Plan your trip · Ellora
What's on in Ellora
Ellora's big days belong to Grishneshwar, the Jyotirlinga temple next to the caves. Mahashivratri and the Mondays of Shravan fill Verul with pilgrims, while the caves themselves keep to their usual ASI hours.
Nothing dated is confirmed for Ellora 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 Ellora
Ellora 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–SeptemberMaharashtra'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–NovemberThe biggest holiday of the year — lamps, sweets, fireworks and a week of visiting family. Cities are lit up and markets stay open late.
Holi
🗓️ MarchColoured powder and water, thrown at anyone within reach, mostly through the morning.
Navratri and Dussehra
🗓️ September–OctoberNine 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 yearThe 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-JanuaryThe harvest turn, marked with kites in the west and north and four days of Pongal in Tamil Nadu.
Mahashivratri at Grishneshwar
Mahashivratri, the great night of Shiva, falls in February or March. It is the biggest day of the year at Grishneshwar, with queues through the night and heavy traffic on the road into Verul. If you want to see it, go with patience. If you only want the caves, avoid that day and the evening before, because parking and the village lanes will be packed.
Shravan Mondays
In the month of Shravan, usually from late July into August, Mondays at Grishneshwar draw large numbers of pilgrims, many coming from around the district. This falls in the monsoon, so combine it with the green ridge and the waterfalls at the caves, and expect the road to be slow.
The Ellora-Ajanta festival
The Ellora-Ajanta festival of classical music and dance has been held in some years at Soneri Mahal in Aurangabad, not at the caves. It returned in 2024 after a long gap, and its dates change from year to year. Check the Maharashtra tourism announcements before planning around it. Aurangabad also hosts the Ajanta-Ellora International Film Festival, held in late January and early February in 2026.
Diwali, Ganesh and holidays
Ganesh Chaturthi (August or September) and Diwali (October or November) are celebrated in Verul and Aurangabad, but they do not change a visit much. What they do bring is holiday traffic: long weekends and the Diwali and Christmas school breaks are when the caves are at their busiest.
Jain and Buddhist days
Mahavir Jayanti and Buddha Purnima, both in spring, may bring small groups of pilgrims to the Jain caves and the Buddhist caves. Be quiet and ask before taking photos.
Planning tip
Most of these festivals follow the lunar calendar and move by weeks each year. Confirm the dates for your year, and remember that Ellora is closed every Tuesday, festival or not.
Questions
Ellora — FAQ
When is the Ellora-Ajanta festival held?
It has no fixed date. It has been held in some years, often in winter, at Soneri Mahal in Aurangabad. Check the state tourism website for the current year.
Is Grishneshwar crowded at Mahashivratri?
Very. It is the busiest day of the year, with queues through the night. Go at dawn the next morning if you want a calmer visit.
Are the Ellora Caves open on festival days?
They usually keep their normal hours on festivals and public holidays, but they are closed on Tuesdays. Holidays bring the biggest crowds, so arrive at opening time.
Does Ganesh Chaturthi affect a visit to Ellora?
Not much. The big Ganesh processions are in Mumbai and Pune. Around Ellora you may meet local celebrations and some extra holiday traffic.