperate. The best work is indeed on the 3rd floor and it was worth the wait. We then had a similar problem gaining access to the sanctum on the 2nd floor, which took a little less, maybe 20 minutes.
One of the things this meant however, was that we had lost quite a lot of time and it became clear to me that we would not be able to cover the Hindu and Jaina caves as originally planned: it had taken two days to cover the twelve Buddhist caves, and we were running short of time to get to Ajanta.
Therefore afterwards we simply visited the next couple of caves, belonging to the Hindu group, including the super-massive Kailash temple, but without photographing them. After lunch we returned to look at the Jaina caves, which we walked to, the bus refusing to stop along the road. The caves, including a Chhota (small) Kailash, were very interesting, but we were mainly prospecting not photographing.
Although my health was much better today, at this point I think to forego photography in the morning in order to get to to Ajanta, and not be exhausted when we arrive, and ready for photography on the following day.
