Plan your trip · Ajanta

What's on in Ajanta

Ajanta is a quiet heritage site, not a festival town. Its big events are held in Aurangabad, about 100 km away, while the caves themselves see pilgrims and holiday crowds rather than processions.

Nothing dated is confirmed for Ajanta right now, so here is the year instead — the fixtures that come round annually, and what each one means for a visit.

The year in Ajanta

Ajanta packs most of its outdoor calendar into the cooler months; the pre-monsoon peak is hot enough that daytime processions are genuinely hard going. Broadly, Oct – Feb is when visiting is most comfortable here, and that is when the calendar is busiest — which also means accommodation is most expensive and books furthest ahead.

Most of these follow lunar calendars and move by weeks from year to year, so treat the windows below as the season rather than the date, and confirm the year’s dates before you book around one.

Across Maharashtra

Ganesh Chaturthi

🗓️ August–September

Maharashtra's biggest festival: clay Ganesh idols in homes and neighbourhood pandals for up to ten days, then carried in processions to the nearest river, lake or sea.

Planning: Immersion days close roads and fill the ghats and beaches; the largest crowds by far are in Mumbai and Pune.

Nationwide

Diwali

🗓️ October–November

The biggest holiday of the year — lamps, sweets, fireworks and a week of visiting family. Cities are lit up and markets stay open late.

Holi

🗓️ March

Coloured powder and water, thrown at anyone within reach, mostly through the morning.

Navratri and Dussehra

🗓️ September–October

Nine nights of fasting, music and dance, ending with Dussehra. What it looks like changes completely by region — garba in Gujarat, pandals in Bengal, processions in the south.

Eid al-Fitr

🗓️ shifts ~11 days earlier each year

The end of Ramadan. The old quarters of Delhi, Hyderabad, Lucknow and Bhopal are at their best in the evenings through the preceding month, when food streets run past midnight.

Makar Sankranti and Pongal

🗓️ mid-January

The harvest turn, marked with kites in the west and north and four days of Pongal in Tamil Nadu.

At the caves

There is no large festival at the Ajanta caves. What changes through the year is who comes. Buddhist pilgrims visit in larger numbers around Buddha Purnima, in April or May, and you may hear chanting in the stupa halls. Indian school groups arrive in winter. Families fill the terrace over Diwali in October or November and in the Christmas and New Year week. None of these close the caves, but they do fill them.

The rediscovery anniversary

John Smith was led to Cave 10 on 28 April 1819, and the regional press marks the anniversary most years. It is a date to know rather than an event to plan for: there is no public festival at the caves.

Ellora Ajanta festivals in Aurangabad

The Ellora Ajanta International Festival is a music and dance festival that has been held in Aurangabad, at the Soneri Mahal, a 17th-century palace. The 2024 edition ran from 2 to 4 February. It has not run every year, so check whether it is on before you plan around it. Separately, the Ajanta-Ellora International Film Festival is held in Aurangabad each winter; the 2026 edition ran from 28 January to 1 February.

Regional festivals

Ganesh Chaturthi, in August or September, is Maharashtra's biggest festival, but the grand celebrations are in Mumbai and Pune, not at Ajanta. In the villages around the caves you will see small Ganesh idols and local processions. Diwali, Holi, Makar Sankranti in mid-January and Eid are all celebrated in the nearby villages and in Aurangabad.

Planning around events

Most of these dates follow the lunar calendar and move from year to year, so confirm them before you book. Hotels in Fardapur are few and fill up on long weekends. For the weather in each season, read the best time to visit page.

Questions

Ajanta — FAQ

Is there a festival at the Ajanta caves?

Not at the caves themselves. The Ellora Ajanta festival of music and dance takes place in Aurangabad, about 100 km away, and has not been held every year.

Are the caves open on festival days?

Usually yes, except on Mondays, the weekly closing day. Holidays like Diwali and New Year bring bigger crowds rather than closures.

Is Buddha Purnima special at Ajanta?

More Buddhist pilgrims come around Buddha Purnima in April or May, and some chant in the prayer halls. There is no large official event at the site, so treat it as a day of worship and give pilgrims room.