Astonishing Temples in Aurangabad that You Need to Visit

The Kailasha or Kailashanatha temple is the largest monolithic rock-cut structure in the world located in cave 16 of Ellora Caves in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. Carved out of single basalt rock from Charanandri Hills, it is one of the exceptional temples of India owing to its massive size, amazing architecture and mind-boggling carvings. With its intricate designs on panels, monolithic pillars and statues of animals and deities, Kailasa Temple is an engineering marvel perfect for history and architecture lovers.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Grishneshwara Temple is known as one of the 12 sacred Jyotirlingas. Grishneshwar Temple is a 13th Century Shiva Temple located in Ellora. It has been mentioned in the Shiva Purana, which forms an integral part of the Shaivism Literature, as the 12th place of worship in the country.

The Bhadra Maruti Temple, located in Khuldabad near Aurangabad, is dedicated to the Hindu deity Lord Hanuman. This is one of the only three temples in India where the idol of the presiding deity, Lord Hanuman, is seen in the Bhav Samadhi or the sleeping posture, the other two being at Allahabad and Madhya Pradesh. Situated just 4 kms from the renowned Ellora Caves, Bhadra Maruti is thronged by devotees, especially on Saturdays during the months of "Sharavan" according to the Marathi calendar.

Located around 27km from Aurangabad in the Kachner Village is the Aurangabad Jain Temple, dedicated to the 23rd Teerthankara, Chintamani Parshwanath. Considered to be "Atishaya Kshetra" or a miraculous site, the idol at the temple is believed to possess divine powers, solving the problems of the devotees and fulfilling their desires. The stunning idol is said to be discovered from an underground basement, around 250 years ago. The Jain Temple in Aurangabad is visited by a huge number of pilgrims who walk here all the way from their village or town as a sign of reverence.