ABSTRACT
Most tourists come to Ajanta for only a day. Their mornings begin in Aurangabad, 100 kilometers south on Maharashtra State Highway No. 8, or at the Jalgaon railhead, 50 kilometers to the north. The two roads are so different that the longer drive sometimes makes for the quicker trip. But no matter whether tourists arrive at Ajanta in air-conditioned calm or sore from constant potholes, upon arrival all are greeted by a swarm of boys hawking geodes and beads and crystals and postcards and color-guides and refreshingly cold drinks, electricity permitting.
